Well, everything is now in the hands of Lietkabelis, with the upcoming home games. Although the team has experienced countless losses in the tournament, many of them ended in tough battles where success was lacking in some places, while talent was present in others. Competitors arrive here, who are definitely not more talented or have a better team. Panionios faces bigger challenges and tasks in the Greek league. Being mentally prepared to fight away games in such circumstances becomes extremely difficult. This season, Panionios has won all matches away.
The top team is Le Mans and in recent seasons their level has remained consistently good. At home, the team plays even better and this has been proven not only this season, but also in previous ones. This season, Paris and Bourg have both lost twice to this team. Last season, all the leaders, including Monaco, Bourg, ASVEL, and Paris, have lost to this team. Rytas (a team) was not and does not seem to be a reliable team in Europe and in important matches, especially when playing away, they often do not show their usual form. Their composition is also focused solely on offense, without any defense.
Sorana-Mihaela Cirstea, 35 years old, represents Romania and plays at home with strong support from the audience. In addition, Cirstea has shown exceptional stability in recent years and is a good choice for tactics, knowing when to do what and what actions to take. zidane this season also looks good so far, but as long as she doesn't face a player from a higher level. On the other hand, Zidansek spent almost the entire previous season on the clay courts of lower level and played in ITF or challenger level tournaments.
Jelena Ostapenko, a 28-year-old Latvian, is a strong-headed player who also has injuries and struggles with her form. However, she has a lot of potential to show good results on this type of surface, so it would be a mistake not to consider her, especially after a tough loss in the first round against O. Selekhmeteva. On the other side, there's the 20-year-old Czech player Sara Bejlek, who mainly plays on clay and often gets broken on her serve. She has a short stature, a poor serve, and is currently not doing well in the tournament.
In my opinion, the meeting between two players who do not get along well and are not formal opponents would be like this. Yastremska Dayana, 25 years old from Ukraine, and Yastremska Dayana, 31 years old from Russia. Of course, Ukraine has double motivation against the Russians and the head-to-head matches between them are always intense. Currently, it stands at 3-3 and in the last two matches, Aleksandrova has won in three sets, which is a big advantage. Also, Aleksandrova has been out of form this season and has lost to Sonmez and Cristian. The Russian player has participated in three tournaments this year, including the Australian Open, and has been eliminated in the first round in two of them.
A better team with more reliable players and better games. Mouz in general still surprises me, somehow they are able to show some results in group stages, but then usually collapse. Of course, their players are not the most stable, but for some time now their results have been quite good. Overall, I think the tundra side has more pros, so I don't think this handicap seems too big.
According to the standings, Efes does not fall behind Zalgiris, and in my opinion, it is even a better team. They play at home, crushed Valencia, and I think Zalgiris will once again have a dazzling offense, with a stronger defense than Monaco had and we will see a rematch. Goss is back, but he is not giving much help to the team and it is doubtful if there will be any help from him at all. I hope for a tough fight, but I would not be surprised even if Efes easily defeats.
After the defeat against Baskonia. Zalgiris is returning home to play in front of their supporters. Monaco's form is falling, it is difficult for them to play in both tournaments because they also struggle in the French league. The coach constantly says that they lack players and Mike James, their biggest star, has to play a lot of minutes without rest.
Zalgiris plays well at home, and if they have a favorable game against Monaco, they will easily take the victory.
The team is complete, William Goss is also back on the court today, Rubstavicius suffered a weekend injury, but he doesn't get many minutes in the Euroleague anyway.
Let's go with green and white and let's hope for a win, good luck.
What the morning is capable of is being able to focus on the most important battles. This is how team LKL plays tragically, but Rytas knows how to play when they are not the favorites. Le Mans is also a very unstable team, and when the match is based on a normal attack, it is normal for Rytas to have a lot of chances to win, and when that coefficient is worth taking.
I believe that Trento is a stronger team and it is obvious, and the teams come into these matches in different forms. Trento has beaten solid opponents 4 times, and Niners suffered a convincing defeat in their last game against Hamburg. The Germans have been inconsistent, but after their loss in Italy, I am expecting a revenge from Trento, especially since they have the confidence to do so, and the coefficient is worth taking.
Without the injured Edwards (whether he plays or not, he won't be in optimal form), Virtus looks different. This is how the Italians demonstrate their ability to play well and surprise the Monaco team, but Lyon is not as weak as they may seem. Lately, the French rarely lose by large margins, and the Virtus team will feel the absence or presence of Edwards after his injury. France won by 7 points against Virtus, but I believe this will be a tough battle and Asvel should not lose strongly in this match.
Stuttgart, defending their title and performing exceptionally well in all championships, must continue. The average team from Kiel in the second league does not seem like a serious opponent, especially as we can expect the main Stuttgart lineup in this stage, as we fight for a spot in the semi-finals.
Tenerife is currently the slowest team in the Champions League tournament, with Gran Canaria not far behind. This season, Gran Canaria is heavily focused on their defense and often has games with scores that were rarely seen before the modern era of basketball. They have the best defensive ranking in the tournament. However, it is concerning that Tenerife has a better offense and their defense may not be as strong as it seems. But considering it is the playoffs and the importance of the games is immense, it is a scary thought.
The decisive match, in which I am expecting goals. In the first game, Arsenal won 2-3 against Chelsea, so we should expect goals in this match too. Even one of these two teams can surpass the over/under line, especially since Arsenal has gone over this line in 6 out of their last 7 matches. Chelsea also plays an attacking football, as seen in their last 3 matches.