Now would be a great time to take a day off and then get up and refocus. But that is not what's ahead for Bayern Munich Basketball. After two tough losses last weekend, including a cup exit in Chemnitz, the Munich team will play its third and fourth games in just one week - the third of seven Double Weeks in the EuroLeague. Thankfully it is in the Audi Dome, which will play two difficult games in 72 hours: On Tuesday, Fenerbahce Istanbul will be the guests and on Thursday the Greek champion Panathinaikos Athens visits Munich (both at 20:30).
With the game against Fenerbahce, the 2G rule (vaccinated or recovered, digital proof) applies for access to the Audi Dome - plus an FFP2 mask requirement, which was additionally decreed by the state government as a sensible protective measure for events. The FFP2 mask requirement applies from the age of 16. Children from six up to and including 15 years of age can wear a medical mask.
In view of the necessary admission controls, we urgently request that you arrive in good time.
"Want to further develop our identity"
"We are certainly in a difficult phase. But every game is a good opportunity to get back on track as a group," coach Trinchieri said Monday. "We know that Fenerbahce has a team with a lot of quality and that we have some minor problems to solve ourselves. But we will regroup and do everything we can to get back to our identity in this game and make it well visible."
Bayern arrived back in Munich late Sunday after midnight, leaving Trinchieri just one training session on Monday to prepare for the always intense clash with the Turkish powerhouse, who are level on points (three wins apiece after nine games). While the hosts are obviously still feeling the effects of their unusual start to the season with injuries and Corona cases (Radosevic, Sisko and Zipser are still missing), Fener has struggled with narrow defeats (five with six points difference or less) and then most recently with the overly clear 68-43 home loss against Milan. However, the last away game at ZSKA Moscow was won 91-82.
In the domestic BSL, the EuroLeague winner of 2017 is the leader after eight gamedays (7:1). On Sunday, they were able to rest three key players Jan Vesely, Marko Guduric and Nando de Colo in the 85-77 win over Merkezefendi.
Center, Vesely (12.4 ppg) and French guard de Colo (10.7 ppg, 3.7 apg) is the leading scorer for the guests, followed by a good acquaintance: Center Devin Booker (8.4 ppg) who was in a Bayern jersey from 2016 to 2019 and participated in two championships.
Notable additions Henry and Polonara
Playmaker alongside de Colos is his compatriot Pierria Henry (6.8 ppg; 3.7 apg), who along with forward Achille Polonara was the top performer at Baskonia last season - the Italian (6.5 ppg) also moved to Fener. US forward Dyshawn Pierre (6.4 ppg) is one of the very few players transferred under new coach Sasa Djordjevic.
The former FCBB coach (2016 to March 2018) comes to Munich without Danilo Barthel, the captain of Munich's 2019 championship team due to a knee injury. National player Ismet Akpinar, in the Bayern jersey at the 2020 Bubble Tournament at the Audi Dome and transferred from league rivals Bahcesehir, is mainly used in the Turkish league.