FC Barcelona v Zalgiris tickets: Euroleague basketball - Wednesday January 3 at 20.45

FC Barcelona puts more money into its basketball team than any other team outside of North America. That’s a fact. And this year the returns, at least in a sporting sense, are not good. It looked like things had taken a turn a better when they went 16 up in Malaga last week, and then managed to let the home side score 16 to no reply and end up losing a critical game that means they are almost certain to miss out on the Copa del Rey this season, which is a knockout tournament played between the eight highest placed sides at the halfway stage of the regular season. It makes it all the more painful to see Real Madrid sailing away with things thanks to a perfect 12-0 record.
There are two more home fixtures for Barga in the ACB before the year is out, against Bilbao, who are struggling in only their second ever season of top flight basketball, and Fuenlabrada, from Madrid. Head coach Dusko Ivanovic has come in for some serious questioning of late, the fact being that he has a squad of tried, tested and exceedingly expensive players at his command who should be able to sweep the floor with most of the teams in the ACB rather than sitting in the bottom half of the table with a 5-7 record.
You would think that the team’s far jollier performances in the Euroleague would be his redemption, but they are just serving to show that the team is capable of doing much better, and at a higher level too, than its miserable efforts in the domestic competition. Then again, against true class opposition, defending champions CSKA Moscow, a fortnight ago, Barca never got a look in, and lost 75-57 in a game that would have been a lot worse had the Russians not looked bored towards the end of the game at the ease of it all.
Barga play at the Palau Blaugrana, which is part of the Camp Nou complex, located next to the football club’s museum and shop. The cheapest tickets sell from around 12 euros, and with the pressure really on the coach, they are well worth getting hold of these days.