For the Bayern basketball team, Friday night's home game with Zalgiris Kaunas is the last game of the EuroLeague regular season, but excitement and a fun time are guaranteed. From Munich's point of view, the top priority is get their twelfth win in front of their fans at the Audi Dome, which is once again almost sold out. The guests, who are supported by around 650 registered fans so far, have the chance of making the next playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Lithuania's record champions can qualify for the postseason with a win after rivals Baskonia (at Olympiakos) and Fenerbahce (at Red Star) lost the night before. With a loss, Kaunas has no chance of advancing. After Thursday night's results, a large number of Lithuanians are likely to be on the move towards the Audi Dome today, with tickets almost sold out.
The game tips off at the Audi Dome at 20:30 on Friday evening. On Sunday (18:00.), the next BBL rivalry game will take place against Bamberg. The first U19 playoff quarterfinal of the FCBB youngsters against Bamberg's youngsters (free admission) will be played before the game.
"Want to say thank you to the fans"
"With this game we want to say 'thank you very much! to our incredible fans, because they have given us just great support in a EuroLeague season that has not been easy," said head coach Andrea Trinchieri. "That's why the goal is to really give the best performance possible against a team that is still fighting for the playoffs."
Kaunas is without question a positive surprise of the season as last week they happily survived a dramatic final few minutes against already qualified Maccabi Tel Aviv and celebrated a 68-67 victory. In their home Zalgirio Arena - which is continuously sold out with a good 15,000 spectators and will also host the Final Four in May - the 1999 European Cup winners are a powerhouse: They have a 13-4 home record and are 5-11 on the road this season.
"We leave the EuroLeague with mixed feelings, because our squad is now very competitive for the EuroLeague," says Bayern international Niels Giffey who played last season with Kaunas. "But the squad was just not always fully available because we have really annoying injuries. That's frustrating, of course. Still, for us, Friday is about building confidence and rhythm for the BBL playoffs. We definitely want to win this game."
Return of Winston and Seeley possible
For Bayern, coach Trinchieri can at least hope for a full bench this time, after having to deal with eleven men in the past few weeks. While Rubit (out for the season) and also Hunter (back) and Harris (foot) are unlikely to be available, Winston and/or Seeley - could play at short notice.
Kaunas has compensated for the early season exit of top scorer Keenan Evans (15.9 ppg) with re-signings such as Isaiah Taylor (9 ppg) and Italian international Achille Polonara (5.1/4.5 rpg), but above all through outstanding team play. The two Lithuanian homecomers Ignas Brazdeikis (11.5 ppg/formerly three years NBA) and Edgaras Ulanovas (10.1/Fenerbahce) lead the way in scoring and leadership. Forward Rolands Smits (10.1/4.8 rpg) who transferred from FC Barcelona, is another key player for coach Kazys Maksvvtis.
Bayern made history two years ago with a 71-70 home win over Zalgiris when they became the first German team to qualify for the EuroLeague playoffs (as they did again then in 2022). Kaunas won the first matchup this season 75-67 on gameday 15, and the FCBB currently has a 6-4 lead all-time matchup.
"Great interest in EuroLeague": Around 6,000 fans on average
Despite an unsteady EuroLeague season, FC Bayern Basketball has recorded an outstanding attendance: An average of 5,950 fans came to the Olympiahalle am Westpark for the 16 home games so far, which was around 91% of capacity. By comparison, in the last pre-Corona season 2018/2019, there were around 5,500 spectators which was around 85%. Eleven of the 16 games so far have been completely or nearly sold out.
"There is a lot of interest in this city in the EuroLeague - which has increased," FCBB general manager Marko Pesic commented on the numbers, "so of course it's a shame that we couldn't quite repay it with results. But if you want to get into the playoffs, like we did in the past two years, everything has to go perfectly and you also have to be lucky. Neither was the case this time."
