EUROLEAGUE – Classic showdowns on the cards as teams chase remaining quarter-final spots

VALENCIA (Euroleague) - One of the most important nights of the Euroleague season has arrived with three vitally important games set to be played on Thursday.

Power Electronics Valencia, Fenerbahce Ulker, Panathinaikos, Caja Laboral, Lietuvos Rytas and Unicaja Malaga are all involved with the first five of those sides looking to clinch spots in the quarter-finals. Unicaja have no chance of progressing.

There will be plenty of fireworks in Valencia, where the city is at the beginning of its annuals Las Fallas festival.

Valencia, led by coaching great Svetislav Pesic, will go up against Fener in Group H and face their former boss Neven Spahija for the second time this season.

Spahija led Valencia to glory in last season's Eurocup but decided to leave the club for Fener, who won the first game against Valencia at the Sinan Erdem Dome 75-73.

Fener will be without a key man from that contest in Mirsad Turkcan, who is out injured for the remainder of the campaign.

Valencia are also without their inspirational captain Victor Claver for a couple of months due to a fractured metatarsal but one of the surprising developments in the squad has been the play of Jeremy Richardson.

Called back into the team after Claver's injury, Richardson had 17 points last week against Zalgiris and followed that up with nine in Sunday's narrow victory at CAI Zaragoza.

Because of Fenerbahce's two-point win back on January 27, Valencia must prevail by three to progress to the last eight.

"This is a game that decides who is in and who is out, nothing more, nothing less," said Pesic, who replaced Manuel Hussein at the helm at the beginning of November.

"We expect to win our game at home. We face a team that also has the same enthusiasm to remain in the Euroleague.

"We play many crucial games and hence, this is not a new situation for us.

"If we remember how many crucial games we have had to win here, this is not new to us."

Olympiacos, winners of four straight, have already wrapped up first place in Group H.

They host Zalgiris (1-4) in the pool's other game with the Lithuanians having already been eliminated from quarter-final contention.

In Group E, a fascinating encounter should take place in Vilnius where Lietuvos Rytas host Caja Laboral in a battle of 3-2 sides.

The winner will progress to the next stage but Caja Laboral can also advance if Unicaja Malaga (1-4) upset Panathinaikos (3-2) in Spain.

Caja Laboral do not know if they will have Bosnia and Herzegovina international Mirza Teletovic because of the patellar tendinitis that forced him out of Saturday's game at Regal Barcelona.

Pape Sow is also struggling with bronchitis.

Both players have travelled to Vilnius and will be game-time decisions.

Lietuvos Rytas, who won the first game on a buzzer-beating three-ball by Khalid El-Amin in Vitoria, have worries about their own Martynas Gecevicius and DJ Strawberry.

Lithuania international Gecevicius hasn't been at full strength in training while recent signing Strawberry has been ill.

Panathinaikos, meanwhile, are going into what their coach Zeljko Obradovic calls a "final" at Unicaja.

Victory would put the Greens into the last eight although they would still advance if Caja Laboral were to win at Lietuvos Rytas.

Unicaja coach Chus Matteo said on the club's official website: "It doesn't have any impact on our final standings but of course, it is a game in which we will have to give it all to try to win, mainly because other teams are involved in other situations which this game affects and because we are playing at home in front of our fans."

Rimantas Kaukenas, meanwhile, will not be playing for Montepaschi Siena (3-2) against his former club Real Madrid in Spain because of the need to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his knee.

Madrid (5-0) have already wrapped up first place in Group G while Mens Sana are assured of a second-place finish.

Efes Pilsen (2-3) take on Partizan Belgrade (0-5) in a game with no ramifications.

In Group F, Regal Barcelona (5-0) and Maccabi Tel Aviv (3-2) have already sealed the first two places.

On Thursday, Barca host Union Olimpija (1-4) and Maccabi Tel Aviv (3-2) visit Lottomatica Roma (1-4).

Maccabi won the first game against Roma, 99-58, on January 27 in Israel.

FIBA