The fourth or the eleventh. The question will be resolved this Sunday (7:00 p.m.) at the Zalgirio Arena, where Real Madrid and Olympiacos will fight for the fourth time for the continental scepter face to face. A rivalry, theirs, already legendary, equaling that of Real Madrid and Varese as the most repeated final in history.
After making history by lifting a 0-2 defeat in the playoffs against Partizan and surprising Barça, opening an incalculable gap in the foundations of their greatest rival, Chus Mateo's Madrid now faces the ultimate challenge.
Make the white club European champion again. Whatever happens in the final, the madridistas are not lacking in merit, capable of moving forward at a brisk pace despite the losses of Yabusele, Deck, Poirier and Alocén, who will also not play against Olympiacos. "Leaving your soul is part of the history of our club, adversities have made us stronger," Chus Mateo himself confirmed in the preview.
But continuing adding feats will not be easy for Real Madrid. Olympiacos has proven to be the most solvent team of the year in the Euroleague, finishing first in the regular season, during which they also won both games against Real Madrid. The Greeks have, among others, MVP Vezenkov and the giant Moustapha Fall, appointed to minimize Tavares.
“Madrid have shown their talent. It is about controlling emotions ”, defended Bartzokas. The Olympiacos coach already knows what it is to defeat Real Madrid in a Euroleague final, he did it in 2013 in London in his first spell on the Piraeus bench.
