Barcelona - Anadolu Efes

The Baskonia team at home is always very dangerous, and in this season their renewed team can win against anyone. The arrival of the Euroleague champions has already shown in the Super Cup that they can play very efficiently and will be able to adapt to the Baskonia style of play, which is known for its high scoring. The betting line appears to be tight, as in the past season and this season, the games between these teams have often been close. Both teams have a lot of talent in their offense and their style of play makes us expect a lot of points.

I do not agree that Barca is the favorite here, but I will take the safer option that Barca will win the game with a buzzer shot. I look at Barca's roster and I see a complete disaster... Questioning how good Robinson is, a headless Punter, a very poor front line... Meanwhile, looking at Efes, I see a lot of potential not only to win here, but also to return to the Top 8. James, Loyd, Saric, PJ Dozier, K. Jones, Malcolm - all proven in Euroleague + very solid newcomers Russell with an amazing season at Cluj club 16.2ppg, Yusta with a great season for Zaragoza 15.7ppg, and of course coach Laso who knows how to peel Barca like an orange. Of course, we should not forget to mention Barca's coach Sekulic, who in my opinion is not at the Euroleague level.

After a very successful season, Anadolu from Peru has once again updated their team. M.James and Strazelis joined the team as defenders. Dario Šarič, who was brought over from the NBA, looks very strong in the preliminary games. The center line-up has also changed a bit, and Cordinier and Dozier will provide stability. Barcelona seems to have weakened a bit with the departure of Shengelia and Clyburn, and they have invited Nebo, who had a shaky start, but the team was originally under the project of Pascual, who has not yet made his debut, so the project for Barca seems to be about nothing, in my opinion.

Despite James' GTD, Fenerbahce has an experienced and deep roster, with Russell's potential being high. If Maikis is replaced, it is proven in the preseason. Laso has various weapons, even with existing injuries, and against Barca, Madrid has extra motivation. Barca's lineup is comedic, with not much quality added, and only Eurocup-level material brought in, with a coach signed in out of desperation. I do not believe in this mess.

Even Parker himself cannot save ASVEL season with difficult offseason plans and a weak team composition. France is once again predicted to be a lower-ranked team in the standings. Their poor performance in the French Super Cup, even at home, does not give much hope for this club. Maccabi has a solid roster and plays fast and efficient basketball, which may not be favorable for ASVEL. On paper, Maccabi looks much stronger and is expected to have a successful start to the season.

The ASVEL team seems like nothing, even though they were supposed to form a super team, it turned out to be a mess, and the game was also poor, as they recently lost another season to the second division team Roannes in the France Cup. Maccabi has a decent lineup and should again be the team that can compete against stronger teams. They won against Aris, who beat Zvezda twice, and fought neck to neck with Oly.