Real Madrid vs Partizan: Willis and Stevenson Ruled Out
Partizan, 3-0, visit Real, 0-3, on Thursday at 8:45 pm at the Movistar Arena. Joan Penarroya confirmed that Derrick Willis and Lamar Stevenson are out for the game.
At his press conference before the trip to Madrid, Joan Penarroya first turned the numbers around to the opponent’s side. Partizan are 3-0 and Real Madrid are 0-3, and the Partizan coach called that “a big problem for us.” He gave the reason right away: “We should not forget that they won the Supercup, the first trophy at the start of the season.”
Real Madrid vs Partizan is played on Thursday, October 8, at 8:45 pm at the Movistar Arena, in round four of the EuroLeague.
How did Real end up at 0-3?
Madrid lost all three games on the road, at Hapoel, Dubai and Efes. According to Novosti, Real have opened a EuroLeague season with three defeats for the first time in their history. The team did win the Supercup at the start of the season, which Penarroya was keen to point out.
The Partizan coach also stressed that those opponents were playoff-level sides, and that round four is Real’s first home game of the season:
“The truth is also that it is not normal for Real Madrid to lose three games in a row in the EuroLeague, this is their first home game of the season and it is very important for them. They are a great team, with a great coach. The truth is that it is very hard to win away at Real Madrid, but we are ready to fight well and to stay in the game until the end and, if possible, to win the game.”
He was also asked about the pressure on Real’s coach. “All coaches are under great pressure when they lose two or three games in a row, especially in the EuroLeague,” Penarroya said of Pedro Martinez.
Who is out for Partizan in Madrid?
Penarroya raised the question of the lineup at the end of the conference. He first said “We’ll see tomorrow,” then added:
“Derrick Willis and Lamar Stevenson are out, yesterday we had a problem controlling the minutes.”
The coach did not give a reason for Stevenson. As for Willis, his injury is known to be what led Partizan to sign Bandja Sy on a short-term contract, which Novosti called a good move. Sy is 36 and this is his second spell in the black and white shirt.
How does Partizan look in the paint?
The center position has carried Partizan’s start to the season. Tonye Jekiri scored 15 points against Paris and 17 against Bayern in a two-game EuroLeague run. The statistics service Clutch Data calculated that Partizan score about 23 more points per 100 possessions with him on the floor than with him on the bench. Sport Klub’s article puts that gap at 22 points, so it is more accurate to say 22 to 23.
Kevarius Hayes anchors the other end: with him on the court, Partizan concede 22.4 fewer points per 100 possessions than when he sits. Frenchman Joffrey Lauvergne had injury problems early in the season, so in the EuroLeague Hayes and Jekiri have been the only two playing minutes at center.
In Madrid the pair face a duel with Real center Walter Tavares. Penarroya described him like this:
“Tavares is one of the most important centers in the EuroLeague in the last 10 years, a great defender who changes the offensive rhythm of teams, but Real Madrid is more than Edy Tavares, many players who are important, who have experience and talent.”
The coach added that Real, under a new coach, are trying to play faster than last season, and that the Madrid players should be viewed as a team, not individually.
What does Bandja Sy say?
Before the trip to the Spanish capital, Sy told reporters he expects a fight:
“I expect us to go there and fight. You see, that is a team that did not start the season the way they wanted. So it will definitely be a tough game. We will have to answer their physical play, play hard, and we will try to carry out everything as well as possible.”
Asked about Real’s record, he answered that Partizan have to focus on themselves: “We need to approach the game as if it is very hard, maybe even as if we are the underdogs, and that is how we have to play.”
He also recalled the previous round, in which Partizan beat Bayern 86-84 in Munich. He described the support from the stands this way: “It was incredible, honestly, we felt like we were playing at home. In my time, when I played for Partizan before, it was impressive, but this is the most fans I have ever seen.”
Partizan arrive in Madrid with three wins from three rounds, without Willis and Stevenson, and the game at the Movistar Arena tips off on Thursday at 8:45 pm.
