By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce are the big favorites to prevail easily against Zalgiris, while the games Maccabi – Galatasaray and Bamberg – Panathinaikos are awaited with particular interest thanks to/ because of the debut(s) of Hadar and Pascual on their new benches.
Crvena Zvezda – Barcelona
Crvena Zvezda returns to the Kombank Arena in high spirits after their win over Galatasaray in Istanbul. The Serbs are going to be reinforced with the guard Wolters and they are definitely going to be competitive against Barcelona, who are struggling with several injury problems. Theoretically, the Catalans are favorites according to the betting companies. However, the injury problems are many and Zvezda can fight for the game and lose by up to 4,5 points (@Sportingbet 1,73).
Fenerbahce – Zalgiris
The pair that seems to have the greatest difference in strength on the third game day is the one of Fenerbahce and Zalgiris. The Turks are very strong at home and are not expected to face any great difficulties against the competitive but lower-level Lithuanians. Based on the rosters and their quality, Fenerbahce can beat Zalgiris by a margin greater than 10,5 (@Stoiximan 1,80) points as they do not have the depth in their roster to hold up.
Bamberg do not have the name but they have one of the strongest home courts in the EuroLeague. The German team plays controlled and disciplined basketball, with emphasis on controlling the pace and limiting the number of possessions. Panathinaikos are going to play under theinstructions of Xavi Pascual for the first time and so it will be very interesting to see how they’re going to line up. Bamberg have a slight advantage according to the betting companies and the score limit is low (154,5 points).
Maccabi Tel Aviv – Galatasaray
Two teams that have started out with the goal of advancing to the top eight are going head-to-head on the third game day to try to celebrate their first win. Maccabi will not have Edelstein on their bench anymore, but his – until recently – assistant, Hadar. So there is a question mark as to the changes they’re going to have in their game. Galatasaray do not have changes on their bench but they also haven’t had the best of starts. They’ve only won two of their official games. The Israelis are the favorites, but it might be better to go with the Over in a game between two teams that are not known for their defense. The limit is high (166,5 points @bet365 1,80), but the two teams are probably going to score more points.
Eurohoops’ tips
Crvena Zvezda (+4,5)-Barcelona 1
Fenerbahce-Zalgiris (+10,5) 1
Maccabi-Galatasaray Over 166,5