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Mixed martial arts Anadolu Efes vs Barcelona Best Bet: Reigning Champs with a Sense of Urgency
Anadolu Efes vs Barcelona Best Bet: Thursday, November 17h
After starting the season 2W 5L, coach E. Ataman will prepare Efes for war on Thursday. Barcelona, sitting in the top dome of the Euroleague standings, are coming to Turkey without the pressure of victory. Sinan Erden dome will be the place where the Round 8 derby will take place.
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Anadolu Efes vs Barcelona Preview
November 17th, 16:30 UK Time
Efes have started the season with a 2-5 record in the Euroleague and they are 15th in the standings following Round 7. The defending champions have to be on top of their game today since they have been losing track of the top dome of the league. Efes have been averaging 83.5 points per game with their fast style of play, but they have not been efficient, averaging only 33.5 % for three and accumulating 43% from the field. With their roster quality, these numbers are not realistic, and we are expecting them to start hitting their open shots and top the numbers shortly.
Efes will be missing S. Larkin tonight with a finger injury. Other national team players will be sticking with the roster because of the urgency of the situation Ataman’s team is in.
Barcelona have been playing very efficiently even without their superstar Nikola Mirotic, who has been absent since the start of the season with an Achilleas tendon injury. Besides Mirotic, Barcelona will be missing S. Martinez (Knee) and K. Kuric (head injury).
Averaging only 78.9 (lowest in the EL) possessions per game, Barcelona’s biggest strength is their defence and efficiency on offence. They are letting their opponents score only 72.3 points per game whilst shooting 40.1 % from the field.
We believe Efes will start hitting their shots and will finally wake up today. If this happens, the discrepancy in the quality of the teams will be obvious, Barcelona can not match Efes without a full roster on the road.
Anadolu Efes vs Barcelona Best Bet
Although they haven’t started strong, Efes had the same story last season, where they finally were able to make a 10-game winning streak at home and clinch one of the top spots in the standings. We believe nothing different will happen this year since they have only added pieces to their existing roster. In our eyes, they are bigger favorites then the moneyline suggests.
- Selection: Efes to Win
- Best Odds: 1.83 (Marathonbet)
- Stakes: 4/10
Odds as of 11:30 am on November 17th, 2022. Odds may now differ.
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