Real Madrid's poor start to the EuroLeague campaign has left them in a difficult position. Their nominal away game against Hapoel Tel Aviv on neutral ground in Sofia is a chance to move closer to the play-in places.
Hapoel Tel Aviv
The start of the season has exposed Hapoel Tel Aviv's weaknesses. They suffered a heavy 83:101 derby defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Super Cup. They then opened their EuroLeague campaign with an 84:86 loss to Bayern Munich, but followed it with an 81:80 away win over Crvena Zvezda. Dimitris Itoudis is currently without the injured Tyler Ennis, while Tamir Blatt and Max Heidegger remain out of the squad by the coaching staff's decision.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid are starting afresh under Martinez. They opened their EuroLeague campaign with defeats to Dubai Basketball (77:78) and Anadolu Efes (84:94), which could affect the team's confidence. On the other hand, they beat Unicaja 97:89 in the league, giving them every chance of improving after a reset. Real Madrid won both meetings with Hapoel Tel Aviv last season: 75:74 away and 92:83 at home.
Hapoel Tel Aviv vs Real Madrid Prediction
As well as losing to Real Madrid in the regular season, Hapoel Tel Aviv lost their play-off series against them 1–3. Hapoel Tel Aviv are dangerous, but Real Madrid are highly motivated. They will leave Sofia with a win.
