EuroLeague Round 1 preview: can you buy success?
Round 1 of the EuroLeague brings us nine thrilling matchups. To gain a better understanding of what to expect from these games and who to watch, sit back, relax, and delve into OlyBet.TV’s preview of the round!
ALBA Berlin vs Panathinaikos Athens (3 October, 19:45 EET)
ALBA, the worst team in the league last season, remains largely unchanged, so no significant improvement is expected. Over the summer, they lost their captain and leader Johannes Thiemann, and the best backcourt player Sterling Brown. At least Trevion Williams and Will McDowell-White are good replacements, with the former showing potential to play for a much stronger team.
The defending champion, Panathinaikos, was much more active in the market, acquiring several big names. The already strong backcourt was significantly boosted by Lorenzo Brown, the forward department strengthened with NBA recruit Cedi Osman, and Mathias Lessort finally has a solid backup in Ömer Yurtseven, also brought in from across the Atlantic.
ALBA’s season started with a cold shower. They lost 80-97 to Hamburg in the opening round of the German championship but crushed Oldenburg six days later. Panathinaikos continued their eternal battle with Olympiacos in the Greek Supercup, losing 85-86 in the final.
Brown and Osman didn’t play in that match, but both are expected to be in the lineup against ALBA. The German club faces uncertainty regarding key offensive players Matt Thomas and Gabriele Procida.
Since ALBA won only 14.7 percent of its EuroLeague games last season, defeating Panathinaikos would be a miracle!
Zalgiris Kaunas vs Barcelona (3 October, 20:00 EET)
Reports from Lithuania say the locals are very pleased with Zalgiris’ summer dealings, believing they have the best team in years. While Keenan Evans, who rose to stardom in Kaunas, left for Olympiacos, no other key players have left, and the team has added quality and depth.
Barcelona’s summer was even more eventful, with a coaching change — Joan Penarroya replaced Roger Grimau. Unlike last season, no significant player departures occurred, and Kevin Punter, one of the league’s top scorers, was signed.
Despite a strong summer on paper, they lost to Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercup semifinals. Still, they began the league season with a victory, led by new recruit Chimezie Metu, crushing Granada. On the other hand, Zalgiris has won all three games in Lithuania without spending much energy.
Although role players Tomas Dimša and Brady Manek will miss the game due to injuries, Zalgiris is always a formidable opponent at home, having won seven of the last nine EuroLeague games held at Zalgirio Arena. However, Barcelona boasts a record of 31 victories against the Lithuanian giant, more than any other EuroLeague team.
Monaco vs. Milan (3 October, 20:00 EET)
The principality’s representatives haven’t lowered the bar: their goal is to be as successful as possible in the EuroLeague. They spent generously in the summer, signing Greek legend Nick Calathes, bringing in Furkan Korkmaz from the NBA, and adding strength in the paint.
Perhaps the most intriguing name is Vitto Brown. Monaco has struggled with three-point shooting in recent seasons, and it’s been a constant topic that the club needs a stretch four. Brown fits that profile like a glove, having shot over 40% from beyond the arc in the Turkish league for the last two seasons.
Milano also spent heavily in the summer. Nikola Mirotic and Shavon Shields stayed put and will form the core with new additions Josh Nebo, Zach LeDay, and Nenad Dimitrijevic.
They started the season well, defeating fellow EuroLeague team Virtus Bologna in the Italian Supercup final. Yet, they suffered a surprising defeat to Trieste in the first Italian league game, raising concerns about whether it’s the same old story in Milan…
Monaco has yet to use Mike James, who is recovering from back surgery, in the French league and lost their opening game, only to bounce back with a 77-65 victory over Strasbourg. By the way, EuroLeague’s all-time leading scorer, James, is expected to be in the lineup against Milan.
Thus, Monaco is likelier to continue its impressive streak, having won nine of its last ten EuroLeague games at home. But one can’t mention that the only loss came to Milan…
Baskonia vs Partizan Belgrade (3 October, 21:30 EET)
Baskonia lost two key players over the summer, Vanja Marinkovic and Matt Costello. However, the continuation of Chima Moneke, Markus Howard, and Tadas Sedekerskis is more significant. The new additions also spark optimism that under the guidance of EuroLeague legend Pablo Laso, the team will again be a playoff contender.
Partizan replaced almost the entire team, with only third center Balša Koprivica remaining from last season. The changes have worked well, as they have started the Adriatic League with two wins.
Baskonia, however, hasn’t had such luck. In the opening round of the Spanish league, they fell apart in the final quarter against Tenerife and lost, despite solid performances from Moneke and newcomer Timothee Luwawu-Cabarrot.
It’s worth noting that Partizan has won just two of its 15 EuroLeague openers. Nine of the last 11 meetings between the two teams have ended up with the hosts winning, suggesting the numbers favor Baskonia.
Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid (3 October, 21:45 EET)
Laso left Bayern unexpectedly in the summer, but the German club managed to appoint a great head coach in Gordon Herbet. Herbet guided the German national team to EuroBasket bronze and a historic World Cup gold.
