FCBARCELONA.CAT

01.05.2009 11:53

The first Berlin Wall

Roger Bogunyà (enviat especial)

Regal Barça and CSKA Moscow meet this evening (18.00, live on C33 and R@dio Barça) in the opening game of the Euroleague Final Four in Berlin. CSKA are the defending champions.

The O2 World is an amazing venue in no less impressive a city, Berlin, a fitting stage for two of the finest rosters on the continent to meet. It’s Regal Barça’s tenth appearance in what is always a frenetic weekend of basketball, although only once, in 2003, have the Catalans come away with Europe’s premier club trophy.

Star studded line-up: Some of the finest hoops players in Europe will be competing in Berlin. Navarro, Langdon, Vázquez, Siskauskas, Ilyasova, Holden... Those are just a few of the big names that will be treading the court this evening in Berlin. All players that, on their day, can tip the balance one way or other, so there’s a huge responsibility for everybody.

Concentration and defence: But concentrating too much on offence can be a team’s undoing in games like these, where it is often good defending that really breaks the opposition down. And that has always been the philosophy Messina has followed – keeping it solid at the back. We saw that in the quarter final against Partizan, where CSKA didn’t let in more than 56 points in any of the three matches. If Regal Barça can thwart the Russian defence, then they will have gone a long way to ensuring a place in the final.

Positive mentality: Regal Barça, as Langdon admitted before the game, always bring out their best in the big games, those where the future really is at stake. We saw that against TAU in games, two and five of their quarter final series, and also against Madrid, in the Top-16, at the Palau Blaugrana. Xavi Pascual’s side always responds when it has to and that is something CSKA will need to bear in mind, for this game in Berlin is the biggest test so far.