Barcelona vs Zalgiris Prediction, Tips & Odds – Apr. 26, 2023
Barcelona vs Zalgiris Kaunas G1 Prediction 26.04.2023. On the way to the Final Four of the Euroleague, Sarunas Jasikevicius will have to defeat the hometown club where he started his coaching career.
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Barcelona vs Zalgiris Kaunas Odds
Barcelona vs Zalgiris Kaunas 1×2: 1.14 / 5.80
Total points over/under (153.5): 1.91/1.91
Handicap (-11.5/+11.5): 1.91/1.91
Odds via Unibet Sportsbook.
Barcelona Team News
Although they finished the Euroleague regular season in second place with a 23-11 performance, the impression is that Barcelona was less dominant than the previous two years, when they were excellent until the playoffs began, and then the problems started.
Sarunas Jasikevicius hopes the situation will be reversed this time and the Catalans will play their best when it matters most. Barcelona had occasionally shown how good defense it can play, although there were moments in the season when the defense of key was a big problem. Apart from Nikola Mirotic, Jan Vesely, and Sertac Sanli, no one had a guaranteed place in the rotation. Now Oriol Pauli got a chance several times as Oscar da Silva and Mike Tobey did not live up to expectations. Unlike them, the Tomas Satoransky-Nicolas Laprovittola tandem worked well all season.
In the previous two seasons, Barcelona never won the first two matches in the quarter-finals of the Euroleague. Both Bayern and Zenit returned from “Blaugrana” with 1-1. The Catalans responded similarly and settled both series with a total score of 3-2. Now they will try to reach the Final Four with less stress.
Zalgiris Kaunas Team News
Zalgiris is, without a doubt, the most pleasant surprise in the Euroleague this season. According to the budget, they are the most affordable team in the competition, but they achieved 19 victories and positioned themselves in seventh place.
Although qualifying for the playoffs is an exceptional result for Zalgiris, they have no intention of stopping there. The Final Four will be played in Kaunas, and this is a historic chance for the team to go for the trophy. Kazys Maksvytis has done a miracle with these players and will almost certainly get the award for the best coach of the season. In the Zalgiris play, everything starts from excellent defense, while in offense, they play at the slowest pace and try to outwit the opponent in that way.
The problem for Zalgiris is that Barcelona plays very similar basketball on both sides of the floor, only at a much higher level. For good results in this series, coach Maksvytis will have to surprise the opponent and change the style of play that has brought so many good results in the previous eight months.
Barcelona vs Zalgiris Kaunas H2H
In the previous five matches between these clubs, the host team won each time. In “Blaugrana” this season, it was 93:74 for the Catalans, and the last time the Lithuanian club celebrated in Barcelona was in 2017 when Jasikevicius coached them.
Expected Lineups
Alex Abrines is questionable for this match in Barcelona, while all other players are available. Keenan Evans and Tyler Cavanaugh will not play for Zalgiris.
Barcelona vs Zalgiris Kaunas Prediction
It’s very thankless to bet against Barcelona at this stage of the season, but previous years have taught us that things don’t always go their way in the playoffs. In a game with a small number of points, which Zalgiris will want, we believe that they can cover the handicap.
Tip-off Time: Wednesday, April 26th, 2023 20:00 PM GMT +1 / 20:00 PM CET
Prediction: Zalgiris +13
Odds: 1,72
Sportsbook: Unibet
