ZARAGOZA (Spain) - This year's edition in Zaragoza will open up with two mouth-watering Quarter-Final matchups as a quartet of Final Six debutantes fight it out for the last two remaining tickets to the penultimate stage.
Taking place on Wednesday, April 15, the Quarter-Finals will see Spar Girona going up against Umana Reyer Venezia and then Basket Landes trying to outlast host club Casademont Zaragoza.
With a sold out Pabellon Principe Felipe lying in wait, it's going to be quite an occasion. The prize for advancing will be a last four berth against either Fenerbahce Opet or Galatasaray Cagdas Faktoring, with the Istanbul giants having both won their respective Semi-Final Play-Ins.
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Spar Girona vs Umana Reyer Venezia
Another historical chapter is in store for one of these clubs as they eye the Semi-Finals. Fighting for the title itself is something Girona head coach Roberto Iniguez is very familiar with, so his experience is vital. But Reyer have their own veteran playcaller in Andrea Mazzon - with both among the Finalists for the Coach of the Year Award.
On the court, Girona made a flying start to the campaign. The backcourt combo of Klara Holm and Juste Jocyte was on fire, while Mariam Coulibaly ripped it up in the paint. Their Italian opponents will lean on Kaila Charles who has had a fine season - as has talented center Lorela Cubaj. There are many great matchups all over the floor.
Game History: Both clubs will meet for the very first time in the competition. They also come into the game with very different records of late. Girona have lost four of their last five EuroLeague Women games, while Reyer have the momentum of having won four of their last five outings.
Star player: Mariam Coulibaly is having the best campaign of her career. The December MVP is currently the leading scorer in the competition and if she finds a high gear she'll be a tour de force for Girona. She uses her power under the basket to clean up and has found new ways to score all season. A double-double is also never far away. Key matchup: With Coulibaly being such a centerpiece for Girona, there's no doubt it's an offensive tap Reyer will be looking to turn off. That task could fall onto Lorela Cubaj, with the Italian having impressed herself at various points throughout an eye-catching season. She could have the size, power and skills to stand up to Coulibaly.
X-Factor: With so much of the spotlight falling on the paint, it could actually end up being the backcourt that is a difference-maker, if the 'bigs' cancel each other out. Both teams have really struggled to find their range from downtown all season, shooting sub 30 percent. So, can the likes of a Jocyte or Charles find the hot hand from behind the arc when it matters most and shift the momentum in favor of their respective teams?
Basket Landes vs Casademont Zaragoza
Even if both are Final Six first timers, there will be a strong sense of deja vu having played against each other in the Regular Season. Both recorded narrow road victories and showed the great defence and team basketball that shapes them. Will home advantage pay this time, with a sold out crowd ready to roar Zaragoza to the Semi-Finals?
It's been a crazy roller-coaster and historic season for the hosts, climbing a few mountains on the way and helped by their veteran leader Mariona Ortiz. It's also been a landmark campaign for Landes, with Julie Barennes a Coach of the Year frontrunner and the club building on the emergence of rising star Leila Lacan and Murjanatu Musa.
Game History: In the first game of the Regular Season, Helena Pueyo inspired Zaragoza to a 73-70 success in Mont-de-Marsan. While the return game at Pabellon Principe Felipe witnessed Landes extracting revenge with a similarly dramatic 65-63 triumph.
Star player: Mariona Ortiz might not have the same global profile as some of her peers at the event, but there will be more than 10,000 fans looking to the Spanish playmaker to pull the strings and get their team into the last four. She will look to control tempo, use her defensive prowess to great effect and show the leadership Zaragoza need.
Key matchup: Leila Lacan and Helena Pueyo are both are so critical to their team's prospects, so whoever wins this duel will have a big say in the outcome. Lacan has the quickness and scoring punch. The French guard has been on fire of late, while Pueyo has the size and versatility to take her opponent out of her comfort zone. X-Factor: With virtually nothing separating them statistically and two close games previously, it might go down to crunch time again. Who's got the clutch game to get it done? Well, both teams have squeezed out tight wins on this season through various players. So, the 'X-Factor' is simply who executes best under pressure on the night.
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