Real Madrid to fight for 11th title in EuroLeague Final Four

By Selcuk Bugra Gokalp

ANKARA (AA) - Real Madrid will fight for their eleventh title in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, which will start on Thursday.

Los Merengues, who bagged their latest title in 2018 by defeating Turkish team Fenerbahce 85-80 in the final, are the record holders of the competition with 10 titles (1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1974, 1978, 1980, 1995, 2015, and 2018).

The Spanish club, who have 35 domestic league titles and 28 domestic cups, are regarded by many as one of the top contenders in European basketball.

The Madrid club finished the regular season fourth with 18 wins and 10 loses. Then, they won the 2022 EuroLeague playoff round with 3-0 (84–74, 95–66, 87–76) against the Israeli team Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv.

French forward Guerschon Yabusele leads the club with an average of 11.9 points per game while Walter Tavares of Cabo Verde have contributed to Los Merengues' success with an average 18.5 performance index rating (PIR) so far this season.

The PIR, a basketball mathematical statistical formula used by the EuroLeague, evaluates players' general efficiency in the game and is used to determine the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards.

Real Madrid will start their Final Four run with a game against their Spanish arch rivals Barcelona at Stark Arena in Belgrade on Thursday. The winner of the round will take on the winner of Olympiakos - Anadolu Efes match in the final.