Zenith
St. Zenit St. Petersburg finished the Euroleague regular season in 8th place in the standings, but in the series with Barcelona, the team is showing that it cannot be written off. Zenit, who miraculously escaped Barcelona in the first game of the series, came close to victory in the second game of the series, but were disappointed. The most important thing is of course that Zenit has every chance to level the series at home, and as history shows, anything can happen in a decisive match.
The most important players in this series for Zenit are definitely K. Pangos, who is doing wonders for the team's game and playing over 30 minutes per game, as well as W. Thomas and K.C. Rivers, whose three-pointers at the crucial moments led to the first away win. In this series, the weaknesses in Zenit's rotation were quite evident, as the key players had to play much more time than they should have done, which resulted in Barcelona having a wider rotation and preserving more strength during the game.
Anyway, Zenit seems to be well prepared tactically in this series and doesn't give up a single inch of the court without a fight. To keep the intrigue alive in the series, it will be necessary not only to keep physicality and hit shots from good positions, but also to keep concentration on defence and limit Barcelona's spurts as much as possible, which is what has largely led to the Spanish team's victories in Games 2-3.
Barcelona
Barcelona were considered the clear favourites for the series, but perhaps they didn't expect Zenit to have so much trouble. While Sarko keeps talking about the players not fulfilling the details and not fully understanding the importance of the game, Barcelona have a group of players who have played at the highest level, so the atmosphere of the playoffs is not something new for them.
Davies, who has shone in Zalgiris and has become a leader in Barcelona, looks very difficult for Zenit to stop him. In this series, the bigger contributions of Calathes and Mirotic are lacking, but with Barcelona in control and so many talented players, it doesn't make much difference which player will play better in individual matches - the key is to find the best-looking players on a given day and get the victory.
Forecast
The fourth and potentially deciding game of the series will be played in St. Zenit will have a minimal advantage when playing in front of their own fans, but this will not be the deciding factor in this match. Barcelona seemed to be gaining momentum with each game and the third game of the series, played away, seemed to be the "easiest" of all the games played. Zenit has shown character in this series and has a chance to extend the series, but Barcelona will definitely be the favourite in this match. It is hard to imagine what else Zenit can surprise with Barcelona still in its best possible form.
Barcelona -5,5, 1,9 kof., betsafe
If you're interested in following all the reviews we put up, you can find them here here .We also recommend you visit our Facebook page Serious Bets
EN 
LT 
DE 
FR 
SV 
ES 
IT 
FI 
LV 
SK 
SL 
TR