This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
PREGAME UPDATES
- Gabriel Deck is in Real Madrid's starting lineup for Round 20.
- Isaiah Canaan will be in uniform Friday for Olympiacos.
- Red Star's Nikola Ivanovic will be available for Round 20.
- Bayern's D.J. Seeley will not suit up Friday.
STATS AND INFO.
- EuroLeague Betting Odds
- EuroLeague Starting Lineups
- EuroLeague Injury Report
- EuroLeague Team Stats
- Opponent Averages
- Team Trends
- Twitter - @RotoWireEuro
THE SLATE
FC Bayern Munich at 
Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Status Check: Vladimir Lucic (BAY), Andreas Obst (BAY), D.J. Seeley (BAY), Zan Mark Sisko (BAY), Dogus Balbay (EFS)
The Breakdown: It has been an up-and-down season for Efes, but they looked like the two-time defending champions in their Round 19 victory over Barcelona, and the oddsmakers noticed, as the Turkish team is favored by as many as 10.5 points in this matchup. Bayern should not be short on confidence, as they wound up with the win when these clubs met back in Round 6. If they hope to repeat that feat, they will need to overcome their 2-7 road record, as well as an 8.2-point deficit in offensive rating.
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade at 
Zalgiris Kaunas
Status Check: Facundo Campazzo (CZV), Hassan Martin (CZV), Nikola Ivanovic (CZV), Keenan Evans (ZAL), Tyler Cavanaugh (ZAL), Dovydas Giedraitis (ZAL)
The Breakdown: These clubs met a little over a month ago, and Red Star picked up a four-point win on its home court. They have gone a respectable 3-3 since, but Zalgiris -- despite losing its best player -- has really taken off, going 5-1 over the same span to surge into the sixth spot in the standings. Zalgiris is the shortest favorite on the board, as the experts have given them only a 2.5-point edge. While they will not have Evans, they will be playing on their home court, where they are 7-2 this season. Possessions will be at a premium in this one, and the two teams are separated by 1.4 points in net rating, so this one really could go either way.
Real Madrid at 
Olympiacos Piraeus
Status Check: Gabriel Deck (RMB), Nigel Williams-Goss (RMB), Sergio Rodriguez (RMB), Alberto Abalde (RMB), Anthony Randolph (RMB), Carlos Alocen (RMB), Isaiah Canaan (OLY)
The Breakdown: This will be the marquee matchup of the evening, as first-place Real Madrid heads to Greece to take on an Olympiacos team that can overtake them with a win. The last matchup between these teams came in Round 3, and a Kostas Sloukas bucket with just a few seconds to go proved to be the difference in the Greek team's two-point win. The oddsmakers anticipate another Olympiacos win, as they are favored by 3.5 points. They will be in better shape personnel-wise than their counterparts, who will be light in the backcourt in Round 20. Real Madrid, though, has the depth to overcome the absences and are also 7-3 on the road. These are the top two teams in the defensive rating department, but Olympiacos owns the best mark on the opposite end and the Spanish squad ranks third, and thus this contest has the highest over/under on the board.
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne at 
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan
Status Check: Joffrey Lauvergne (ASV), Shavon Shields (EA7), Kevin Pangos (EA7), Tommaso Baldasso (EA7)
The Breakdown: This contest is nearly the exact opposite of the one directly above, as the losing team will find themselves in last place, and neither team has had much success when they have the ball, with these teams ranking 17th and 18th in both points per game and offensive rating. Unsurprisingly, the 151.0 points expected in this game are -- barely -- fewer than the number expected in the other three games, but even that may be optimistic, as these clubs combined for only 131 points in Milan's season-opening victory. The Italian team is favored by as many as 6.0 points in their own arena, but they have only twice there all season, and ASVEL is a slim 0.1 points better when it comes to net rating.
