FCBARCELONA.CAT

04.02.2008 13:32

CSKA, Unicaja and Lottomatica in the Top 16

Sònia de Alba

AXA FC Barcelona have been drawn in Group G of the Euroleague along with CSKA de Moscow, Unicaja Málaga and Lottomatica Roma.

In the Top 16, the basketball team has been drawn in a group with Ettore Messina’s CSKA, Sergio Scariolo’s Unicaja de Málaga and Lottomatica Roma, who were only at the Palau Blaugrana two weeks ago.

“It is a difficult group. You have to remember that as well as CSKA, European champions two seasons ago, and finalists last year, we have also got Unicaja, who beat us in the play-off last season. And Lottomatica is a very competitive team. But we are confident and I think we can get one of the top two places” said Zoran Savic, technical secretary of AXA Barça, when describing the rivals and his team’s possibilities to the Zona Mixta programme on Barça TV.

The group phase

AXA Barça will start and finish the Top 16 at the Palau Blaugrana. The first game will be against Unicaja Málaga, on February 13 or 14, next week, and straight after the Copa del Rey. Savic also said how keen his team is keen to retain the knockout trophy: “Our morale is on a high after beating Estudiantes and we have just signed a new player in Gary Neal, who should contribute a lot to our immediate future”.

On February 20 or 21 Barça jet out to Moscow to face CSKA, and the first half of the group ends with the visit of Lottomatica Roma to the Palau on February 27 or 28.

In the second round, Barça first visit Malaga and Roma before completing the Top 16 at the Palau at home to CSKA on March 20.

In the second group phase the top two teams from each group go on to play in the quarter finals, played as a best of three series with the prize being a place in the Final Four.

All the groups

Group D: Panathinaikos, Montepaschi, Efes Pilsen and Partizán
Group E: Lietuvos, TAU, Fenerbahce and Arios
Group F: Real Madrid, Maccabi, Zalgiris and Olympiacós
Group G: CSKA, Unicaja, AXA FCB and Lottomatica