The first results for the Bayern basketball team in the EuroLeague (2-2) and 5-0 in the BBL. The German champion defied the losses in the lineup of Leon Radosevic and Derrick Williams, who both took a sick break, in Bremen at the Eisbären Bremerhaven (89-72). Both frontcourt players were back at practice on Tuesday morning. This is good news for coach Dejan Radonjic in view of the most difficult task the EuroLeague has to offer: For game five of the top basketball league in Europe on Thursday evening (1.11., 18:45) Bayern will play on the road at the 2017 EuroLeague Champion, Fenerbahce Istanbul.
In the EuroLeague, the Bavarians will actually play two teams from Istanbul in a week. The guest appearance with the Turkish champion Fenerbahce, which will again be broadcast live by Telekom Sport (including "Entertain TV") and FC Bayern TV, will be followed in a week's time (Thu., 8.11., 20:00) against the reigning EuroCup champs, Darussafaka in the Audi Dome. FCBB will compete in the BBL this Sunday (18:00) at Crailsheim.
Fenerbahce Istanbul is once again one of the favorites of the EuroLeague this season. Since 2013, the Turkish champions of the past three years have been led by coaching legend Zeljko Obradovic, who has won the highest club competition nine times as coach including in 2017 with "Fener". The Serbian coach has won a total of 41 trophies, including eleven Greek championships with Panathinaikos Athens.
"He is certainly the best and most successful European coach of all time," Radonjic paid his colleague great respect. "Fenerbahce has reached the Final Four every time in the last four years and won once. So this game is a big challenge. We have to achieve our best possible level of energy, but recently we proved against Baskonia Vítoria that we can. Fenerbahce is a strong team with some very good new players. I hope we'll have all our players healthy."
The financially strong basketball department of Fenerbahce SK from the Asian district of Kadiköy has largely kept its successful team together. Center Jan Vesely is still playing at center and the 7ft tall Czech so far has averaged 16.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Also the Greek Kostas Sloukas (13 ppg) is in top form. The new US-Guard Tyler Ennis was severely injured and the team reacted immediately with the acquisition of another American, Erick Green (among others Valencia, Olympiakos, Denver, Utah).
Fenerbahce should be highly motivated in front of the 13,500 fans of the Ülker Sports Event Hall. So far they are the only undefeated Turkish team 4-0 and 3-1 in the EuroLeague. An 89-83 loss to city rival Efes Anadolu came rather unexpectedly after their 3-0 start. .
"We have to play with a lot of energy and intensity and can't concentrate on a top player like Vesely alone," says FCBB-Center Devin Booker before heading for Turkey. "It's about having 40 minutes of focus, as a team, all together, especially rebounding, as we recently did against Vítoria.
Home tickets against Real Madrid now on sale as well
In the coming weeks, the Audi Dome will have some huge games: In November, three high-calibre EuroLeague home games are scheduled with duels against Darussafaka Istanbul as well as the title contenders ZSKA Moscow (16.11.) and Olympiakos Piraeus (20.11.). These top games can also be booked via the "FCBB 5er-Karte". In December a German Cup matchup against Alba Berlin (23.12.), the "Christmas derby" against Würzburg (26.12.) and the third edition of "Music Meets Basketball" (28.12.)