Maccabi Electra (5-3) is to host Anadolu Efes (5-3) for a tie-breaking match in Tel Aviv, Israel on Thursday, December 15 at 20:45 CET. Both teams are placed second and need to win in order to leap towards a higher ranking.
Ufuk Sarica, Efes' head coach considers Tel Aviv to be amongst the hardest courts throughout Europe. He believes that his team has to use up its energy in order to win this match since they are faced with difficulties such as Ersan Ilyasova's leaving and Kinsey and Batista’s physical handicaps.
Dogus Balbay, Efes' guard believes that Maccabi is in a more advantageous spot because they will be playing in front of their home audience. However, he is hopeful that they will win the game as long as they fully concentrated on the game.
If Efes wins the game, the point's differential will be critical since Maccabi registered a 72-79 road win against the Turkish powerhouse in the earlier parts of this season. Efes is the second place contender in steals (70) this season while Maccabi has the top spot in two-pointers made (188) and third in fouls drawn (186) per minute.
Maccabi Electra has won the Israeli League, the Israeli Cup and proceeded to the continental final for the seventh time in 12 years. It is fast becoming an archetype of how an excellent Euroleague team should be - a reputable boss, lots of experience, a very competitive roster and on top of that, die-hard fans who have followed and supported the team for several years.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul is setting its eyes on having its first Final Four appearance in over a decade with the games being played in its own home, thus motivating everyone in their team. It comes off a second regular title-free season, and in spite of reaching the Euroleague Top 16 for the ninth time in 10 seasons, it had difficulty advancing to the playoffs.
Efes has to hinder Sofoklis Schortsanitis' progress, since his physical aspects make him one of the most durable players in basketball. They have to look out for Keith Langford as he has been honed for his peak performance yet in a Maccabi uniform with 18 points last week at Real Madrid.