Real Madrid and Hapoel Tel-Aviv open a series that immediately carries the weight of the Final Four
Real Madrid enters this clash as the third-placed team from the regular season, and Hapoel Tel-Aviv as the sixth. That means the first step of the best-of-five quarter-final series will be played in Madrid, with Real holding home-court advantage in the first, second, and eventual fifth game because of its better finish. In practice, it is a very clear equation: the Madrid club wants to protect its home floor immediately, while Hapoel is looking for one away win that would turn the series in its favour before returning to the neutral venue of its European home games.
For a fan going to this game, the most important thing to know is that this is not an ordinary league time slot, but an evening in which every defensive rotation and every lost possession carries the weight of May. Real finished the regular season with a 24-14 record and by far the best home performance among the very top teams, 18-1. Hapoel finished at 23-15, secured the club’s first EuroLeague playoff appearance, and in the process showed that it did not come only for experience. Tickets for this game are in demand among fans.
What is at stake for both teams
Real Madrid enters this series with very clear ambitions. A club that has constantly been in the final weeks of the season in recent years is not hiding that its goal is a return to the Final Four. Third place in the regular season brought home court, but also additional pressure: anything other than advancing would be seen as a failure. Sergio Scariolo’s team will therefore try to turn the series into games played at its own pace - strong paint defence, rebound control, and long possessions when the score is on the line.
Hapoel Tel-Aviv arrives with a different, but equally strong motive. In its first European season at this level, it has already made a serious step forward, and by reaching the playoffs it showed that it can live with the elite. A win in Madrid would mean more than a results advantage - it would give Dimitris Itoudis’ team confirmation that it can endure a series against one of the toughest hosts in the competition. It is worth securing tickets in time.
Form before arriving in Madrid
Real handled the end of the regular season strongly enough to keep third place. In its last ten European games it posted a 7-3 record, and in the very finish of the season it beat Fenerbahce away and then convincingly defeated Crvena Zvezda at home. Before that, it also suffered one painful defeat at Baskonia and a narrow loss in Kaunas, which says enough that Madrid was not perfect, but at the right moment raised again the level of its defence and pace control.
Hapoel had a 6-4 record in its last ten European appearances, but its form was not a straight line. It knew how to win high-intensity games against Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce, and then a few days later lose its rhythm against Olympiacos or away at Monaco. This is a team that can score a lot of points when its guards open up the floor, but also a team that sometimes runs into problems if the opponent slows down its first wave of attack and forces it into longer half-court possessions.
Head-to-head meetings this season
Real Madrid won both European head-to-head meetings this season, and that is exactly why this quarter-final pairing carries extra tactical tension. In November it was 75-74 for Real on neutral ground in Botevgrad, and in March 92-83 for the Madrid side in Movistar Arena. So there is absolutely no illusion of a one-way pairing - one game was decided on a single possession, the other was won by Real more safely, but only after it had to work seriously for all 40 minutes.
In those games it was clearly visible where Madrid’s advantage lies. When Campazzo controls the tempo and Tavares closes the rim, Real can force Hapoel to live on difficult perimeter shots. On the other hand, Hapoel showed that it can threaten through aggressive drives by its guards and attacking from the second wave, especially if Bryant and Jones find their rhythm early. The series therefore does not begin with an unknown, but with two teams that have already felt each other out well.
Key names for Real
The first name on a night like this is naturally Facundo Campazzo. He is the man who decides how orderly the game will be, how chaotic it will be, and how quickly the ball will reach the right mismatch. When Real plays at its best, Campazzo does not have to be the leading scorer. It is enough for him to stretch the defence, hit the timely outside shot, and force the opponent to constantly choose between helping on Tavares and leaving space to the shooters.
Mario Hezonja gives Real the dimension of direct scoring. His seasonal European production of 12.6 points per game does not sound explosive, but his value in games like this is not only in the number. Hezonja can take over the ball when the offensive flow stops, can attack a smaller defender with his back to the basket, and can finish a possession with a shot over a hand. In playoff basketball that is often worth more than five beautiful actions from the regular season.
Walter Tavares remains Real’s axis at both ends of the floor. His size and feel for rim protection change the angles of attack for all opponents, and in addition he was rewarded in April with the MVP award for the March-April period. That is not only an individual label, but also a message about his current form: Real enters the series with a centre who is in the best competitive rhythm of the season.
Gabriel Deck, Sergio Llull, Alberto Abalde, and Usman Garuba should not be forgotten either. Deck is often the man for hard minutes and contact play on the wing, Llull remains dangerous when the game goes into improvisation, Abalde brings discipline in perimeter defence, and Garuba additional energy in switching and rebounding. That is the depth because of which Real in Madrid can survive even a weaker night from one or two of its leaders.
Key names for Hapoel
Elijah Bryant is one of the faces of Hapoel’s season. He was twice the MVP of the round and all year long carries the profile of a guard who can score off the dribble, through contact, and from spot-up situations. For Hapoel it is especially important that Bryant does not need a perfectly drawn-up play to get to points. Against a defence like the one Real sets in the paint, that is gold, because there will be possessions in which the offence will have to be saved by individual quality.
Chris Jones brings experience and calm in decision-making. His job against Real may be the toughest on the floor: survive Campazzo’s pressure on the ball, while at the same time maintaining court vision. If Jones manages to draw Tavares deeper into pick-and-roll defence and create a few timely passes to shooters or the roller, Hapoel will have enough air to stay level.
Under the basket, Dan Oturu is very important, a player who gives Hapoel explosiveness above the rim and a vertical threat in the pick-and-roll. If he gets early touches and if Hapoel manages to run after the defensive rebound, Oturu can force Real to collapse more often into help than it would like. Alongside him, Vasilije Micić should also be watched as an additional source of creation and experience on the biggest stage.
