Turkey’s Eagles visit Barça in Euroleague

BARCELONA

Beşiktaş and Barcelona Regal will meet for the fourth time this season in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague. Barcelona has won all three previous meetings. AA photo

Beşiktaş makes a desperate bid for its first win in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Top 16 tonight, as the Istanbul team visits Barcelona Regal.

Two teams in very different situations in Top 16 Group F meet for the fourth time this season.

Barcelona leads Group F with a 9-1 record and is the only team already qualified to the playoffs. Beşiktaş is eighth in Group F at 0-10 and has no chance to get to the next round.

With Daniel Ewing still sidelined, Fikret Can Akın will be Beşiktaş’s starting point guard, with Tutku Açık offering experience and deep range off the bench.

Cehver Özer may be the guests’ X-factor due to his deep range and intensity. It will all be needed to stop Barcelona’s inside game, led by center Ante Tomic and Erazem Lorbek.

Elsewhere, there are three crucial games in the Group E.

Leader Real Madrid hosts Spanish rival Unicaja Malaga, CSKA Moscow takes on Zalgiris Kaunas and Panathinaikos takes on Alba Berlin.

Real tops group with nine wins in 10 matches, Efes, who was scheduled to play against Brose Baskets yesterday, follows with eight wins, CSKA is third with seven wins and Panathinaikos has six wins. Malaga and Zalgiris have outside chances of making it to the top four with five and four wins respectively.