Olympiacos-Real Madrid: first of an Athens double-header
The leaders head to The Peace and Friendship Stadium for a repeat of the last EuroLeague final (8:15pm CET).
With the image of Sergio Llull's impossible buzzer-beater and the Undécima success still very fresh in the mind when it comes to Olympiacos-Real Madrid, the two teams go head-to-head for the first time since the EuroLeague final. This evening opens a seriously tough double-header in Athens, ahead of Thursday's visit to Panathinaikos.
The calendar shows no let-up for the madridistas, who got December underway with their biggest win of the season so far (+33 against Río Breogán) to start out strongly in what will be an 11-game month. Chus Mateo's boys sit top of the EuroLeague having won 10 of their 11 games in the competition, while Olympiacos lie in sixth place with a 6-5 record and lost in Monaco last time out.
Madrid: best offense and defense
Averaging 90.2 points for and just 76 against, Madrid have posted 99 in the last three games. Eight players average between Llull's 8.1 points and the and 13.5 for Campazzo, November MVP. Today it will be important to strike the balance between offense and defense, up against an Olympiacos who are seriously strong at the back and never give up on a game. This season, they have mitigated the loss of Vezenkov with some elite-level signings in the form of Milutinov, Sikma, Brazdeikis and former-madridista Williams-Goss. In offense, it's Peters and Canaan who have been the standout men for the Greeks.