Maccabi-Real Madrid: EuroLeague leaders play postponed Round 6 clash
Chus Mateo's boys will play behind closed doors at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade (8:15pm CET)..
Real Madrid start out on two hugely demanding weeks in the EuroLeague that will see them face four away games on the bounce: Maccabi, Fenerbahçe, Olympiacos and Panathinaikos. Against the Israeli side this evening, they play their Round 6 clash originally scheduled for 2 November, which was postponed due to the "impossibility of hosting games in Tel Aviv for security reasons." The encounter will take place behind closed doors at Belgrade's Aleksandar Nikolic Hall. Sitting unbeaten at the top of the table, Chus Mateo's boys will be hoping to continue their impeccable start to the competition against opposition currently in the play-off spots.
Our boys are enjoying their second-best away start to the seasons since the League and EuroLeague have existed side-by-side. They have won all eight games on the road and just two more separate them from their all-time record back in 2013/14. They've been unplayable away from home in Europe so far, with victories over Baskonia, Anadolu Efes and Valencia Basket.
Maccabi lie seventh (5-4) and since their switch to hosting home games in the Serbian capital, they've taken two wins and two draws. Chus Mateo's team will be up against a very physical outfit who are strong on the offensive rebound and hit lots of points near the hoop. Lorenzo Brown, Baldwin IV and Colson are their three key men in offense. Inside, they are versatile, with Rivero, Webb III and Nebo. The defenses are sure to be crucial in a match that pits the EuroLeague's best offense, Real Madrid (88.2) against the third-top performers (84.4).
Head-to-head
This will be the 37th match-up between the two teams in the EuroLeague and the record currently reads 23-13 in our favour, with four wins in the last five. Chus Mateo rested Campazzo against Morabanc Andorra, a game that saw Alocén return from over 21 months out with injury. He will miss out today as he wasn't registered when the game was originally due to be played. But the Argentine will be back as the team's top-rated player (19.6) and the leading assister in the competition (8.3). Hezonja will also be in the squad and hoping to continue his spectacular form. In the last two games, against Alba Berlin and Morabanc Andorra, he's averaged 23.5 points. Tonight, the first of four big EuroLeague away days.