Athens Panathinaikos

Athens Panathinaikos, after 15 games played, ranks 6th in the standings (9-6). Meanwhile, Real Madrid, with 12 wins and 3 losses, shares the first place with Barcelona and Anadolu Efes teams. Indeed, Panathinaikos, under the leadership of R. Pitino, has started to play better, but the game still does not look so confident that we could take this team more seriously. At home, they struggled against Olympiacos, then barely defeated the absolutely struggling Fenerbahce Ulker, and finally lost by 9 points to Tel Aviv Maccabi. In that match, Panathinaikos was leading by as much as 18 points at one point, and still had a 6-point advantage in the 4th quarter, but let it all slip away.

Real Madrid demonstrates a much more stable game, and the 9-game winning streak speaks for itself. The last 5 games were won by at least 9 points, and in the last game played, Baskonia was crushed by 22 points away. During the 9-game winning streak, Real Madrid crushed CSKA Moscow 97-81, Khimki Moscow 104-76, Olympiacos 93-77, and so on.

Athens Panathinaikos is one of the best home-playing teams in the entire Euroleague, with 6 wins and 2 losses at home, ranking 5th. The Athenians perform much worse in away games, where they have won only 3 out of 7 games played. Just a few years ago, Greek teams were known for their sluggish play and long, positional attacks. This season, both Olympiacos and Athens Panathinaikos have started to adapt more to modern basketball trends, significantly increasing the number of three-pointers taken and speeding up the pace of the game. The high pace of the game and many three-point shots are the main reasons why Athens Panathinaikos has scored at least 78 points in all home games this season, and lost the match against Emporio Armani with a score of 78-79. Panathinaikos has significantly lengthened the bench this season, with players like T. Rice, G. Papagiannis, W. Johnson, and others joining the game well. Unfortunately, it seems that in this match, the team will be without Jimmer Fredette, who has been showing good form lately.

Leaders of Athens Panathinaikos:

Nick Calathes – 13.5 points, 8.7 assists, and 5.1 rebounds. Calathes is one of the most versatile guards in Europe, earning his name both as an excellent floor general and as a team leader. The Greek, who has been leading the Panathinaikos team for years, is not slowing down this season either. However, although the statistics look very good, Calathes' shooting is still struggling: three-pointers are made with only 31% accuracy, and free throws with only 51% accuracy.

Deshaun Thomas – 14.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. Thomas has become a somewhat unexpected X-factor in the strong Panathinaikos team this season. The forward, who was a strong average player until this season, has revealed his brightest colors and is currently one of the team's leaders, attacking well from long range and able to take the initiative at the right moment.

Jimmer Fredette – 14 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. This is the statistics collected by the former NBA player until this match. Indeed, the American, who has been showing excellent form in recent weeks, was one of the key players leading Panathinaikos to victories, but he will not be able to help the team in this match due to an injury.

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Real Madrid

After a sluggish start to the season, the Real Madrid team has currently won 9 games in a row and indeed, the team that has kept its core looks very solid. Similar to Panathinaikos, Real Madrid plays worse in away games than at home. However, after the first 3 lost away games, Real has significantly improved and contributed to the current winning streak with 3 consecutive away wins by solid margins. Overall, the core of the Real Madrid team is one of the longest-playing together in all of Europe, so it is no surprise that the team can find ways to get out of the most difficult situations and dominate the games like no one else. In the match against Panathinaikos, one of the main players of the team, S. Lull, will not be able to help Real, whose absence will be compensated by N. Laprovitola and J. Caroll, who will get more minutes.

Leaders of Real Madrid:

Facundo Campazzo – 11.3 points, 6.6 assists, and 2.1 rebounds. This is the statistics recorded this season by the Argentine, who was recognized as one of the best players of the FIBA World Championship. Indeed, in addition to the solid statistics collected, we can add great show elements. In almost every game, Campazzo manages to surprise with impressive passes, shots, or other memorable episodes, which is why he is very popular among basketball fans.

Anthony Randolph – 12.4 points, 4.2 rebounds per game. The American, who became the European champion with the Slovenian national team, is just as important to the team this year as he was last year. The tall player, who had some injury problems for a while, can now play at full strength and significantly contributes to the success of the Real team.

Walter Tavares – 5.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots per game. This tall player is not the most stable player on the team, but he can play excellently and dominate the court against certain opponents. Tavares' statistics are not impressive, but the benefit he gives to the team is hard to measure, as things like drawing opponents out of the paint, etc., are not included in statistical categories.

Prediction

This match will undoubtedly be one of the most competitive encounters of this stage. Athens Panathinaikos plays excellently at home, but the form and cohesion demonstrated by Real Madrid cannot leave anyone indifferent. Since one of the most important players of the Greek team, Jimmer Fredette, will not be able to help in this match, Real will gain even more advantages. The fight is likely to be fierce, but with a current 1.95 odds for Real Madrid, which is significantly too high for a potentially stronger and impressive form team, regardless of the court where the teams will play.