 VS  Besiktas CT vs. Galatasaray CC Turin will be turned into a Turkish battleground for the ULEB Cup Final Eight quarterfinal showdown between Besiktas Cola Turka and Galatasaray Cafe Crown. Both clubs are not just Turkish League foes, but they are Istanbul city rivals as well. The two teams have also met twice domestically this season with the visiting side victorious both times. Galatasaray won the first match-up 75-80 in late November as Charles Gaines had 14 points to lead six Galatasaray scorers in double figures. The two teams battled again on March 7 at Galatasaray's home and Besiktas clubbed the hosts 66-83. Shumpert's 20 points led a balanced effort as Besiktas shot 63%, while holding Galatasaray to 35% shooting, including just 7 of 29 (24%) from long range. Both teams feature well-balanced squads, who were among the better rebounding teams this season and also committed few turnovers. Besiktas's frontcourt of Kaya Peker, Sandro Nicevic and Predrag Drobnjak is big in size and experience, which makes the absence of injured Galatasaray center Huseyon Besok especially meaningful. Athletic forwards Owens and Gaines will look to Fatih Solak and Cemal Nalga to help out in the paint. Besiktas guard Christian Dalmau, who missed his team's last Turkish League contest, is expected to play as usual, joining Apodaca, Shumpert and Sinan Guler in a lethal shooting backcourt, which will match up with Brown, Hite and Cuneyt Erden. Galatasaray's experienced small forwards Cenk Akyol and Britton Johnsen could prove to be x-factors with their contributions, whether it be scoring, on the glass or on defense against Shumpert. This game has all the makings of a classic ULEB Cup encounter that will be remembered for a long time and could come down to which team's shooter of choice is hottest in the closing minutes.
Betting overview
I don't like to bet on Turkish team because when Turskish teams playing a lot depends on unpredictable Turkish mentality. Here we have 2 top team from Turkey in a bit different form. Galatasaray lost 4 of 6 last Turkey Basketball League games but it's hard to predict what kind of performance to expect from Gala today. They won against Besiktas when they were very in good form but their latest game when they lost by 17 points was only one month ago and after that loss their downtrend have continued.
I rate Besiktas as better, deeper, more organised and in-better form team than Galatasaray but I see no value in 1.35-1.40 odds on them to win because it not a good price to bet in such games between 2 clubs from one country. Maybe during in-play betting will give us better odds on Besiktas to win especially if Galatasaray will win first quarter. I would pick Besiktas at odds around 1.75-1.85 before the game so here what I will try to catch while watching this game on Eurosport-2.
Prediction: In the beginning of the match I expect equal game with possible Galatasaray lead but than class and experience of Besiktas players should prevail. My prediction is Besiktas to win by 4-7 points in the end. Predicted score: Besiktas 76 - 71 Galatasaray
Pick: Wait better odds on Besiktas (around 1.80) in Live-Betting at Betfair New articles on this topic:
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