Adam Williams presents his prediction for the EuroLeague match.
Real Madrid secured their place in the EuroLeague Playoffs with a fair share of fortune and now face the regular-season winners, Olympiacos Piraeus. Real Madrid lost both meetings this season by a margin of 10 points.
Olympiacos Piraeus
Olympiacos Piraeus finished the regular season not only with the best win-loss record but also ranked fourth in scoring, averaging 86.9 points per game. Leading the offence was Sasha Vezenkov, who finished second in the MVP race with 20.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. However, other pieces of the puzzle are just as crucial. Nikola Milutinov is back in the lineup after missing several recent games. The Serbian centre is expected to effectively fill in for the injured Moustapha Fall, who had been averaging 8.2 points and 5.9 rebounds.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid's ticket to the Playoffs was only secured following the injury to Carsen Edwards, which Bayern Munich were informed of just hours before their game. Without their top scorer, Bayern Munich's offence suffered visibly, which directly impacted the result. Still, there is no guarantee Real Madrid would have performed better against a fully fit opponent. In their Play-In opener, they lost to Paris Basketball (73:81), again struggling offensively with a field goal percentage of just 40.3% and a three-point success rate of 25.9%.
Olympiacos Piraeus vs Real Madrid Prediction
Real Madrid have shown shaky form throughout the season and are unlikely to reach the EuroLeague Final Four. Olympiacos Piraeus, on the other hand, have been highly consistent and should have no trouble covering the modest spread in this tie.
