Real Madrid-Unicaja: a place in the Copa del Rey final up for grabs
Chus Mateo's men are looking for their tenth consecutive qualification for the title match (6:30 pm CET).
Real Madrid will play this afternoon in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey against Unicaja de Málaga at the Olímpico de Badalona. The Whites go in search of their tenth consecutive final. They will face an opponent that goes into the game with the wind in their sails having eliminating Barça in the quarter-finals. They will be without Llull, who was injured against Valencia Basket, but they will have a team whose strength lies in the group and who want to dedicate the victory to him, as Poirier explained.
Chus Mateo's side go into this match with the best winning streak of the season 8, having won 13 of their last 14 games and unbeaten in the month of February. Moreover, they do so on a high note despite suffering in the quarter-finals. The second Real Madrid with 88 points on average and the third best offense in the league Unicaja with 86.4 are facing each other, so it will be a game of many points. The Whites will have to control the rebounding and turnovers to stop Unicaja whoa are dangerous on the counter-attack and at close-range shooting.
Chus Mateo's side go into this match with the best winning streak of the season 8, having won 13 of their last 14 games and unbeaten in the month of February. Moreover, they do so on a high note despite suffering in the quarter-finals. The second Real Madrid with 88 points on average and the third best offense in the league Unicaja with 86.4 are facing each other, so it will be a game of many points. The Whites will have to control the rebounding and turnovers to stop Unicaja whoa are dangerous on the counter-attack and at close-range shooting.
Both teams have had equally difficult routes to the final. Real Madrid eliminated Valencia Basket in a very demanding game that was decided by one point in the last play 86-85. After a great first half, Chus Mateo's team even had to come from behind against an opponent that had taken the lead with two and a half minutes to go. Deck was decisive with 5 consecutive points as the game reached boiling point. For their part, Unicaja pulled off a surprise by beating Barça. They went behind, but led by Brizuela and Perry, they managed to turn the score around to win the tie 87-89.
Previous Encounters
This will be the fifth time we have faced Malaga in the Copa del Rey, with a 3-1 record in the White’s favour. The last precedent was in the final in Malaga in 2020, which ended in a Madrid victory and title 68-95. Unicaja finished the first round of the league in fifth place with a record of 13 wins and 7 defeats, and in the only precedent of this season, Madrid won at the Martín Carpena on the third day of the league 71-76.
Previous Encounters
This will be the fifth time we have faced Malaga in the Copa del Rey, with a 3-1 record in the White’s favour. The last precedent was in the final in Malaga in 2020, which ended in a Madrid victory and title 68-95. Unicaja finished the first round of the league in fifth place with a record of 13 wins and 7 defeats, and in the only precedent of this season, Madrid won at the Martín Carpena on the third day of the league 71-76.