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.
Both FUT and Astralis are pleasantly surprising so far. Both teams play similar maps, so it wouldn't be surprising if both win against their opponents. The match is for survival, there is nowhere to retreat, both are difficult to predict, and I am expecting a three-map battle.
Although yesterday NaVi tragically played on Dust2, the Mirage win was worth it. FURIA won against TheMongolz, but the game was very disappointing. The team does not resemble what it was in the previous season. YEKINDAR mentioned that there were changes in certain player positions, so we can expect Peru to return in time, but currently NaVi has a great opportunity to take Peru.
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.
The leaders and this season's home match winners with a red card 2-0, Hearts, are once again playing against St. Mirren. The away team Hearts are playing very well, but St. Mirren is fighting to avoid relegation and has a goal difference of -14, while Hearts have a +28 difference. The strongest team in Scotland consistently plays well and wins, so even playing away, one can only expect a victory for them.
I believe a very high coefficient is given for the Paris team, which courageously can win against Germany. Yes, Bayern is playing a better playoff, but when it comes to gathering points, Paris is on the same level. Both teams have caused sensations in the previous Euroleague tour, so their form is good. However, Paris seems to be an even more attractive option to me, and with such a coefficient, I think it's worth taking a risk only with them.
No matter how well Valencia can surf the waves, but Efes are so weak that even in the Turkish league, they are unbeatable. The club, currently in last place in the Euroleague, can't do anything good even with Laso's arrival, and when solid Valencia arrives, Peru must be taken away by the Spaniards.
One of the best teams from Dubai is playing against one of the strongest teams in the league, who are even considered favorites. Dubai's 12 league team is ranked high in points, but their home results greatly increase up to 91.2 points per game and 4th place in the league based on this indicator. Olympiacos plays a points-based basketball this season and even such a lineup is often easy to beat in this team's games. Oly is the 4th league team in terms of points earned away, with an average of 88.7 points. So the Greek team played very unproductively, but now everything must be different in Dubai.
It seems illogical to give such coefficients when there is chaos going on in PAO. The situation with Nunnu is unclear, it seems that there are not only injuries, but also conflicts with Ataman. The results are poor, Aris team lost today. The owner has posted a video where he almost fights with all the players. There is tension in the team and it definitely does not contribute to such matches against such a serious opponent. Real is in optimal form.
Maccabi is one of the top teams in the Euroleague, playing at a strong pace. They rank third in pace in the Euroleague, with a good offensive rating and the second worst defensive rating. Partizan's team is a complete mess, but they still have talent to attack with. Pokusevski returned to the lineup, rookie Radanov made his debut. Perhaps Washington will be ready. In short, two of the worst defenses, but with something to offer on offense.
The total just seems too low, even though Efes is the slowest team in terms of pace in the Euroleague, their defensive rating is poor and is close to teams like Paris or ASVEL. They have good individual players and a mobile enough lineup to play a faster basketball. Valencia has an over/under of 167, which seems quite low due to their playing style. In Spain, the two teams combined for 176 points.