This weekend was the weekend of the national cups, but unlike Lyon in France, Olympiacos did not participate in the Greek Cup. This means that Olympiacos could concentrate on preparing for the upcoming Euroleague games and will go into this game as a clear favourite. On the other side of the barricades, Lyon Asvel had to play 3 games in 3 days in the French Cup, but failed to win the final. Dijon, who played great basketball, lost 69-77 and Lyon, who were considered the favourites, had to settle for second place.
Olympiacos
The Greek team, currently 13th in the standings, is playing disappointingly this season. Almost half of the team has been replaced during the season and the head coach has been sacked. However, with Bartzok back at the helm after a long journey, Olympiacos' situation has started to improve. While the team had been going through a long losing streak, the situation has stabilised recently, with 4 wins in the last 7 games. It is also worth mentioning that Olympiacos has significantly improved its game at home, where it has won 3 in a row and defeated one of the Euroleague leaders, CSKA, a week before the Euroleague break.
In a team that is in flux, Serbian N. Milutinov has emerged as the undisputed leader of the team this season, scoring 10.3 points and grabbing 8.5 rebounds per game in 25 minutes. G. Printezis, who missed a couple of games due to injury and is the team's second most valuable player, is also expected to play in this game. This well-known Greek player's game curve went up with the addition of G. Bartzokas, so his good game will be a big factor in the next matches. However, Spanoulis, who has been in great form, will not be available for this game as his season is probably over due to a serious injury.
Lyon-Villeurbane
Lyon-Villeurbanne Asvel, currently 9th in the standings, has come as a pleasant surprise to many basketball experts and fans. Before the season, the team was predicted to finish 18th in the standings, but with 9 rounds left in the regular season, Asvel is right on the cusp of the playoffs and has every chance to challenge for a playoff spot. The biggest problem for Lyon is the radical difference in their home and away games. 8 home wins in 13 games played, while the only away win in 11 games played.
Although Lyon is by no means one of the most talented teams in the tournament, it is a physical team, which makes it a difficult team to play against away from home, as the statistics show. However, in away games this team is undoubtedly one of the weakest in the league, so it will be interesting to see if Asvel can challenge Olympiacos more seriously.
Forecast
Olympiacos had much more time to prepare for this match, as they were out of the Greek Cup. Meanwhile, Lyon had a tough week and after 3 consecutive games, had only a few days to prepare for this away game. Asvel's players are unlikely to be at their best, and given that this team is already not shining on the road, the prognosis is rather gloomy. Olympiacos has won its last 3 home games by double-digit margins (against Bayern 89-72, Baskonia 80-70, CSKA 72-59), so all things considered, another double-digit win is in the cards here.
Olympiacos -8,5, 1,9 kof, betsafe
More sport analyses click here.
EN 
LT 
DE 
FR 
SV 
ES 
IT 
FI 
LV 
SK 
SL 
TR