Barça, to leave the Clásico behind against Maccabi

Barça, to leave the Clásico behind against Maccabi

BARCELONA, 30 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Barça hosts Maccabi Tel Aviv at the Palau Blaugrana this Tuesday (8:30 p.m.) on matchday 22 of the Euroleague Regular Phase, with the intention of winning to leave behind the bad taste in the mouth of the lost Clásico and, incidentally, try that the irregularity of the last days is also forgotten.

After playing at home for the last two dates, with a victory against Baskonia and a defeat against Real Madrid in the 'acb' double duel of the Euroleague, Barça returns to the Palau and does so against a historic rival who is also wavering and looking for a win that allows him to be among the eight best, now being eighth.

The blaugrana, who won the Catalan derby against Marc Gasol's Girona in the Endesa League this past Saturday, now face a series of three straight games at home (Maccabi and Bayern in the Euroleague) and must take advantage of it to catapult themselves back to the top, since from the Clásico he was injured and fourth classified.

A duel against the eternal rival that they dominated and that they let escape, in the end, in extra time (91-86) after letting themselves come back in a last quarter to forget. On the other hand, Sarunas Jasikevicius' men did other things very well, before that fateful end, which they should repeat against Maccabi.

In the run-up to this duel, the Lithuanian coach commented that he does not value the classification as much ("you lose a game and you can fall five positions, but you win a couple and go up again") but rather that they are focused on improving the game. "We continue to be more concerned, obsessed, with improving the game," he acknowledged.

In addition to serving to forget the Classical, the victory against Maccabi would put an end to the two consecutive victories of the Hebrews in Barcelona. Undoubtedly, Oded Kattash's men - they come from losing to Olympiacos in Piraeus - are one of the most uncomfortable rivals for the Catalans at the Palau Blaugrana. A third Israeli victory would already be a case worth studying.

Of course, in the first round it was Barça who defeated Maccabi at home (79-86), now led by a great Lorenzo Brown (16.6 points and 6 assists per game), and seconded by Wade Baldwin (15.2 points and 4.4 assists), Colson (10.5), Nebo (8 points and 6 rebounds), Sorkin or Hilliard.

BARÇA: Laprovittola, Satoransky, Kalinic, Mirotic and Vesely --possible starting five--; Da Silva, Sanli, Abrines, Higgins, Kuric, Jokubaitis and Nnaji.

MACCABI PLAYTIKA TEL AVIV: Dibartolomeo, Baldwin IV, Colson, Martin and Nebo --possible starting five--; Adams, Menco, Sorkin, Hilliard, Cohen, Braimoh, and Hollins.

--REFEREES: Jovcic, Panther and Difallah.

--HALL: Palau Blaugrana.