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Banchi: This is like play-off for us

The attitude at Bayern is not much different. The Munich-based team managed to come up with a proper response following two consecutive defeats to first beat Panathinaikos in Euroleague and then Bremerhaven in Bundesliga

Two consecutive defeats forced Bayern to focus and respond, which they did perfectly to beat Panathinaikos home in a Euroleague game and then Bremerhaven in a Bundesliga meeting. The Bavarians proved they're not your average German team when they're completely focused. The first quarter with Bremerhaven was not brilliant, but what followed was - Bayern conceded a total of only 44 points in the other three quarters, while at the same time scoring 82. 

John Bryant did very well in the center position, having scored 16 points (+7 rebounds). Young point guard Micic had a brilliant performance to score 16 points in only 19 minutes in the game. None of the 13 points Dusko Savanovic recorded were three pointers following a great performance on his part in the Panathinaikos game. The big points-difference they created allowed coach Pesic to rest his key players in the second part. The fact Bayern forced the opponent into 24 turnovers and had 11 assists more is particularly impressive.

The great win over Bremerhaven was, as expected, long forgotten about, with everyone thinking about Milano only. 

- They have great coaches, play team basketball and know how to find the right balance between offense and defense. We need to stop their offensive rebounding and find our rhythm in offense from the start. I expect a truly tough game - Pesic said, and Savanovic, who set his record of 22 points in Euroleague against Milano last season, said:

- Milano are a great team, even though they still didn't reach their full potential. They'll be getting better each next game and we're lucky to be meeting them this early and home.

Bayern still can't count on injured Paul Zipster and Bryce Taylor.

The visitors keep on dominating the Italian league, extending their winning streak to 22 games (last season included).  They first met Cremona and Trento and then faced a first proper challenge - the well-experienced and improved Venezia. The fans at Mediolanum Forum were happy to have witnessed their team dominating from start till end of that game. Venezia scored for the 0-2 lead in the opening, but Milano soon took over to get 11 points up by half time. The final score was 80-71 after Milano released the grip on Venezia in the final moments of the game.

Since Brooks needs some time to adjust, the coach is giving the defense specialist Moss more time on the court. Moss is very keen to react prematurely when Milano attack and, with as many turnovers as they record, clearly isn't doing things the right way. Samardo Samuels has so far been Milano's top player, scoring 17 points and adding 7 rebounds in the last game. Kleiza scored 13 and Gentile 12, even though he still isn't at his best level.

While no one seems to be able to stop Milano's championship run, they're can't get on a successful Euroleague record (0-2). They didn't stand a chance as they met Barcelona last round home. It was a superior performance by the Catalans, who managed to get 18 points up by half time on account of excellent three-point efficiency. Defense was the only segment of the Italian team that worked properly, managing to limit Barcelona under 80 points despite their brilliant three-point percentage.

Banchi himself admits the game today is extremely important:

- The game in Munich will be tough, especially because we meet such a good team. They have been doing brilliantly the first two games and they will want to keep it up. This is like a play-off for us. A win would be such a great help in our bid to get through to Top 16.

Hackett, who did brilliantly against Barcelona, will be back after missing the championship game. Samuels will have to keep on playing great and Kleiza bring his performance one level up. Shawn James' recovery is going well as he spends increasingly more time on the court. His presence will be extremely important in defense and offensive rebounding. The fact is, the whole team need to improve their performance because they're still nowhere near last season's level. Samuel is well aware of it:

- We need to improve if we want to win. Staying focused and working hard throughout the game is very important - only then will we be able to win.

The difference between these two very ambitious teams is nowhere close enough to justify the odds set at this game. I really don't know what Bayern did this year to deserve the odds at around 1.60. They had three important games so far, having lost to Alba and Barcelona and beat Panathinaikos home (the game with PAO could have easily ended differently). I think Bayern are not as good this season as they were last year with Delaney, Thompson and Taylor, and Savovic. Gavel and Micic are not as good as Hackett and Ragland, Bayern's front court is not better than Milano's, and neither are their forwards. Milano are on a 0-2 record and this game is, as coach Bianchi said, like play off for them, especially since they meet Panathinaikos in Athens next week. They played a close game with Fenerbahce in Istanbul, and then didn't stand a chance against Barcelona, who scored 7 out of 8 three point shots. I expect Milano to respond today and I think they can win. The handicap should be a sure thing for the close finish because I don't think Bayern can win this convincingly.