By Stefan Djordjevic / info@eurohoops.net
While the opening week of action featured only half of the planned games, the upcoming one will have almost all of the scheduled matchups played out, if everything stays in the status quo before the tip-offs.
The only exception will be the clash between Hereda San Pablo Burgos and Happy Casa Brindisi which was postponed due to the Spaniards registering a number of COVID-19 positives within the squad.
Darussafaka, Limoges, Bilbao, Fortitudo Bologna, Rytas, and Igokea will all see some action this week and it will be their debuts in the competition.
While last week didn’t go very well for the newcomers and returnees, expect some different outcomes this time around.
None of the newcomers will play against each other, so, every one of them will have to get past the names already familiar with the competition in order to start the new chapter strong. Perhaps the highest expectations are put on the shoulder of Rytas’ bunch which brought in some big names and has been on fire so far in the Lithuanian League.
The seventh clash, however, will feature two explosive squads that are automatically considered title-contenders and are expected to go a long way this season – Turk Telekom and Hapoel Jerusalem.
The ‘Ankara Rockets’ trio in Sam Dekker, Kyle Wiltjer, and Tyler Ennis has already established itself as the main driving force for the Turkish club which started off with a 4-1 record in the domestic league.
They will host a Hapoel squad that went through some roster changes and will probably need some time to put all the puzzle pieces in place, with coach Oded Kattash on the helm. So far, they’ve played two games this season and won both in BIBL.
Both teams participated in the Final Eight in Athens recently, and both teams lost the opening games. And both teams will look to start the new BCL campaign with a win.
Four games will be played on Tuesday while three will follow on Wednesday.
Group E
Rytas Vilnius – Peristeri (October 27, 18:30 CET)
VEF Riga – SIG Strasbourg (October 28, 18:00 CET)
Group F
RETAbet Bilbao – Pinar Karsiyaka (October 27, 20:30 CET)
Fortitudo Bologna – Brose Bamberg (October 27, 20:30 CET)
Group G
Turk Telekom – Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (October 27, 18:30 CET)
Limoges CSP – Igokea (October 28, 20:30 CET)
Group H
Darussafaka Tekfen – Filou Oostende (October 28, 18:00 CET)
Hereda San Pablo Burgos – Happy Casa Brindisi (postponed)
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League