Seven reasons to approach the Clásico with optimism: ARA's Instant Replay

BarcelonaTwo days before the Clásico against Real Madrid, Xavi Pascual's Barça were boosted by a 100-80 victory over Casademont Zaragoza. Despite the absences of Will Clyburn, Jan Vesely, and Juan Núñez, the Blaugrana proved too strong at the Palau Blaugrana, securing their seventh consecutive ACB win. Xavi Pascual welcomed back Toko Shengelia. The game was stopped for several minutes due to a malfunctioning buzzer.

Martinas Geben, the visiting hero at the Nou Congost

Bàsquet Girona won the Catalan derby at Nou Congost against Baxi Manresa (95-97). The game, which pitted two of the most attractive teams against each other, was decided in the final play. Martinas Geben grabbed an offensive rebound and scored the game-winning basket at the buzzer. The center finished with 28 points and 9 rebounds to secure his team's first away victory.

Hiopos Lleida isn't left out.

Hiopos Lleida secured a crucial victory against MoraBanc Andorra (79-87), a direct rival in the fight to avoid relegation. Despite their evident improvement, the Andorran team couldn't prevent their opponent's 53 points in the second half. Xavier Castañeda made his debut, scoring 14 points against the team that had released him. Lleida snapped a six-game losing streak. James Batemon, who scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, was decisive.

Four finals for the Cup

After losing to Unicaja on Tuesday (105-83), Joventut faces another demanding match this Saturday, hosting La Laguna Tenerife. "There are four games left in the Cup, and two are at home. The most important is the next one, against Tenerife, because they're in the group of teams we're close to and in the area where we want to be," warns Dani Miret. The Joventut coach still doesn't know if Ricky Rubio will be available.