Barcelona vs Zenit St. Petersburg: Prediction and Betting Tips

Barcelona to prove they are top contenders 

The Spanish giants took a giant leap during this season after the appointment of coach Sarunas Jasikevicius. The already strong squad was strengthened also by the arrival of pass master Nick Calathes who is the second-best player with assists in the league with an average of almost seven per game. 

Barcelona are the sixth-best scoring team in the Euroleague and the third-best team in three-point shooting. Barca have won six of their last eight matches. They are one of the most stable teams in the Euroleague and one of the main contenders to win the Euroleague this season.

Zenit St. Petersburg looking for inspiration from coach Pascual

With a three-win streak to end their regular season, Zenit rallied to secure the eighth position on the Euroleague standings and qualify for the playoffs on the final matchday. Coach Xavi Pascual will take his team to the Palau Blaugrana where he had eight successful seasons with the Spanish giants but this time the Spaniard will use all his knowledge of Barca to try to benefit his team Zenit.

Another former Barca player that will be key for the Zenit offense is Kevin Pangos who scored 33 points and 11 assists in their final game against Panathinaikos. The Canadian guard is expected to have another good game by coach Pascual as the Russians will rely heavily on their outside game as they did against Panathinaikos by scoring 15 three points.

Key Stats

• Zenit are the second-best in the league in two-point shooting range
• Barcelona are the third-best in the league in three-point shooting range

Barcelona vs Zenit St. Petersburg Prediction

The two-time Euroleague champions Barcelona start their playoff series against Zenit aiming to win their third title and the first since 2010. Barcelona may not be the best shooting team but their defense and inside game make up for that as they have held off their opponents to under 80 points in six of their last eight matches.

Zenit on the other hand had a good game in their last visit to the Palau Blaugrana losing by just four games but were restricted by the Barca defense to just 15 attempts from the arc of which six were made. If Zenit can maintain their 58% shooting percentage they had against Panathinaikos in this game, they will certainly make things hard for the home team.

Barcelona vs Zenit St. Petersburg Betting Tips

Over 153.5 Total Match Points 1.90 at bet365

Barcelona to score over 76.5 Total Match Points 1.90 at bet365