Big Challenge: Bayern in Monaco

Mild 15 degrees outside, but the opponent is hot: On Sunday evening, Bayern’s basketball team traveled from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean. Their fifth EuroLeague double-week kicks off against AS Monaco; Friday will already mark the end of the first leg of the regular season in Milan, currently the hottest team in the EuroLeague with six consecutive wins.

Monaco recently made a somewhat surprising coaching change, replacing Sasa Obradovic with Vassilis Spanoulis. The Greek guard legend celebrated arguably the most remarkable win of recent EuroLeague weeks last week with a 99-69 blowout against Fenerbahce Istanbul—on the road, in front of more than 11,000 stunned Turkish fans.

James & Co. Dominate at Fener

While Bayern battled their way to a 98-93 victory against Tel Aviv, two teams with identical records will face off on Tuesday evening at 7 PM (MagentaSport) in the tight Salle Gaston Médecin, located below the Stade Louis II, with an official capacity of 5,000 fans. Both Bayern—so far the surprise team of the season behind league leader Paris (12-3)—and Monaco, one of the favorites to win the EuroLeague crown, are tied at 10-5 two games before the end of the first leg of the season.

Just as Munich secured a mandatory 80-70 win in Rostock on Sunday, Monaco also claimed a league victory, beating second-to-last Le Portel 78-56 on Saturday. Thanks to Paris Basket’s 76-84 loss in Le Mans the following day, Monaco (8-4) and Villeurbanne are now closing in on the capital club (both at 9-3). Currently, Cholet leads the French Pro A standings (9-2).

This sets the stage against the athletic team built around EuroLeague’s all-time top scorer, Mike James (4,830 points), now guided by the second-highest scorer in history (4,455 points), Spanoulis. The 42-year-old EuroLeague champion of 2009, 2012, and 2013 has been the Greek national coach since 2023. At the club level, he spent the past two years with Peristeri Athens (in his first season alongside Sylvain Francisco), adjusting to his new role off the court.

Spanoulis: A Legend at the Line

"I think only a few small details have changed at Monaco so far," says FCBB coach Gordon Herbert, who spent Sunday evening on the plane studying two of the hosts' matches on video. "A bit more ball movement, and James is passing a bit more." What does it take to succeed on the road against top-level teams like Monaco and Milan? "We need to play a bit differently on the road than at home, especially defending better and controlling the tempo on offense. But Monaco just won by 30 points at Fener—this is a team playing at the highest level."

Much still revolves around James (13.8 PPG, 5.4 APG) for the second-place team, but his backcourt mates Jordon Loyd (12.9) and Elie Okobo (12.8) complement what is arguably the strongest backcourt in the competition. Meanwhile, the all-time assist leader in the EuroLeague, Nick Calathes, has yet to play due to injury. Forward Alpha Diallo (10.5) is also currently sidelined.

The Next Games of FCBB

• Tuesday, December 17, 7 PM: 16th EuroLeague game day, AS Monaco – FCBB

• Friday, December 20, 9 PM: 17th EuroLeague game day, Olimpia Armani Milan – FCBB

• Sunday, December 22, 4:30 PM: 11th easyCredit BBL game day, FCBB – EWE Baskets Oldenburg (BMW Park)

• Friday, December 27, 8:30 PM: 18th game day: FCBB – Panathinaikos Athens (SAP Garden)