Hapoel nevertheless does not enter the finish completely without concern. Tyler Ennis was already ruled out during the season because of an Achilles tendon rupture, and during April reports on absences also mentioned Tomer Ginat and Itay Segev. That does not automatically mean they will not be available on game day, but it does mean that in preparing the series Itoudis also has to count on a scenario in which his rotation of big men or domestic players is not ideally deep.
- Real Madrid: Campazzo for pace and creation, Hezonja for isolations and transition, Tavares for the paint and rebounds.
- Hapoel Tel-Aviv: Bryant as the main offensive trigger, Jones for organisation, Oturu for play above the rim, Micić for control of big possessions.
- Absence status: for Hapoel, Ennis is out long term, while the final line-ups for game day should be monitored immediately before tip-off.
How the game could look
The most interesting tactical part will be the clash between Real, which likes to control space, and Hapoel, which can also live in a faster, more open rhythm. Real will try to bring the game down into a zone where every attack begins in a disciplined way, the ball goes through Campazzo or through post-up and short-roll decisions, and Hapoel is forced to attack against a set defence. When Madrid reaches that tempo, the stands become an additional ally because the home team can string together defensive stops and break the opponent with 8-0 or 10-2 runs.
Hapoel’s plan will probably be different. Itoudis will want his guards to attack the first step early, force Tavares into lateral movement, and from that open corner shots or finishes by the centre at the rim. If Hapoel falls into static basketball and remains without easy transition points, its job will become much harder. That is why the defensive rebound is also important for the visitors - without it there is no running game.
Particular attention should be paid to how much Real will defend by switching on the outside positions and how much help will come from the weak side. If Madrid manages to close the middle and force Hapoel into contested shots from eight metres, the home side will be closer to its ideal scenario. If, however, Jones and Bryant regularly get down to the free-throw line and create from there, the series could take on a far more uncomfortable tone for the home crowd.
The arena and what to expect on site
Although in many previews the name WiZink Center is still a habit for many, since 2025 the arena has carried the name Movistar Arena. It is located on Avenida de Felipe II in the Salamanca district, practically in the Goya area, one of the better-connected points in the city. For basketball games, the capacity has been increased to 15,000 seats, which is enough for a European night in Madrid to very quickly acquire a dense, enclosed, and loud sound that leaves the visitors little room for calm communication.
Real practically did not drop points on this floor this season. A record of 18-1 in the regular season says more than any ornament: in this arena the home team knows exactly how to open a game, how to feed off the emotions of the stands, and how to punish every empty minute from the visitors. Seats in the stands disappear quickly.
- Location: Avenida de Felipe II, in the Salamanca district, in the Goya area.
- Basketball capacity: up to 15,000 spectators.
- Arrival: public transport is the most practical, and there are also several underground car parks around the arena.
- Parking: the arena’s official information states parking on the lower levels of the building, as well as additional car parks in the immediate vicinity.
- Entrances: the exact access and gate layout is published for each individual event, so it is wise to arrive with a time buffer.
A short guide for fans coming to Madrid
The Salamanca district is not a classic outskirts area next to a sports arena, but a city area in which it is easy to combine the game with the rest of the day. In the surroundings there are shops, restaurants, and wide avenues, and the whole area leaves a neat, urban, and very Madrilenian impression. For away fans this is practical because they do not have to plan complex logistics - it is possible to arrive by public transport, walk through the neighbourhood, and get to the entrance without too many complications.
If you are arriving by car, bear in mind that this is a part of the city with heavy traffic when a sports or concert event coincides. That is exactly why the arena itself, in its visitor instructions, recommends arriving with some reserve time and points out that public transport is often a faster solution on days of high attendance. Ticket sales for this game are ongoing.
As for the opening of the doors, the organiser usually confirms the exact time for each individual event, so it is wise not to rely on assumptions. For a playoff night like this, the most sensible thing is to be in the arena area early enough to go through the checks without rushing, find your section, and catch the warm-up. In games at this level, even the first ten minutes in the stands are worth a lot - you can feel how much nerves are present, who arrived physically ready, and how the crowd reacts to the first contact.
The atmosphere that can be expected
The Madrid crowd on European nights is not necessarily the loudest for all 40 minutes, but it is very good at recognising the moment when it needs to lift the game. That means not everything will be on fire from the first second, but every Real run, every big Tavares block, and every Campazzo steal will almost certainly bring the arena to its feet. That is awkward for the opponent because the impression that the game is under control can fall apart in two possessions.
For Hapoel, the first goal will therefore be to silence the floor. If the visitors start well from the field and if they build a lead that forces Real into a chase, the nerves can spill into the stands as well. But if the home side imposes its defence early, controls the rebound, and closes the middle, the atmosphere will go exactly in the direction wanted by the series favourite.
The emotional element on both sides should not be underestimated either. Real knows that home court opens the road toward Athens and the final tournament, and Hapoel knows that one big night in Madrid can change the entire perception of this season. That is exactly why this looks like a game in which every loose ball will carry playoff weight, and every timeout will carry additional tension.
Sources:
- Euroleague Basketball - 2025/26 season standings, playoff format, series schedule, head-to-head results and recent games, data on coaches and key players
- Real Madrid - club preview of the game against Hapoel and the context of the battle for third place and home-court advantage
- Movistar Arena - arena location, arrival instructions, parking, and practical information for visitors
- esmadrid - information on the Salamanca district and city context for fans travelling to Madrid
- Basketball Sphere - April review of injuries and absences for Hapoel and Real before the end of the regular season