The two teams face off this Friday night
Rivalry Series: Predicting the winner of Zalgiris vs. Fenerbahce
Article
2 Mins read
Zalgiris Kaunas (6-3) and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (7-2) face off at Zalgirio Arena this Friday night in Round 10's Rivalry Series game, but which team do the Euroleague.net experts think will come out on top?
Geoff Gillingham, Javier Gancedo, Igor Petrinovic and Frankie Sachs have all predicted their winner in this Rivalry Series matchup, but you can submit your vote via the poll at the bottom of the page.
Geoff: Something has to give at Zalgirio Arena on Friday night. Heading into this Rivalry Series clash, Zalgiris is a perfect 4-0 on its home floor while Fenerbahce has gone 100% on its travels, winning all three of its road games. The Zalgiris crowd is up there among the best fan bases in the EuroLeague, spurring on their team at every opportunity, and the noise they generate makes life incredibly tough for road teams. Admittedly, Zalgiris has lost its last two games – on the road at FC Bayern Munich and Paris Basketball – and Fenerbahce has won four straight, but I have a hunch that Saras Jasikevicius’s homecoming will end up being spoiled by Andrea Trinchieri’s men. Watch out for a big game from Lonnie Walker, too.
Geoff’s prediction: Lonnie Walker to score 20+ points, Zalgiris to win by 7.
Javier: Zalgiris has registered consecutive road losses but is back at Zalgirio Arena, where it is still undefeated. Its fans know when to push on the team and they know they can make a difference In this game. Sylvain Francisco should bounce back in Round 10 and Lonnie Walker is set to keep adjusting and keep contributing more. While Zalgiris has improved its backcourt, Fenerbahce is facing severe injury issues with Wade Baldwin, Devon Hall and Scottie Wilbekin all sidelined. It is time for Arturs Zagars to step up, and it won't be a surprise to see Marko Guduric playing point guard occasionally. In general, Zalgiris should always be the favorite at home. Always.
Javier's prediction: Zalgiris by less than 5 points.
Igor: Double rounds are always challenging, especially for teams playing two games in 48 hours. For Zalgiris, it will be even less than that, while Fenerbahce will have had an extra day to prepare. That, in my opinion, will play a bigger role than the fact that Zalgiris will have the support of its sold-out arena. Zalgiris has the league's best defense, which allows 75.1 points per game, but Fenerbahce has been winning ugly, and in the words of coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, that is the only way Fenerbahce can currently win. Saras also returns to his hometown, where Zalgiris has beaten Fener in each of their last four games, each time by more than 10 points – and that includes three wins by 20 points or more. I think that trend will stop and Jasikevicius's troops will come out on top.
Igor's prediction: Fenerbahce to win by 6 points.
Frankie: Well, Fenerbahce has been hot with four straight wins and Zalgiris has hit its skid with back-to-back losses. But, Fenerbahce has injury problems with Scottie Wilbekin and then Wade Baldwin and then Devon Hall going down, while Zalgiris has strengthened its backcourt with the addition of Lonnie Walker. Zalgiris is undefeated (4-0) at home. Fenerbahce is undefeated (3-0) on the road. So what does that tell you? That one can make a case for any result. The case I will make is that Fenerbahce has a deeper team that will see it to a narrow victory at Zalgirio Arena. Also, thanks for reading this far!
Frankie's prediction: Fenerbahce wins by between 4 and 10 points.