Match Preview
Dubai enjoyed their matchups against Milano last season, beating them 99-92 at home in their first-ever meeting before pulling off another upset in Italy with a 96-78 victory. Can Xavi Pascual’s side pile more misery on Milano on Thursday?
Milano Struggling to Find Their Feet
Judging by the early stages of the season, Milano’s chances of battling for a top-10 position in the EuroLeague look slim after securing just one victory in five rounds.
Their only win came in late September in the second round, when they edged out fellow Italian rivals Virtus Bologna 87-85 at home, with veteran Marko Guduric leading the scoring with 14 points. However, their subsequent performances were poor, as they lost to Baskonia 86-76 in Spain and Maccabi 97-79 in Belgrade.
On Tuesday, the Italian side hosted Real Madrid and made a solid start, winning the first quarter 25-21, but then collapsed defensively and allowed 62 points over the next 20 minutes, eventually suffering a 98-89 defeat.
Dubai Showing Progress Under Pascual
Dubai are doing much better than their upcoming opponents, having improved defensively compared to last season under current coach Xavi Pascual. They currently hold a 3-2 record.
They opened the new campaign by taking two big scalps at home. McKinley Wright's three-pointer secured a 78-77 win over Real Madrid, before they also defeated Barcelona 94-87 in their next game.
A 76-66 defeat to Fenerbahce was somewhat expected, but their offensive problems continued last week. Dubai delivered arguably their worst EuroLeague performance to date, losing 77-58 at home to Crvena Zvezda while shooting just 32%.
Pascual’s side bounced back earlier this week by defeating Baskonia 93-79 in Vitoria. Filip Petrusev was the top scorer with 17 points, while Mfiondu Kabengele recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.