Major Play-in Hurdle! Crvena Zvezda's Struggles Against Barcelona Continue

Of the three potential playoff opponents, Crvena Zvezda has arguably drawn the toughest hand, judging by their season's performance.

Until the final round, it was uncertain whether Zvezda would face Panathinaikos, Monaco, or Barcelona in the play-in tournament. That dilemma has now been resolved. With all three aforementioned teams securing convincing victories in their last regular-season games, Zvezda finished 10th in the standings, meaning they will travel to Barcelona for their play-in match.

When we say Zvezda drew the toughest hand, we refer to the fact that the red-and-whites defeated both Monaco (home and away) and Panathinaikos (once, in Belgrade) this season. Ironically, they lost both encounters against Barcelona.

The first defeat against the Catalans came in Round 14 on home court, when Will Clyburn, Dario Brizuela, Toko Shengelia, and Kevin Punter lit up the Belgrade Arena. Zvezda suffered the same fate in late March, during Round 34. Although Saša Obradović's team put up a much tougher fight against Barcelona then than they did in Belgrade, they ultimately succumbed in overtime.

Interestingly, Zvezda's last victory against Barcelona at the Palau Blaugrana was last season.

In fact, it wasn't just their most recent win, but also their first and only time overcoming Barcelona on their home turf.

Therefore, Saša Obradović's squad faces an incredibly challenging task on Tuesday.

After being decisively beaten by Real Madrid (103:82) in the final regular-season game, Crvena Zvezda's direct playoff hopes were dashed, and they will now continue their campaign through the play-in tournament.

Crvena Zvezda will visit Barcelona in the first round of the play-in on April 21st. Should they secure a victory, they will face another away game three days later against either Panathinaikos or Monaco.

The red-and-whites will need to win both these matches to reach the playoffs, where they would then face Olympiacos, the top-seeded team of the EuroLeague regular season, with home-court advantage.

Consequently, to reach Athens and the Final Four, Crvena Zvezda must navigate the most arduous path imaginable.

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