Barça points to Gran Canaria without remembering Belgrade
BARCELONA, 26 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Barça hosts Gran Canaria this Friday at the Palau Blaugrana (9:00 pm) at the start of the Endesa League quarter-final Playoff, a duel between first and eighth that the Catalans, who do not want to remember the European stumble in Belgrade, will try turn into a canary chime.
Almost always when the leader of the Regular Phase is measured against the last team with a ticket to a ‘Playoff’, number 1 is given as the favorite. In this case, Barça. But the Blaugranas already suffered in the Euroleague against Bayern and went to the Final Four in the last attempt.
Already in Belgrade, they lost to Real Madrid in the semis and were consoled by Olympiacos to be third. They hope to use that frustration of not being able to win the continental competition as a reaction to this new challenge, the last title at stake.
But if they don’t manage to change the chip, Gran Canaria will be there to make that thing of going undercover or ‘with nothing to lose’ a reality. Without a doubt, Barça is fighting against the Canaries but also against itself and its suffocating goals. Not passing this first round would be a failure, and at the Palau they know it.
Hence, the fans can be key in this first clash. Barça arrives well, already disconnected from Belgrade and without casualties. In fact, the good thing is that Cory Higgins is more grounded, with more training sessions, and his contribution could go further. One more help for the Mirotic, Davies, Calathes, Exum or Laprovittola on duty.
In addition, Gran Canaria does not have good memories of its last visit in Barcelona to the boys of Sarunas Jasikevicius. The Palau saw a 98-80 in the Regular Phase, and the duel at the Gran Canaria Arena ended with another lofty victory for the Catalans, then by 64-82.
Those of Porfi Fisac ??need to change their mentality and face the duel in white, without thinking about those two closest precedents. With more time to prepare for the duel, and more rest, they must ensure that they are not put against the possible disconnection of being two weeks away from the competition. Of course, they arrive with an Artem Pustovyi who knows the Palau like the back of his hand and will want to be seen by his old team.
The balance in the last ten matches doesn’t help those from Gran Canaria either, nine wins for a Barça that hasn’t been beaten by its rival in the Endesa League since December 2017, with 77-88 at the Palau Blaugrana. In the Playoff, they met for the last time in the semifinals of 2013 and Barça won by a clear 3-0.
The canaries, to make matters worse, lost their last two games of the Regular Phase (against Real Betis and Real Madrid) but still managed to be in this fight for the title. Although entering as eighth and measuring the leader, with the field factor, the Palau Blaugrana factor, on the side of the Catalans.
“We have to try to match the degree of enthusiasm for winning. It’s the only thing we can tie them on. From here on, history is there. We have never been able to beat Barça in the Playoffs and we have to try to make history” , summarized Fisac, visiting coach, in the preview, confirming that he is confident of having the entire block despite the fact that John Shurna is “physically fair” after being a father, while Albicy and Slaughter arrive “limping”.
BARÇA: Calathes, Laprovittola, Exum, Mirotic and Sanli –possible starting quintet–; Davies, Martínez, Smits, Hayes, Abrines, Jokubaitis, Oriola.
GRAN CANARIA: Albicy, Slaughter, Brussino, Shurna and Pustovyi –possible starting quintet–; Balcerowski, I. Diop, Salvó, K. Diop, Ennis, Stevic, and Chery.
–REFEREES: Calatrava, Castillo and Sánchez Benito.
–PAVILLION: Palau Blaugrana.
–TIME: 21.00/