Efes – Real Madrid
Euroleague Round 2
Istanbul, October 12, 19:30 CET
Never in the last half decade has Real Madrid been in such a good position before the match with Efes, as this Thursday in Euroleague Round 2.
European champions Real are in a series of nine victories, this team is playing better and better even though they are faced with a slightly longer absence of the starting center, the famous Walter Tavares. Last week at the start of the Euroleague, they beat Baskonia 79:77 in an extremely difficult away game. Then on the weekend, also away, an exceptional triumph was achieved over Girona in the Spanish ACB league 93:74. Finally, on Tuesday in a spectacular friendly game in Madrid, Real won against NBA team Dallas Mavericks 127:123.
In the last 30 games (since the end of April), in all competitions and in friendly games, only once did Real Madrid score less than 78 points! The offensively exceptional squad will have the opportunity to achieve a significantly better performance in Istanbul against Efes, since the hosts are also a dominant attacking team, against which Real will have the opportunity for a large number of shots and easy points in transition.
Efes, on the other hand, is not nearly as good team as in the seasons behind us, and the main reason is the departure of the big star and playmaker Micic to the NBA this summer. Famous Turkish team, two times Euroleague champions, lost to Barcelona 91:74 at the start of European club elite last week. This defeat could have been more convincing, for a team that has yet to find the right game.
Since mid-September, Efes lost three games, and the defeat by CSKA Moscow in a friendly game 88:60 was particularly difficult and an alarm signal, almost four weeks ago.
One gets the impression that the main star, American guard Larkin, is not at the required level of expected top form, although against Barcelona he had 12 assists in addition to 16 points. First of all, Efes no longer has enough quality options under the hoop to fight against the best teams in the Euroleague. Also, new guard Darius Thompson is far from the right form - against Barcelona, he scored only two points in more than 26 minutes on the court.
Real looks even more competent in defense this season, with famous Argentinian playmaker Campazzo back at the Madrid club after a couple of years. Also, the progress of the young players Yabusele and Musa, who are increasingly dominant in attack, is obvious. Famous Spanish guard Sergio Llull again plays an increasingly important role in the attack, and French center Poirier is in top form in the period when Tavares is not on the field.
Last season Real Madrid lost against Efes in Istanbul 90:89 in a match played in the middle of March... In March 2022 Real lost 93:90 in the Europe's biggest city. Now they have a good chance to end the losing streak in this away game. However, considering that Efes is a good home team, a more certain option and a better bet is a large number of points from the Spanish giants and European champions on Thursday.