Barcelona won all four matches in the current Euroleague draw, but at the same time she went beyond the limits of the main time twice in a row. Zenit lost only in one meeting – lost to the Moscow CSKA. Who will be stronger on October 22 on the Paulu Blaugrana arena in Barcelona?
Barcelona – Zenith. Will the club from St. Petersburg stop the blue-granate?
Forecasts for the Euroleague
The basketball Euroleague of the 2021/2022 season promises to please the intensity of passions and a fierce struggle from the first to the last match. Barcelona immediately settled on the top of the standings and looks convincing. She won four victories in four matches, which allowed to accelerate at the start of the competition. True, you have to give all the best to the maximum, since the rivals are gradually starting to get used to the manner of the Grand-Granate game.
Zenith has so far allowed only one misfire, and in the three other meetings it turned out to be stronger than opponents. It is noteworthy that the only defeat was to battle with another team from Russia – CSKA. The team approached the new season with serious ambitions, so it will fight with the last forces.
On October 22, rivals will converge among themselves on the parquet of the Palau Blaugran arena in Barcelona. They will begin to clarify the relationship at 22:00 Moscow time.
Barcelona
The “blue-granate” continue to try to win the treasured Euroleague title. At the start of the new draw, they won four matches in a row, laid a serious foundation for the future. But for the confrontation with zenith, basketball players will be maximum. Last season, the club from St. Petersburg patted the nerves in the playoffs and almost knocked out the Spanish Grand.
In recent matches, Barcelona began to win with great difficulties. At first it was possible to break the resistance of the Olympiacos in overtime (79:78). And then, outside the main time, the Monaco club (85:81) was defeated. The main acting person on the floor is most often Davis, who is now “in fire” right now. He throws the opponent with a full basket, because it works very confidently under the ring.
Zenith
Zenit instantly did a job on the mistakes after the misfire made in the match with CSKA (67:77). And in the next match, without special problems, he dealt with Bavaria. From the very start, the team took possession of the initiative and in the first quarter turned out to be stronger than 15 points. True, then unexpectedly followed a serious jerk from the opponent. It seemed that the club from St. Petersburg completely ceased to control the situation, began to crumble into pieces. Nevertheless, they managed to pull himself together and demonstrate character. On the last game segment, the team went out of six points. But Mickey inspired his partners to turn the situation and make a cumber.Zenith turned out to be stronger with a score of 79:71, which only raised self-confidence.
History of confrontation
Up to this point, the opponents have faced each other nine times on the open spaces of the professional scene, all these fights took place in the Euroleague. A twofold advantage is expected on the side of Barcelona, which sent six matches to its piggy bank. Zenit basketball players, who are constantly in the status of underdogs, turned out to be three times stronger. The last face-to-face fight took place in May 2021. Then the rivals met in the fifth match of the Euroleague playoff series, they fought on the floor of the Palau Blaugrana arena in Barcelona. The hosts were able to take advantage of the opponent's fatigue and brought the matter to victory with a score of 79:53.
Winline odds
Winline bookmaker considers Barcelona the undisputed favorite of this rivalry. She offers to bet on the victory of the blue garnet with a coefficient of 1.25. But they do not particularly believe in Zenith, since the team is going to visit. You can bet on the victory of the club from St. Petersburg with a coefficient of 3.70. The base total of the fight was set at around 149.5 points. They give a bet on its penetration with a coefficient of 1.89, and the reverse option is estimated at 1.84.
Forecast
Barcelona is not so flawless, as recent matches have clearly demonstrated. The team began to play according to the Brazilian system, it does not pay much attention to its own defense, it wins due to a powerful attack. Therefore, Zenith should act boldly from the first minutes and respond with sharp attacks, which will allow him not to let his opponent go too far. We predict that in this match the opponents will show off their attacking actions and break through the total of 150.5 points.