In the opening match of the seventh round of the Euroleague regular season, German Alba will host Turkish Anadolu Efes on their home ground in Berlin.
"Alba"
Israel Gonzalez's team, as expected, played far from the best match in the Euroleague yesterday and as a result lost for the third match in a row. Alba hosted the French Paris on their home ground in Berlin and was defeated by a score due to an unstable game 83:92 (26:16; 18:21; 19:28; 20:27). In this meeting, three basketball players performed well in the Alba squad. German forward Tim Schneider scored 18 points and made two rebounds. Forward from the USA Justin Bean, in turn, scored 16 points, made 14 rebounds and completed three assists. Another German forward Louis Olinde, in turn, scored 15 points, additionally he made two rebounds and completed one assist.
Anadolu Ephesus
Tomislav Mijatovic's team also showed far from their best basketball yesterday. Anadolu Efes hosted Spanish FC Barcelona at their home ground in Istanbul. There was basically an equal fight between the teams, but due to a disastrous third quarter, the Turkish club eventually suffered a defeat with a score 88:97 (26:29; 25:26; 15:21; 22:21). In this meeting, the defender from the USA, Darius Thompson, showed himself well as a member of Anadolu Efes, he scored 16 points, made three rebounds and completed six assists.
Anadolu Efes and Alba last played against each other on September 12 in a friendly match. Then the Turkish club won a landslide victory with the score 79:64 (24:15; 11:20; 25:14; 19:15).
Forecast
In this match, Anadolu Efes, of course, even on the road, is considered by bookmakers to be an extremely clear favorite. The Turkish club has a much stronger squad and after the defeat in Istanbul, it will certainly want to win back against a weaker opponent.