Maccabi Tel Aviv vs. Moscow Khimki: Ahead of the game

After three consecutive losses, Maccabi Tel Aviv will advance tonight (Friday, 20:00) to a critical Euroleague game against Moscow Khimki, knowing that another loss could put them in a significant hole for the rest of the Euroleague season, especially in light of the strong rivals that await it in the next five rounds. On the other hand, there will be an equally pressured opponent, who has lost all four of its games so far and played with a particularly short staff in light of the spread of Corona among its players. While some have returned this week and failed to prevent a loss to Astana at VTB, chin Greg Monroe has yet to recover from the virus and will continue to be absent, as well as Serbian coordinator Stefan Jovic who is still injured.

The outbreak of the virus in Moscow also led to the chairman of Maccabi Tel Aviv, Shimon Mizrahi, giving up his appearance in Russia this time as well, as he did two weeks ago when the Yellows met CSKA. As you may recall, this week the authorities in Himaki decided that unlike what has been in the home games so far, Rimas Cortinaitis’ team will not be able to bring in an audience for tonight’s game, with the temporary installation valid until November 7.

As mentioned, Maccabi Tel Aviv want to avoid a crisis early in the season and ahead of the critical game, the team star Scotty Wilbkin He said: “Some of their players came back in the last game so we will prepare for it as if everyone is healthy. We have a sense of urgency to prove something to ourselves. We know we are a good team, but still not close to our potential and have not yet given a great game. We lost games at the last minute and it’s hard because it could have gone in our direction as well. Although we did not play amazing, we were in the game and I see that as a positive thing. “

The most significant player to recover from injury and return to Himki’s squad is Alexei Sheved, who was among the top five scorers in the Euroleague last season. Maccabi Tel Aviv will continue to get along without the injured Yuval Sussman (as well as John Dibertolomao and Omri Caspi), who would normally be given the task of narrowing the rival star’s steps. “Zus is a great defensive player,” he complimented Angelo Cloiaro To his teammate, “His length is incredible, he interferes with attacks and places him on the leading player of the rivalry. It’s harder without him, but everyone needs to rise above and be more prepared. ” Wilbkin added in the same matter: “The new players are learning the method, we are not together long enough and also need to be more focused.”

On The disappointing season opener Cloiaro said: “Also last season we started with two losses and almost three. Little things can change a season. We are still at an early stage, we lost these games in the closing moments and we will be better in the future. “

On the other side, Coach Himki, Cortinaitis, He said ahead of the game: “We know Maccabi’s method. They play freestyle, score well and run a lot. In one word, they are doing everything – that it’s not good for us right now. We played with seven players against Real Madrid and Basconia last week, so a lot of our players are tired, while others are not ready enough. We will have to adjust ourselves to Maccabi’s speed. We usually play fast, but that’s not possible right now. “Maccabi has always been known for its erupting attacks, so we will have to stop these attacks at all costs.”

Devin Booker, Who scored 30 points in the loss to Astana this week, added: “Maccabi is a great team. They have a lot of players who are able to score and it will definitely be a tough game for us, but we are ready for a challenge. Personally, I look forward to dealing with their inside players. “