Madrid in search of their first win: EuroLeague prediction for Hapoel Tel Aviv vs Real Madrid
Hapoel Tel-Aviv
Real Madrid
Hapoel and Real Madrid will meet on Thursday, October 1, in the third round of the EuroLeague regular season. The match will be played in Bulgaria, with tip-off set for 18:00 Central European Time. I am backing a winner in this game.
H2H and statistical facts
- Hapoel have won their last two matches.
- Real Madrid have won after the first quarter in all six head-to-head meetings.
- Hapoel have beaten the Madrid club just once, suffering five defeats.
Hapoel
The Israeli club began its European campaign with a home defeat to Bayern Munich, 84:86. Dimitris Itoudis’ team produced a competitive performance, but lacked accuracy and composure down the stretch. It was especially clear that Hapoel can cause opponents problems through its high intensity and attacking potential.
At the same time, the team have already secured an important win in domestic competition. In the Winner Cup quarterfinals, Hapoel defeated Hapoel Be’er Sheva 85:67 to reach the semifinals. After a difficult start, that result should have given the squad a confidence boost ahead of a demanding stretch of the season.
Against Real Madrid, however, the quality of Hapoel’s defense will be particularly important. In the game against Bayern, Hapoel allowed their opponents to score 86 points and lost the battle in the closing stages. If the Israelis once again play too openly, Madrid will surely punish them with open shots and their superior class. At the same time, Itoudis’ team are capable of maintaining a high tempo throughout the game, making this a potentially high-scoring contest.
Hapoel already demonstrated that to some extent in their recent clash with Crvena Zvezda. They led throughout the game, but nearly let the win slip away in the final quarter. In the end, Elijah Bryant’s double-double helped them secure a narrow 81:80 victory.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid have endured a surprisingly difficult start to their EuroLeague campaign. In the opening round, they lost to Dubai 77:78, and on September 29, Pedro Martínez’s team were beaten by Anadolu Efes 84:94. As a result, the Spanish powerhouse remain without a EuroLeague win heading into the third round.
That defeat in Istanbul was far from one-sided, however. Real trailed by 12 points at halftime, but noticeably improved their defense after the break and cut the deficit to four points in the fourth quarter, making it 82:78. Madrid lacked accuracy and composure in the decisive moments, though. Facundo Campazzo led Real in scoring with 16 points, while debutant Nick Smith Jr. added 10.
Real Madrid are still unbeaten in the Spanish league. In the opening round of the Liga Endesa, Madrid snatched an 89:87 home win over Unicaja. They trailed by eight points with six minutes remaining, but produced a 17:7 run to turn the game around. Théo Maledon scored 17 points and dished out seven assists, Campazzo posted 15 points and 15 assists, while Luwawu-Cabarrot added 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Real’s main problem right now is not a lack of quality, but the need to cope with an enormous workload at the start of the season. The clash with Hapoel will be Madrid’s third game in eight days and their second European fixture in 48 hours. At the same time, it is crucial for the team to finally win in the EuroLeague. Real look extremely strong in terms of their roster and rotation depth, but fatigue after a physically demanding game against Anadolu Efes could affect the quality of their basketball.
What to bet on?
A close and fairly high-scoring game is expected. Hapoel are riding an emotional high after their win in Belgrade and have already shown that they can perform at a high level against strong opponents. Real Madrid, meanwhile, will surely be highly motivated to end their poor EuroLeague run. Their deeper roster and superior individual talent should make the difference. I expect a hard-fought encounter, but Real Madrid should pull away from their opponents in the closing stages.
