Žalgiris

Kaunas Žalgiris enters this match after a home court loss against CSKA Moscow, with a score of 78-87. Indeed, this match can be viewed ambiguously – on one hand, the team showed character and it seemed that they could even turn the game in their favor and pull off a victory. On the other hand, from the very beginning of the match, Žalgiris looked uncertain, allowing CSKA to take a significant lead, thus having to play catch-up against one of the best EuroLeague teams throughout the game.

In this match, there were noticeable changes in the team's structure when veteran Paulius Jankūnas stepped into the starting five, who managed quite well against CSKA's strong forwards and played his best game in the EuroLeague this season. It is clear that against teams with such good guards as CSKA, Žalgiris' defensive shortcomings become even more apparent, especially in the guard line. Lukas Lekavičius simply cannot defend against individually strong opposing guards, who often surpass him not only in individual talent but also in height. Nevertheless, the team should be praised for their fighting spirit, and it is hoped that Schiller will find ways to improve team defense, thus helping to cover some players' defensive issues.

Žalgiris has currently lost 4 games in a row, and with each loss, breaking this streak may become increasingly difficult. The match against CSKA was quite encouraging, so the match in Milan should also be quite competitive, considering that one of Armani's key players, M. Delaney, will not be playing.

Olimpia Milano

For the Olimpia Milano team, this match will be only the 6th in this season's EuroLeague, as several matches had to be rescheduled due to a COVID-19 outbreak. The last EuroLeague match the team played was on November 6 against Valencia, which they lost after a tough fight with a score of 81-86. In that match, M. Delaney could not help the team, and he will also miss the meeting with Žalgiris.

This season's Milano team composition is significantly different from the rosters assembled in recent years – there are fewer individualists in the team, and players oriented towards team play and individually very capable players have been gathered, coached by the well-known Ettore Messina in Europe. The main players of the team are: Sh. Shields (13.4 points), S. Rodriguez (14.6 points), and K. Hines (9.8 points), on whom a large part of the team's success depends. After missing the start of the season, one of last season's leaders, V. Micov, joined the team in the last round, which will only further strengthen this team.

Prediction

Looking at the team rosters, Olimpia Milano undoubtedly appears superior in practically all positions, but as has been proven several times, this factor is far from the main one in this year's EuroLeague. Olimpia has not played in the EuroLeague for 2 weeks, so it is likely that they will start a bit slower than usual. Žalgiris, having gained an advantage at the beginning, has already proven several times how dangerous a team they can be. The match should be competitive, and the +7.5 advantage given to the Žalgiris team is quite significant, considering the current circumstances.