MADRID, 25 Dic. 2025 (Europa Press) –
Real Madrid basketball will visit AS Monaco this Friday (7:30 p.m.) on matchday 18 of the regular phase of the Euroleague, split and separated by three days of difference as it coincides with Christmas Eve, and with the opportunity for the people of Madrid to tighten the playoff zone if they beat a direct rival and thus take advantage of the defeat of FC Barcelona.
Not in vain, the culés have a balance of 12-6 after losing last Tuesday 72-71 in their visit to Fenerbahçe, which has accumulated 11-6. And given that Monaco and Real Madrid both have a 10-7 record, the team that wins this duel at the Salle Gaston Médecin will benefit in its objective of climbing positions and moving away from the play-in zone.
The meringues are in good shape, having lost only one of their last eleven matches between the Endesa League and the Euroleague. After their 89-82 loss last week against Olimpia Milano, Sergio Scariolo’s men made amends by defeating Paris Basketball 95-90, located in an area of the classification with traffic.
Half a dozen teams are crossing the border between the ‘playoff’ and the ‘play-in’, so emerging victorious from this event is key in the midst of the jam of Christmas commitments. The schedule does not let up and the rotation must be long to accommodate the important names, which is why Monaco hired Canadian point guard Cory Joseph weeks ago.
However, several administrative obstacles have prevented him from making his official debut with the ‘Rock’. Without this reinforcement from the market, the team coached by Vassilis Spanoulis will presumably rely on the Serbian guard Nemanja Nedovic, who last Tuesday returned to play against Cholet in the French League after having been away for more than two weeks.
Center Kevarrius Hayes could be another threat for a Real Madrid team that will also face Nikola Mirotic, whose games against the white team always predict morbidity. Regarding the infirmary, in principle Scariolo has all his players available, since Usman Garuba recently played against Hiopos Lleida and Paris Basketball.
Izan Almansa and David Krämer are almost not counting for their coach in this first half of the 2025/26 season, but Alex Len does not fully gel and in each call-up the doubt about last-minute discards hovers over him. There is ‘overbooking’ in the outside game with Andrés Feliz and Théo Maledon, as well as in the ‘painting’ with Gabriele Procida and Chuma Okeke.
TECHNICAL SHEET.
–TEAMS.
AS MONACO: James, Okobo, Diallo, Blossomgame y Theis –possible quinteto inicial–; Nedovic, Michineau, Mirotic, Strazel, Tarpey, Hayes, Begarin y Makondou.
REAL MADRID: Campazzo, Abalde, Deck, Okeke and Tavares –possible starting five-; Lyles, Maledon, Feliz, Llull, Hezonja, Len, Almansa, Procida, Krämer and Garuba.
–PABELLÓN: Gaston Doctor Room.
–TIME: 7:30 p.m./Movistar Plus+.
