CSKA had an easy night at home against Zalgiris last Wednesday. They beat them 83-73 easily and they kept their first place in the standings. Mike James had another great night with 21 points. Nikola Milotinov dominated the glass having another double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Toko Shengelia with 18 points alongside Darrun Hilliard 17 points and Johannes Voigtmann with 11, all contributed to their team's easy home win.

CSKA will host Barcelona tonight in a game that all fans are expecting to be the title game in this season's Euroleague. The Russian side is the ultimate favorite for tonight's clash, as long as they keep on shooting as they do in their last games and control the glass with their top-class front line. Besides Mike James, Nikola Milotinov, and Toko Sengelia will have to perform extremely well for yet another night. 

Barcelona also had an easy night against Khimki last Wednesday. The Spanish side prevailed the hosts 75-87. After the first quarter, Barca dominated the game and they were lucky to see Cory Higgins and Kyle Kuric step up for the absent Nikola Mirotic. They both scored 18 points and with the help of Nick Calathes (he scored 8 points and dished 15 assists) were the men that led Barcelona to another away win. 

The Catalans stayed in Moscow and tonight they are facing a much more difficult task against CSKA. Nicola Mirotic will not play for another game, but his absence will be more obvious tonight. The Russian side has a quality front line and they will try to control the glass and take the game. Barcelona will need more players to step up to cover the Mirotic void in scoring. And of course from Nick Kalathes to try and control Mike James.

The overall record in Euroleague since 2000, is CSKA Moscow v Barcelona 16-11.

Let's take a look at main and special odds markets offered at bet365 website :

• FullTime Result : 1.47 (CSKA Moscow) - 2.75 (Barcelona)
• Over/Under 156.5 points : 1.90 (Over) - 1.90 (Under)
• Race to 20 points: 1.62 (CSKA Moscow) - 2.20 (Barcelona)

*bet365 odds are correct at time of publishing (15/01, 15:00 CET) and are subject to change | 18+, T&Cs Apply, BeGambleAware.org

Day by day Mike James proves that he is at the top of his form and one of the Euroleague's ultimate heroes. It is not just his 20.6 points, 6.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per game that make him so essential for his team. It is his impact on CSKA's game. He will have to lead his teammates to win for another night. Nick Kalathes might have a different opinion though. Since he joined Barcelona he offers his team 7.9 points and 7.6 assists per game and is the one that dictates the pace for the Catalans. Two great players will try to dominate the game for their team tonight.