Barça visits a champion who takes a nap

Barça visits a champion who takes a nap

BARCELONA, Nov. 16 (EUROPA PRESS) -

Barça goes in a state of grace to the Sinan Erdem Sports Hall to face an Anadolu Efes Istanbul that seems to repeat the tactic of starting badly and then surprising, and that is that the Turkish team, current champion, starts again badly but restless, of all ways, to some 'culés' that already have suffered them previously.

Anadolu Efes stole the Euroleague from Barça from the returned Pau Gasol two seasons ago. And, last year, the Turks beat Real Madrid in the fight for the title. On both occasions, those of the controversial Ergin Ataman went further and, now, they seem to repeat the tactic.

And not for not catching anyone warned, the thing can work again. At the moment, they receive Barça with a very poor balance of 2-5, in fifteenth position in the table. On the contrary, the blaugranas are third with a totally opposite balance, of 5 victories for only 2 defeats.

We will have to "suffer a lot", warned the Blaugrana coach before the game, a Sarunas Jasikevicius who will be celebrating in Istanbul upon reaching 200 official matches as 'culé' coach. To celebrate it, his players must cancel the many traps that Anadolu presents and thus be able to offer their 'coach' a victory that, incidentally, would give more prestige and wings to the team.

The dynamics are, like the income statement, opposite between Anadolu and Barça. The Turks come from losing against Fenerbahçe (79-88), Bayern Munich (81-78) and Real Madrid (94-85), in the whites' revenge of the last final in Belgrade.

On the other hand, Barça knocked down Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (79-86) in Tel Aviv last day, in a fiefdom that was unbeaten until the arrival of the blaugranas. Those of 'Saras' also beat Fenerbahçe (81-80) two days ago, who were then the only undefeated team. And they opened the streak against Armani Milan (74-56).

Still without Nikola Mirotic, the 'new Barça' is picking up steam and the new ones, like Tomas Satoransky (who already knew the house), Jan Vesely or Mike Tobey are already carbureting. The American center, in fact, contributed 14 points to the triumph in Tel Aviv. It will be necessary to see who takes the reins to avoid the trap of the dozing Anadolu, in a fief that Sertaç Sanli knows well, back 'home'.

ANADOLU EFES ISTANBUL: Beaubois, Micic, Clyburn, M'Baye and Pleiss --possible starting quintet--; Bryant, Ilyasoglu, Taylor, Polonara, Zizic and Dunston.

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

--REFEREES: Lottermoser, Paternico and Kardum.

--PABELLÓN: Sinan Erdem Sports Hall.