After a poor stretch, which must come to an end soon, Saras will still have the team prepared to take a serious look and not relax, because they could still catch Olympiacos. Without home advantage, I believe Maccabi will struggle against a better defense, especially since their game is only focused on offense, and limiting their game seems difficult and not very favorable for them in terms of points.
Dubai no longer has the advantage of home and finally has to show a worse game. Pao started to look better, pulling off a tough game in the fourth period against Zvezda, and with Lessort returning, he brings positivity to the team. It is necessary for both teams, as they are in a difficult position in the standings, but Pao is a significantly better team and must show it at this stage and produce results.
Oly starts off strong and is competing for first place in the standings and facing a relatively weaker opponent in the playoffs. Currently, Oly has recorded 4 wins out of the last 5 games and has defeated teams like Feneris and Pao. Meanwhile, Valencia suffered a couple of losses against Spanish giants. The upcoming game is important for both clubs, and in their first encounter, Valencia came out victorious. Therefore, I believe Oly will be motivated to seek revenge.
Fener continues to demonstrate how hot the team is at the moment, winning games after coming back from a deficit, and another great performance by Tucker against Olympiacos. Today's opponent, Maccabi, can be considered a lower-level team that is not fighting for anything, so this is a chance for Šaras' warriors to further strengthen their position in the standings.
The worst home team, Chartres (2-8 at home), meets the worst away team, Lyon (1-9 on the road). Even though it may seem tempting to bet on the home team with such odds, Lyon's season is better overall, and they still have a chance to make it to the top 8. However, personally, I don't believe in that, and Chartres may confidently lead their opponents to the last four with them.
The crucial match for Milan, it is necessary for Peru to fight here for a spot in the top ten and push Monaco down. Monaco won a couple of matches, but it was more luck than good gameplay. Monaco looks bad, there are no players, James is injured, they play in periods, with the team falling apart without a coach. Milan is picking up pace and must secure a win here.
The team from Tianjin, which had a tragic departure, looked quite strong and performed well at home. However, they had a series of losses, all of which took place during away games. Meanwhile, Guangsha had a similar situation, but all of their games were won at home. In their last away game, they only narrowly won against the team in last place during overtime. I believe that Tianjin has a chance. This season, they have already defeated several strong opponents at home.
The team that looked tragically on their journey to Tianjin and fought quite well at home. They recently had a losing streak, but all the games were played away. Meanwhile, Guangsha had a similar streak, but all of their games were played at home, and they only managed to win the final game in overtime against the last place team. I think Tianjin has a chance here. This season, they have already defeated some strong opponents at home.
Hercog Polona, a 35-year-old veteran from Slovenia, has a very good serve at this level and is very skilled at tactical play. She has already passed through the qualifiers and has gotten accustomed to the surface.
Elena Pridankina, a 20-year-old Russian, is also not performing at her best this season, as shown by her results. She seems to lack energy from the second or third stages, losing significantly to stronger opponents, although at times she starts off evenly. It is clear that these will only be the initial stages.
Mboko Victoria, 19 years old from Canada, is very talented. If nothing happens after this period, she may even qualify for the WTA tour. She has exceptional physicality, endurance, and a good playing technique. She does not rely on any authority and I believe she will receive some support.
Muchova Karolina, 29 years old from the Czech Republic, is very strong tactically. She has had favorable opponents so far and has easily reached this stage. However, I think Muchova is physically inferior to the young Canadian. In addition, Muchova recently defeated today's opponent in the Doha final and I think the Czech took full advantage, while the Canadian played insecurely in crucial points. I believe the situation will be significantly different today. Of course, this beautiful match is pulling me towards expecting a three-set game.
Good coefficient for Bacon Overi here, a total of 1 point below the seasonal average which is 15.9 points. In home games, Bacon has an impressive streak of at least 15 points in 7 consecutive games. Despite PAO's elite status, this is definitely not a team that you would associate with defense, it will be more focused on offense and I think the stars will shine, including Dubajaus Bacon + playing against his former team, I believe he will have extra motivation to add to that.
After the injury, Punter is currently very unstable, but every other game with a points scoring of 9, 27, 7, 17 and 3 points, taking into account the 5 games played. After such a performance, I really believe that this player will bounce back and become the top points leader, averaging 15.2 points per game in this Euroleague season. Even in tough games like the one against Valencia, where a win is a must, I believe we will see a better version of Punter, just like after every tough game lately.
When the home teams and the away teams of the Euroleague meet. Real has only one defeat at home this season, and if anyone can beat Real at home, it's Hapoel. The coefficient is worth trying.
I will try Ausar Overi tonight, I think it's a favorable match up against the Lakers. As an athletic player, he will be able to attack the athletic Lakers defenders. I've seen with the Rockets how much trouble his twin Amen caused for the Lakers, and although Ausar is not at the same level as a player, he has similar capabilities and I believe he will be a challenge for the Lakers, even with their improved defense. He has been averaging around 10 points this season, but hasn't been performing at his best so far. However, I think playing against such a tough opponent today will be an extra motivation for him and I believe Chad's absence will also elevate his game. I predict that he will score double digits.
Valencia's form has dropped recently. They lost to Real Madrid and Tenerife. Then at home they lost to a struggling Barcelona. Among themselves, Valencia beat Olympiacos this year, but under these circumstances, it is possible that there will be a rematch.