Barcelona at Bayern Munich
Date: 12/20
Time: 8:30 PM CET
Game Preview
Two teams with a combined one loss in December will meet Thursday as Barcelona heads to Germany to take on Bayern Munich. Barcelona is the more heralded team among the two, having lost just three times all season and featuring Nikola Mirotic, who despite a down game his last time out remains an MVP candidate. Bayern welcomed back team point guard Nihad Dedovic in Round 14 and won a thrilling overtime game by one point thanks to big games from Greg Monroe and Vladimir Lucic. While Barcelona's record makes them the favorite in Thursday's contest, they will face a tough test in a Bayern squad that is 5-2 at home this season.
Injuries
FC Barcelona Lassa
Victor Claver - OUT - Foot
12/19 10:21 PM IST - Claver (foot) is expected to return to action in Round 16 against Olympiacos, according to as.com. Head coach Svetislav Pesic provided the latest update on Claver's status Thursday; and while Claver will miss both Rounds this week, it appears his absence is about to come to an end.
Thomas Heurtel - OUT - Knee
12/7 11:35 PM IST - Heurtel (knee) has resumed taking jump shots, according to Barcelona's official Twitter account. Heurtel has been sidelined since undergoing knee surgery in August, but he has advanced to the point in his recovery where he can take part in on-court work. Heurtel still has a few steps to go before he will be ready to play again, but it appears he remains on track to return to action early in 2020.
Kevin Pangos - OUT - Toe
12/3 11:47 PM IST - Pangos is still dealing with soreness in his injured toe and will be evaluated on a "week-by-week" basis moving forward, according to eurohoops.net. It was anticipated that Pangos would return to action in 4-to-6 weeks after injuring his toe in September, but he has already missed two months and will need even more time to fully recover. A target date for his return has not been established, but based on this report, it seems safe to say he will not play in Barcelona's next EuroLeague game Friday against Khimki.
Bayern Munich
Thomas Bray - OUT - Knee
11/6 9:21 PM IST - Bray (knee) is targeting a return in late December, according to Bayern's official website. Details surrounding Bray's injury had been elusive, but there is now a target date for his return. Bray will miss several more EuroLeague games, but if he returns when expected, he should still be able to play in half of the 34 regular-season Rounds.
Leon Radosevic - GTD - Ankle
12/19 12:17 AM IST - Radosevic (ankle) is not on the roster for Wednesday's matchup with ALBA, according to Bayern's official Twitter account. Radosevic had a chance to return to action Wednesday, but it turns out his injury will cost him another game. He could have a chance to get back on the court in Bayern's next EuroLeague game Friday against Barcelona.
FC Barcelona Lassa Probable Starters
G - Cory Higgins
G - Adam Hanga
F - Rolands Smits
F - Nikola Mirotic
C - Ante Tomic
Bayern Munich Probable Starters
G - Nihad Dedovic
G - Maodo Lo
F - Vladimir Lucic
F - Danilo Barthel
C - Mathias Lessort
Top Picks
Nikola Mirotic (C), BAR - The 12 points Mirotic scored in Round 14 were less than he put up in all but one game this season, but he was only on the court for 23 minutes. As long as Mirotic plays at least the 27 minutes per game he is averaging this season he's a good bet to surpass the 19.1 points per game he is averaging in his first season with Barcelona.
Greg Monroe, BAY - Monroe has moved into a reserve role for Bayern, but that did not stop him from recording a double-double in Tuesday's victory over ALBA. Monroe is Bayern's leading scorer this season, so he should be productive regardless of his role.
Vladimir Lucic, BAY - Lucic has been a steady scorer of late, reaching double figures in seven of his last eight games and averaging 14.3 ppg over that span. In round 14 he fell just one point short of tying the season-high 20 points he put up in Round 11.
Malcolm Delaney, BAR - Delaney has started just once all season, but he has started to come on for Barcelona, averaging 23.7 minutes, 14.3 points, and 6.3 assists over his last three games -- marks that are all well above the 19.7 minutes, 6.1 points, and 5.1 assists he was averaging prior to that.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
Grand League Combination
Mirotic, Monroe, Lucic, Higgins
Small League Combination
Mirotic, Monroe, Lucic, Delaney
