Olympiacos vs Barcelona: Analysis and Prediction – Olympiacos will play at home court in the Euroleague against Barcelona.
Olympiacos vs Barcelona Odds
Olympiacos Team News
Olympiacos entered the EuroLeague quarter finals on a streak of good results, but Barcelona has won two consecutive games and is on the verge of advancing to the Final Four. The visitors won the third game 82:80 in overtime, putting additional pressure on their opponents ahead of the next match as they lead the series 2-1.
Olympiacos is in a difficult situation as they can no longer afford any mistakes. The team is under pressure, especially after the way they lost the third game. Throughout the season, the team from Piraeus relied on great defense, had a good offense, and did not depend on the mood of any single player. Against Barcelona, they showed all their weaknesses, especially in three-point shooting and the inconsistency of their main offensive options. In this series, Olympiacos has made only 20 three-pointers with poor shooting percentages. In the last game, Nigel Williams-Goss and Isaiah Canaan missed all nine of their combined three-point attempts, while Alec Peters had mixed performances. Thomas Walkup brings aggression and quality defense to the team but is not the player to rely on for late-game offense. Additionally, the team made poor decisions defensively, allowing Nicolas Laprovittola to force overtime, they had only two fouls in that quarter. Then there was the foul committed by Filip Petrusev in the last second of overtime. Despite his season-best performance with 18 points, his foul at the end made him the tragic man. Alongside him, Moses Wright brought excellent energy from the bench.
Olympiacos needs to find their offensive rhythm, especially in three-point shooting, if they want to force a decisive game. They need a greater number of players performing well offensively to secure a victory. Additionally, they need to play smarter in the late game on both ends of the court and not allow their opponents to gain an advantage in the paint.
Barcelona Team News
Barcelona has managed to bounce back after an initial defeat in the quarterfinal series against Olympiacos. The team “sacrificed” a game in the Liga Endesa against Andorra to rest some players and better prepare for these matches, culminating in a victory in the third game, giving them a great boost.
Barcelona is having a very good season despite doubts about the quality of their new head coach, Roger Grimau, especially after a series of poor results last December. The crisis has passed, and the team has almost secured third place in the Liga Endesa, while in the EuroLeague, they are on the verge of reaching the final four. In Athens, Barcelona managed to respond to the aggressive play of the hosts and dominate in the paint, despite the home team’s several excellent blocks. However, Jan Vesely is having a mature season, contributing significantly to the team. Olympiacos managed to contain Jabari Parker’s mid-range game, but in this match, Nicolas Laprovittola and Alex Abrines emerged. Laprovittola withstood the aggressive defense of the opponents, dishing out eight assists and taking responsibility in the offense for overtime. Abrines managed to connect on two three-pointers in the third quarter and played excellent defense.
Barcelona must once again find an answer to the opponent’s aggressive play and maintain good three-point shooting percentages. They have quality ball movement in offense and utilize the fact that they have three very talented playmakers who can meet all the demands of head coach Roger Grimau.
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Olympiacos vs Barcelona H2H
Barcelona leads the quarterfinal series 2-1. Olympiacos won the first match 77:75, while Barcelona took the next two with scores of 77:69 and 82:80. Additionally, they have met twice in league matches this season, with Barcelona coming out on top both times (86:78, 77:68).
Absences and Injuries
Kostas Papanikolaou and Michalis Lountzis are questionable for Olympiacos, while Nikola Milutinov has been in the squad but has not seen playing time. Barcelona is expected to have their full squad available.
Olympiacos vs Barcelona Prediction
Olympiacos will be highly motivated in the upcoming match to force a decisive game due to the nature of their defeat in the third match. The team surely can perform much better offensively, and it’s difficult to expect most players to remain in a poor shooting rhythm despite Barcelona’s quality defense. On the other hand, Barcelona has found their rhythm, played a very good game, and will try to further accelerate the pace. However, despite the pressure, it seems that Olympiacos has not yet shown its full potential in this series and can still improve significantly.
Tip-off Time: Thursday, 02.05.2024, 18:45 CET
Prediction: Olympiacos –3.5
Odds: 1.77
Sportsbook: BC.GAME
*Odds are active at the time the article is published
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