Bayern to play top game in the EuroLeague against Valencia and Derrick Williams

The eighth game day in the EuroLeague season is coming up on Friday evening (13.11., 20:30) in the Munich Audi Dome. While FC Barcelona as the leader of the standings receives the fifth-place Fenerbahce, third-place Bayern sets to place fourth-place Valencia. This game is an unexpected top game in the top class after almost a quarter of the season has been played. After the best start in the club's history, FC Bayern Basketball is 5-2 and Valencia Basketball is 4-2.

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For the FCBB, the showdown in the Audi Dome is also the start of a familiarly murderous schedule: After Friday's tasks they beging again on Sunday in Frankfurt (BBL), then on Tuesday at Efes Istanbul, on Thursday against CSKA Moscow and again on Sunday the Final 10 revenge game against Ludwigsburg - five games in just under ten days. This is good news for the MagentaSport audience as the channel will be showing all the Bayern games live as usual.

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In view of Valencia's personnel efforts in the summer, the good start for the Spanish is not surprising. The financier of the still reigning EuroCup champion, one of the wealthiest businessmen in the country, made it possible to bring in high-quality players despite Corona. Former Bayern forward Derrick Williams even left favorites Fenerbahce, as did Istanbul's long-time Serbian winger Nikola Kalinic, currently the second-best scorer on the team (11.3 ppg) behind Center Bojan Dubljevic (12.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg). Former Real-Guard Klemen Prepelic (8.8 ppg) joined from Badelona while the Icelander Martin Hermannsson left Berlin for a three-year contract. In addition to Dubljevic, the remaining core stayed intact.

"For me they are the best spacing team in the EuroLeague", Bayern's head coach Andrea Trinchieri judged the opponent. "And with them, really all five can shoot from the field, that's very rare - I think even Valencia's fitness coach is a shooter," he adds about the guest, whose two-point shooting of 58.3 percent is the third best in the EuroLeague. "This will be very difficult for our defense."

FCBB co-captain Vladimir Lucic played for Valencia for three years from 2013 to 2016 and won the EuroCup there. "This team has a lot of experience at the highest level," the Serb knows. "They've been together for years, brought in some Final Four players in the summer and also Derrick with his great individual quality. Their great strength is that they play as a team. So what can one say: It will be tough."

Last week Valencia beat the quiet favorite from Milan 86-81, top scorer in the duel with Sergio Rodriguez & Co. was the experienced Belgian playmaker Sam van Rossom who had 21 points. This game was decided at the guard positions, because Valencia has the fewest turnovers in the league with eleven per game (FCBB: 12.7) and is third in steals (7.6 FCBB: 5.8).

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