Real did not want to make too many changes, but the departures of Frenchmen Vincent Poirier and Guerschon Yabusele and the retirement of Spanish legend Sergio Rodriguez forced their hand. It’s a luxury for rich teams that acquiring good players isn’t a problem when needed.
It’s also clear that Facundo Campazzo has become Real’s most important player. After Rodriguez hung up his sneakers, Campazzo is the undisputed backcourt leader. Although Andres Feliz and Xavier Rathan-Mayes are excellent players, their ability to influence games in the EuroLeague still needs to be seen.
However, we’ve already seen that even ordinary teams can defeat Real. They lost the Spanish Supercup final to one of the country’s top teams, Unicaja Malaga, and in the league opener, they fell by one point to newcomers Leyma Coruna. Bayern’s record in the Bundesliga is two wins and one loss, with their performances far from convincing.
Thus, having won 12 of the last 15 encounters against Bayern, Real is the clear favorite on Thursday.
Maccabi Tel Aviv vs ASVEL Villeurbanne (3 October, 22:00 EET)
Like last season, Maccabi cannot host games in Tel Aviv due to the ongoing war, so they continue to be based in Belgrade, Serbia. Relocating has severely impacted the club’s finances, and many players are reluctant to join Maccabi due to security concerns.
Or even play there. Over the summer, Maccabi lost four of its most important players: Wade Baldwin, Brown, Bonzie Colson, and Nebo. While the new arrivals are alright, Israel’s powerhouse will likely end up in the bottom half of the table this time.
ASVEL, which fiercely battled ALBA last season, worked hard to assemble a team capable of considering the playoffs. Ahead of the season, the French team seems to be on a similar level to last year.
The fact that they have started the French league season with two wins instills optimism. Maccabi has yet to play an official match this season.
Fenerbahce Istanbul vs Olympiacos (4 October, 20:30 EET)
The most anticipated match of the opening round pits two teams with seemingly limitless budgets against each other. Fenerbahce signed Baldwin, Colson, and the giant Boban Marjanovic, while Olympiacos acquired Evan Fournier, who played 12 seasons in the NBA, Aleksandar Vezenkov, and Zalgiris star Evans.
Under Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce has primarily been an offense-oriented team, but their scoring ability will be seriously tested on Friday, as Olympiacos has long been one of the best defensive teams in the EuroLeague.
Olympiacos also enters the EuroLeague season on a high note, having defeated eternal rival Panathinaikos by one point in the Greek Supercup final. On the same day, Fenerbahce lost the Turkish Supercup final by a single point to Anadolu Efes Istanbul.
Olympiacos will be missing key players, such as Evans, who is recovering from a knee injury, and center Nikola Milutinov, who is struggling with an ankle problem. It’s also uncertain whether center Moustapha Fall will play against Fenerbahce.
However, Olympiacos is so well-composed that the absence of three great players won’t be a death blow. But the numbers are against them, as the Greek giant has won only two of its last 14 games in Turkey.
Virtus Bologna vs Anadolu Efes Istanbul (4 October, 22:00 EET)
Virtus brought in EuroLeague legend Will Clyburn and one of the most aggressive backcourt players in Europe, Rayjon Tucker. Although they lost in overtime to Milan in the Italian Supercup final, fans can be optimistic, as Virtus looks slightly stronger on paper than last season.
Two summers ago, Efes leadership mentioned plans to gradually reduce the club’s budget, and while a few years ago, the Turkish powerhouse was packed with great players, that’s no longer the case. However, that doesn’t mean that Efes, who let Clyburn go, is weak, but they no longer instill fear in opponents.
While Efes must focus on stopping Virtus leader Tornike Shengelia, Virtus’ main objective will be to neutralize Efes’ backcourt, where Shane Larkin and Elijah Bryant operate. By the way, Bryant was the best player in that Turkish Supercup win over Fenerbahce.
Paris Basketball vs Crvena Zvezda Belgrade (4 October, 22:00 EET)
The EuroLeague debutant had a painful summer when the highly respected head coach, Tuomas Iisalo, left for the NBA. He’s been replaced by EuroLeague legend Tiago Splitter, who has never been a head coach.
While Iisalo is gone, all the key players remain in Paris. This includes the diminutive guard T.J. Shorts and Nadir Hifi, forming an extremely dangerous backcourt duo. There’s also joy in seeing Daulton Hommes back in the EuroLeague after overcoming his back problems.
Zvezda is, as always, a strong team with talented players and a good coach. Over the summer, they recruited many new names, with the most notable being Codi Miller-McIntyre, who had an incredible debut season with Baskonia in the EuroLeague.
There’s no doubt that the Serbian powerhouse is dangerous to everyone, especially at home, but it also wouldn’t be surprising if they lost several close games again.
Zvezda will need to improve their away performance from last season, where they won only three EuroLeague games. Playing against Paris, the 13th French team participating in Europe’s top-flight competition seems like an excellent opportunity to reverse this trend.
