Real Madrid and Barcelona meet today at the WiZink Center (7:00 p.m., DAZN) in what will be the fourth duel between them of the season, the second in the Euroleague. A game that is not one more, “because a classic is a classic”, but that has an “important relative”, as he recognized yesterday Chus Mateohours before the meeting.
The Madrid coach appeared serene at the press conference. Although he has never been the visible face of the team during the season, his experience on the bench in this type of game is beyond doubt. For this reason, he knows well what aspects he must insist on so that his team can beat the Catalans again and raise their spirits before the Copa del Rey, the second title of the season. “Victory depends on matching or exceeding their energy level, in addition to other important aspects such as rebounding or defending one-on-one,” Mateo pointed out, revealing two of the evils that cost his team the defeat in the last clash against Barcelona. So, the rebounding dominance of the Catalans and the superiority of Higgins in the face to face with his defenders he ended up decanting the clash. This time, neither of the two teams arrive urgently, since both are installed at the top of the table, but the duel contains a unique emotional component just a few weeks before the Copa del Rey dispute.
The duel had to be brought forward in its schedule so as not to coincide with the Real Madrid-Atlético soccer, a change that does not disrupt the coach’s plans much – “the preparation is almost the same” -, although it will complicate the fans’ day. “Many will not be able to go to WiZink as they have not finished their workday and those who can will have a very difficult time if they want to arrive at the Bernabéu on time to see the derby,” Luis, a Madrid fan and member of the ‘Peña Paris 2000′.
After weeks with a full infirmary, Mateo announced yesterday that only Abalde will be out of the classic -in addition to Alocén and Randolph, long-term injured-, while Jasikevicius He will have the entire squad available except Sergi Martínez. “To win Madrid away from home you need to have a lot of defensive mentality, sacrifice and rebounding,” said the Lithuanian, as a recipe to win the game.
