Virtus vs Crvena Zvezda: Analysis and Prediction – Virtus Bologna and Crvena Zvezda will play a EuroLeague fourth round game.
Virtus vs Crvena Zvezda Odds
Virtus Team News
Virtus from Bologna has achieved two wins and suffered one loss in the EuroLeague so far. It’s astounding how they lost to Zalgiris after leading by 15 points on two occasions, but they later outplayed Monaco away and beat Alba Berlin.
The fact that coach Luca Banchi swiftly established the desired system is evident from the season’s start. Tornike Shengelia, who’s in excellent form, leads the team on both ends of the court, further solidified by his 26-point performance against Alba. Jordan Mickey adds the much-needed solidity to the squad, while the experienced veteran duo of Marco Belinelli and Daniel Hackett consistently fills the stat sheet. What’s noticeable is that Virtus sometimes experiences significant dips in their gameplay, which they cannot afford against Crvena Zvezda. Ognjen Dobric is still searching for his characteristic shooting form, but one thing is clear: Virtus Bologna is a team where everything starts and ends with tight, aggressive defense. They have a broad offensive arsenal, making offense rarely an issue.
At home, they are much more formidable, even though they lost the aforementioned game against Zalgiris. Coach Banchi has replicated the system he used with the Latvian national team in the FIBA World Cup, and it’s yielding results so far.
Crvena Zvezda Team News
Crvena Zvezda, after playing three games in Europe’s premier competition, holds a record of 1 win and 2 losses. After a convincing win against Asvel, they suffered defeats against Zalgiris and then Monaco.
A recurring negative trait for Crvena Zvezda has emerged, namely their inability to close out games when they have the lead, ultimately resulting in a loss. This pattern manifested numerous times during the previous season, and twice already this season they’ve showcased a dramatic drop in performance during the fourth quarter against both Zalgiris and Monaco. The foundation of new players, particularly Shabazz Napier, who haven’t yet found their competitive groove, is something coach Dusko Ivanovic and the rest of the coaching staff will need to address. Rokas Giedraitis has seamlessly integrated into the team, consistently delivering his share of points. Nemanja Nedovic performance fluctuates, while the rest of the team has significant room for improvement. Joel Bolomboy, playing at the center position, can significantly contribute on both ends of the floor. Meanwhile, Mike Tobey is currently out of form, which is reflected in his limited game time.
At least at the start of this season, Crvena zvezda is a team that thrives or struggles based on their three-point shooting. When they’re hitting at a high percentage, they can go on scoring runs in relatively short spans. Their defense in critical game moments seems to be lagging, and they certainly need to find a middle ground when their outside shooting isn’t on point.
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Virtus vs Crvena Zvezda H2H
Interestingly, these two teams faced each other for the first time in their history just last season. Each team won the game in which they were the host. If we look at the results of those two mentioned games, we can notice a striking similarity. Specifically, Crvena Zvezda outperformed Virtus in Belgrade with a score of 83:74. In the latter part of the season, the Italian team prevailed with a score of 84:72.
Absences and Injuries
Achille Polonara will not play for the team from Bologna, while on the other side, Nemanja Bjelica is unavailable. The participation of captain Branko Lazic is also in question.
Virtus vs Crvena Zvezda Prediction
Crvena Zvezda is clearly going through a rough patch in terms of results. On the other hand, we have Virtus, who are performing much better than expected. Apart from the initial loss where they had everything under control but ended up losing, they played flawlessly in the next two games. Crvena Zvezda, apart from their standout performance against Asvel, looked quite unconvincing in the remaining two games, which is why they ended up losing. After an extremely challenging game against Monaco, they are traveling to face Virtus, who are in good form. Therefore, we suggest a win for the Italian side.
Tip-off Time: Friday, 20.10.2023, 20:30 CET
Prediction: Virtus to win
Odds: 1.78
Sportsbook: 22Bet
*Odds are active at the time the article is published
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