Jasikevicius reveals how Unicaja could kill Barca's three-peat hope in Copa del Rey / News - Basketnews.com

FC Barcelona will seek their third consecutive Spanish Cup this weekend at Badalona. Unicaja will be their first opponent in the quarterfinals on Thursday night.

Credit: FIBA, ZUMAPRESS.com-Scanpix Credit FIBA, ZUMAPRESS.com-Scanpix

FC Barcelona head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius a few days ago revealed that he has not talked with Barca management about his future at the club yet: "It does not depend only on me," Saras said.

Free throws this season

73%13,3Points made:13,3Accuracy:73,2%Place in standings:16Record max:28Record min:2Most made FTs:Kendrick PerryTeamACBStatisticsSchedule

But none of this noise matters right now, ahead of the first big moment of the season.

The Blaugranas will seek their third consecutive Spanish Cup this weekend in Badalona. Barca has won four of the last five editions of the Copa del Rey.

With Sergi Martinez back on the team, the Lithuanian specialist will have all the players available for the quarterfinals matchup against Unicaja Malaga on Thursday night, at 21:30 CET.

Jasikevicius met local media before the Spanish Cup, warning about the strengths of Unicaja, one of the teams in very good shape this season.

"They are playing great this season. Clearly, it's one of the most difficult opponents to face," Saras began.

"Ibon Navarro has found balance in everything they do. They have six backcourt players scoring almost 10 points per game, high pace and transitions," he continued.

"We must take care of the ball as they pressure well. They like to steal the ball and they can kill you with fast breaks. These things will be important, as well as the three-point accuracy. I hope we can be solid," the Lithuanian added.

Jasikevicius is unbeaten at the Copa as a head coach: 6 games, 6 wins, and 2 titles. But the 46-year-old mastermind knows how tough is this competition.

Barca needed overtime in 2021 to defeat Unicaja in the quarterfinals stage, while last year at Granada, the Catalans struggled in the first quarter against BAXI Manresa.

"Copa is special. I'm sure there will be surprises. The guys are excited. They have experience, and they are hungry. I hope things will go as planned."

A quick look at Barca vs. Unicaja

Both teams have a long history of rivalries at the Copa del Rey.

They met seven times in the tournament, and Barca won all games (five times in the quarterfinals and twice in the semifinals). The last victory came in 2021, with a 103-93 performance.

It's a duel that can be decided on the defensive end since Barca is the second team that has conceded the fewest points so far in the 2022-23 season (73.2), and Unicaja (75.9) is the fourth in that ranking.

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