Real Madrid: Home Setback During Promotion Push

At the moment the leadership of the Madrid in the Euroleague. Matchday 25 was a good opportunity to achieve it. With Hapoel and Fenerbahçe bearing the burden of having postponements to still play, and entering this week tied with a Barça that they have already beaten in the direct confrontation (+28), the opportunity was painted in the Adidas Arena. And it couldn’t be. In a duel ahead of the rest of the events, Real lost on the Paris court in an exhausting struggle in which they were always behind and ended up losing by six goals. That first place, if it ever arrives, will have to wait.

Scariolo, who attributed the defeat to rival offensive rebounds (19) and his own turnovers (17), had tuned his squad. Madrid was going like a shot. Who already remembered the doubts of the previous months or dialectical battles such as those of one more reinforcement or how hard the calendar is. January has been almost perfect. In the Euroleague, until this Tuesday, that’s how it was: six joys and this disappointment. If we also count the Endesa League, only the Clásico against Barcelona at the Movistar Arena – and it was played on the 4th – placed a mark on the page. The streak is over. The main problem with this is that there is a mantra that is repeated around the whites this season and that is reinforced with the defeat against the club coached by Francesco Tabellini: there is a hole away from home. It has been emphasized here and there, but it persists.

They have fallen into a track that they did not fall into last year. The rival, yes, is a torment if you have him in front of you, no matter how much he has changed players and even coaches. To the Madrid He took him to the limit with Splitter, Shorts or a Nadir Hifi who remained the leader and to whom the meringues make eyes. In the first leg of the Euroleague playoff to reach the quarterfinals, Paris qualified by conquering the Palace, which led the Spanish to an all or nothing match with Bayern Munich. In the first leg of the current campaign they gave up only five points, pushing until the end. On this occasion, with their chaotic play within a slight order, they complicated them again.

It is only the first European victory of the Paris Basketball so far in 2026. That also counts. He Real Madriddespite the efforts of Lyles (21) or Feliz (18) in attack, conceded a lot: 98. Away from home it is a trend. Therein lies the problem. Above all, by comparison. The club’s home record is currently 4-8. Eight of their nine losses have been on the road.. In the capital of Spain they only lost to Panathinaikos (77-87), a stumbling block in the fight for the title. The Madrid brand outside its fiefdom is the worst of the top ten teams in the Euroleague, all positions that give the right to continue in the competition once the 38 scheduled days in the regular phase are over. The 8-4 of the leader Hapoel, just the opposite of Madrid’s record, is the most valuable in this regard. The question is: does this mean a weakness in the face of the crossovers, when they occur, or a hypothetical Final Four that will take place on neutral ground?

Scariolo’s pupils have only left home in the Euroleague this January to visit France. As a curiosity. In Lyon they did win, but not in Paris. Defeats have been falling, and this is another issue to take into account, in some fields with which in other seasons there have been many victories: Bologna, Milan, Valencia, Serbia with Red Star, etc. They had accidents again against Bayern and Maccabi, matches that were acceptable under normal circumstances. The other one to tell is Monaco after Christmas. They still have to visit Olympiacos, Zalgiris, Panathinaikos, Dubai, Partizan, Baskonia and the champion, Fenerbahçe. The nomad test will continue.

In January, the month completed by Real Madrid in terms of official matches, the streak became robust thanks to the matches on Calle Goya. In the Euroleague, five of the seven games were there and won (12-1 local balance this season). In the League, they stumbled against Barça and, after that, victory with a comeback against Valencia Basket who also wanted first place and a couple of worthwhile outings to Andorra and Lugo. Overall: 9-2 in both competitions. Positive, without a doubt. Although to analyze the loss of power when the pavilion is someone else’s. The persistence or not of the problem will recalibrate Madrid’s options in the coming months. The next one falls on Sunday, February 1 at 5:00 p.m.; The judge will be Casademont Zaragoza at the Movistar Arena.