Five years have passed since the last time Israel hosted a quarter-final match at the three top European factories. Tonight (Wednesday, 19:00) it will happen, when Hapoel Holon will host Strasbourg in the opening of the Champions League playoff series, and if everything that happened this season indicates the future to come – then the home advantage should have great significance.
32 teams started the season at the factory, and none of them reached a better home balance than the Purples. They won seven of their eight games at the Toto Hall (87.5 percent success), with the only loss recorded in a point to Besiktas in play on the ticket to the top 16. Tenerife also has a 1: 7 balance, like Holon, with Cluj Napoca, Topash Bursa and Manresa (1: 5 each). One) and Onikaha Malaga (1: 4), in addition to two teams that have already been eliminated.
The interesting thing is that the warm and homely atmosphere in Israel is achieved without the team being able to fill the hall with any of its games. Subscribers will also be forced to purchase tickets tonight, at prices ranging from NIS 45 to NIS 75, since the playoffs are not included in the seasonal booklet. It is estimated that a maximum of 4,000 spectators will come to the competition, and will occupy less than 80 percent of the content of the stands.
The group hopes that those who come will be able to enjoy the presence of Chris Johnson on the floor. The team was very worried that the forward would miss the start of the series, after being injured in the victory over Bnei Herzliya on Saturday night in the Premier League, but the initial fear of a concussion was ruled out. Officially, his sharing is still in doubt. “Fortunately, it’s not as serious as we thought, and we hope he will come up to play like a lion,” said captain Guy Pnini.
There is one major problem in all of Holon’s fortress theory: the rival. Strasbourg reaches the quarterfinals with an impressive 2: 5 balance in away games. This is one of the quality offensive teams in the factory, but the plans went wrong for her along the way: John Roberson, her leading scorer in Europe with 17.1 points, injured and unfit; Jarl Eddie, the scorer who arrived this summer from Fenerbahce, moved to San Pablo Burgos – and was replaced by Cameron Taylor, who started the season at Maccabi Tel Aviv and was loaned to France.
In five Champions League appearances, Taylor has so far averaged 11.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists in more than 31 minutes per game. With a fashionable delay of six months, since the opening of the league in Israel, he will meet Holon for the first time.
The quarter-final series opened last night with two home victories: Cluj-Napoca defeated Ludwigsburg 73:76, while Manresa defeated Malaga 63:86. Tonight, after the end of the game in Israel, Tenerife and Topash will meet, in a series from which the rival of Holon or Strasbourg will emerge in the Final Four.