Six teams are fighting tooth and nail for a place to play

With three games left in the regular season, six teams are vying for the last ticket to play. Find out the data on the ties, the schedule of the wrestlers, but also where each team is betting.

The battle for home advantage has been fierce for several weeks now, although Virtus Bologna have lost significant ground, reducing their rivals to three places behind Real Madrid. However, the race that continually attracts more competitors is another race: the play race.

At this point, with three games to go before the end of the regular season, we see six (6) teams competing on equal terms and getting the last ticket. With one win separating them, everything remains so smooth, that no one can prejudge the outcome or risk any expectation of which team will enter last (sic) into the playing process, for a position. Sun of the playoffs.

Armani Milano, Partizan, Valencia, Anadolu Efes, Bayern Munich and Zalgiris are boiling in the same juice, and they expect to smile at the end of the regular season.

Who would have expected – especially after its disappointing start – that Armani Milano would be able to grab the lead, even in pole position with three races to go.

Who would have expected that Partizan would have its back against the wall and see the home match against Olympiacos as the final.

Who would have expected that Anadolu Efes would need a small overtake and a set of results to fit into the dozens.

Who would have expected that Valencia, Bayern and Zalgiris would be able to withstand the fierce competition and multiple budgets of their rivals, to get into the match.

All this confirms the opinion that the 2023/24 Europa League is the most competitive in recent years, which… prevents you from making any predictions. And so it is.

But what about the six teams fighting for the final playing spot? How are the standings so far and who can claim to have the most plausible schedule (sic) heading into the final stretch of the regular season?

First, let us note that there are two matches remaining between the six teams, so that the picture of draws (simple or multiple) becomes fully clear. It's about Zalgiris meeting Armani Milano on three nights and Partizan meeting Valencia at Stark Arena in the final round of the match.

Data in equal degrees

Therefore, before these two matches are played, no one can speak with certainty about the final picture of the standings. Quite simply, because in the event of a multiple tie (which seems a very likely scenario), the above-mentioned games will play a major role.

And if one thinks that Armani Milano, for example, has the upper hand to succeed, it is worth noting that even if they achieve 3/3 with Zalgiris (out), Virtus Bologna (in) and Maccabi Tel Aviv (out) they do not. I feel confident about 10th place. Simply because he is behind in a simple draw with Partizan, which means he does not want to in a direct confrontation – but not in a treble with Valencia either.

Accordingly, Partizan excels in all matches (so far, and waiting for the last match against Valencia), with the exception of the match against Bayern Munich, against whom they lost twice in the regular season.

Anadolu Efes is in the worst position ever as it only has one draw left in its favor (with Bayern Munich), while Bayern Munich is betting on either a simple draw with Partizan or multiple draws, which will include Zelimir Obradovic's team.

As for Zalgiris? He will play a full match against Armani Milano in a 2/2 match against Ettore Messina's side, betting on the possibility of a draw in the regular season final.

Read the program

Of course, all of this is theoretical, as no one can prejudge the outcome in any of the remaining matches. For this very reason, reading the program for the six teams is quite theoretical and risky.

However, if we go…by the book and judging based on what we've seen this year in the EuroLeague, we can conclude the following (Arbitrarily of courseConclusions:

Armani Milano will bet most of its hopes against Zalgiris and then the civil war with Virtus.
Partizan knows that if they beat Olympiacos after the fact… everything is ready for them since Alba Berlin (away) and Valencia (home) are watching a match that cannot be ruled out as a qualifying final.
Valencia expects at least one defeat to Armani Milano and a double +6 (at least) at Stark Arena in the final round of the match.
Anadolu Efes cannot hope to achieve anything substantial if they do not achieve the third goal with Baskonia (away), Fenerbahce (away) and Red Star (home).
Bayern Munich has a mountain to climb after facing three of the five teams that excel at home in the qualifiers (Barcelona, Panathinaikos Aktor, Monaco).
Zalgiris knows that if they lose to Armani Milano in Lithuania, they will lose all hope as they will fall behind to Ettore Messina's side and Partizan.

Every point is important

So you realize that the EuroLeague's one line “every game matters” isn't entirely accurate. Simply because in practice it turns out that “every point matters” for getting into a Euroleague match. This confirms the feeling that this season has (far) exceeded the level of competition in previous years.

For stats buffs, here's exactly what applies to each matchup between the six teams, as well as the schedule for each of the finalists' contenders: