Will the streak continue? Bayern's basketball team is undefeated in five competitive games, which has put them in a very respectable position in both the national competition (5:1) and the EuroLeague (5:4), given the difficult circumstances at the start of the season. To confirm the trend, another brilliant team performance will be needed on Wednesday evening, as the mighty FC Barcelona comes to the SAP Garden (8:30 p.m.) to kick off the next triple week. The Catalans made a change on the coaching bench over the weekend. The duel with them is the last EuroLeague home game until Christmas Eve (December 23 against Hapoel).
A grueling schedule until Sunday
The second part of the week will take place in Antalya on the Turkish Mediterranean coast for the first time, where Efes Istanbul has moved its home game on Friday evening (6 p.m.) for marketing reasons. The most important part will then follow on Sunday evening against BBL surprise team Trier, when Efes will face the local gladiators at 6 p.m. for a place in the Cup Top Four (mid-February).
Having the complete schedule in view is likely to be a minor consideration for head coach Gordon Herbert and his staff on Wednesday. Barça currently needs every win, as evidenced by the dismissal of coach Joan Peñarroya following the surprisingly clear 78:96 defeat in Girona. In Munich, long-time assistant Oscar Orellana will coach the star ensemble.
Change of coach at Barcelona
While the declared title contender in the ACB has only won two of its six games, Barcelona has a positive record in the EuroLeague with 5 wins and 4 losses. Most recently, they lost the derby against Real at home 92-101, but before that they won at Partizan (78-76) and against Milan (74-72). The fact that Barça was and is considered a Final Four team is due to its select squad, which was further strengthened in the summer with the addition of some big names: former Final MVP Will Clyburn (14.4 ppg, 44.2% from three-point range) is approaching his top form again, as is the second top player signed, Tornike Shengelia (13.9 ppg). Both came from Bologna.
Playmaker Nicolas Laprovittola (10.3, 4.0 assists per game) is back after injury. In any case, the squad is apparently fully available, including other big names such as Kevin Punter (12.8), Jan Vesely (9.7), Tomas Satoransky (7.8, 4.4 assists per game) and Willy Hernangomez (6.3).
The best starting five with Clyburn and Shengelia
“Barcelona has a very talented team,” says Coach Herbert ahead of the clash with the visitors, who are level on points. “As in recent games, we need a complete team performance on both sides of the court. Having the right presence in the zone will play a key role.” With 41.1 percent, Barcelona also has the second-best three-point shooting percentage behind Kaunas.
“Barcelona has a great roster, even if the season hasn't gone perfectly for them so far. After the change of coach, they will be particularly motivated and they have the starting five that scores the most points,” says Bayern center Johannes Voigtmann. “Especially in a home game, it will be important for us to bring a lot of energy and defend well so that we can play fast. With our fans behind us, we want to get the next win.”