Xavi Pascual-Jasikevicius faces off against the slate in Istanbul this Tuesday

The miracle Barça will once again commit themselves to the immaculate slate of Xavi Pascual this Tuesday (6:45 pm) to emerge victorious from the difficult visit of the current European champions, Fenerbahce of Turkey, and attack the only leaders of the EuroLeague, which they currently share with Hapoel Tel Aviv. A top-level tactical showdown looms as the Gabba prodigy takes on another of the competition’s best coaches, former Barça player Sarunas Jasikevicius. Like Pascual, he led the team in free fall a few years ago, and has completely changed his face by leading the team to the top last May.

The new Barça are overcoming challenges one after another, and they seem to be getting more and more difficult. That’s due to physical issues with Juan Nuñez out, Will Clyburn out (6 weeks KO), Toco Shengelia still recovering from pubic bone discomfort, and fatigue from a crazy schedule. It was Barça’s fourth match in eight days, following the victory in Paris (69-85) and the game against Baskonia in Palau. (134-124) and Joventut (90-80).

“There are a lot of benefits to this,” Pascual said yesterday when asked about his winning streak despite having little rest between games. “The team is working very well and the results have been consistent,” the Barça coach said of Fenerbahçe, referring to Jasikevicius, whom he coached as a player during his first years at Barça, especially in the 2012-13 season. “They have a very long squad and are a very well-trained team.” Pascual added, “Both teams will try to control the other team’s strong points defensively and attack their weak points offensively. It will be an interesting match for fans who like to follow the game tactically.”

Jasikevicius has always said that Pascual has had a huge influence on his training as a coach and praised the changes at Barça since Gaba’s return just a month ago. “We will now play against the toughest team in the EuroLeague. They play very good basketball. Defensively they have shown great progress and have a lot of experience. Especially the players on the perimeter, players like Satoransky, Punter, Laprovitla, Brizuela, can directly influence the outcome of the game. Without a doubt, they have one of the best coaching staffs in the EuroLeague,” the Lithuanian player declared yesterday.

Fenerbahce haven’t gotten off to a great start in the EuroLeague, winning seven of their last eight games despite a stumbling block in Sunday’s 99-73 win over Trabzonspor in the Turkish League. Already missing two key players in forwards Nigel Hayes-Davis and Marko Guduric, Istanbul’s team relies on the EuroLeague’s best defense, conceding 78.8 points per game, and the offensive talent of wingers Talen Horton-Tucker (averaging 23 points in the last three games), Devon Hall and Wade Baldwin. Wilbekin, Jantunen, Bango and Bitim are yet to play.