Real Madrid-Partizan: WiZink Center hosts its final EuroLeague game of 2023

On 10 May 2023, Real Madrid completed a historic, unprecedented feat in the EuroLeague, winning Game 5 in the playoff with Partizan Belgrade having trailed 0-2. On that day, Chus Mateo's boys clinched their place in the Final Four in Kaunas, where they would go on to lift their eleventh European Cup. Seven months on, the two teams go head to head once more in Round 15, with our boys top of the table and the Serbians sitting in the playoff spots.

It's a monumental clash to close out the EuroLeague year in front of the home fans (one game remains on the road in 2023 against Asvel Villeurbanne). With that magical night still fresh in the mind, and amidst our best ever start to a EuroLeague campaign thanks to the win over Crvena zvezda (14-1), another Serbian side comes to town. A Partizan outfit on a five-game winning streak that has taken them up towards the top of the table (9-6).

The tie pits the two most offensive teams in the competition, and the highest rated, against each other. Real Madrid are first in both figures, with an average of 89.1 points and 109.3 PIR. Tonight's opponents are second with 87.6 and 97.7. The Serbs boast the best two-point percentages (61.8), followed by the madridistas (58.9), who edge the triple, rebounds, assists and blocks, among other stats.

Defense to be key
One of the crucial elements of the game lies in defense and that's just where Madrid are enjoying some superb displays. They concede almost 10 points fewer than Obradovic's team and last time out they restricted Crvena zvezda to just 58 in Belgrade. That said, the opposition have dangerous players in the form of Punter, Nunnally and Leday, including star-name new faces including the NBA's Dozier Jr and Kaminsky, plus the recently signed Caboclo. Previous meetings make happy reading for our team, who have won 18 of the 23 encounters to date.