The tip-off for the third round of the EuroLeague is here. In addition to the crucial matchup between Olympiacos and Virtus in Bologna (9:30 p.m.), the day’s schedule includes three more exciting games.
The first game on the schedule is between Hapoel Tel Aviv and Real Madrid (7:00 p.m.) in Sofia, Bulgaria. The Israelis started their campaign with an unexpected loss, falling at home to Bayern, but in the previous round, they secured a crucial 81-80 victory on the road against Red Star. Itoudis’s team is expected to have several players out against the “Queen,” as in addition to the well-known absences of Ennis, Blatt, and Heidinger, the availability of Burdillon, Palatin, Segev, and Zif is in doubt.
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On the other hand, Real Madrid has not gotten off to a good start at all, having suffered two losses in as many games, and despite the optimism at the start of the season, the team is still searching for its first win. They began with a narrow road loss to Dubai BC, followed by a defeat at the hands of Anadolu Efes in Istanbul. For Martinez’s team, Garuba remains sidelined, while Shar, Prosinda, Yul, and Sulga are listed as questionable.
A little later, at 9:00 p.m., Red Star will host Anadolu Efes in Belgrade, with the Serbs seeking their first EuroLeague win after suffering two losses to Zalgiris and Hapoel. Navarro will be without Baldwin, while Simianovski, Bikić, and Bjelic remain questionable.
Facing them is Efes, which, although it got off to a rough start by losing to Barcelona in the opening game, went on to defeat Real Madrid with a strong performance and is arriving in Belgrade in high spirits. Cortinier and Papagiannis have been left out of the roster, while several players remain questionable.
The final matchup of the day (9:45 p.m.) is between Paris and Zalgiris in Paris. The Parisians have shown in their first two games that they’ll be treading water again this season, since, in addition to the expected road loss to Panathinaikos in the EuroLeague opener, they suffered another defeat, this time at home, against Partizan. The favorites in this matchup are the Lithuanians, who have one win against Red Star and one loss so far. In their most recent game, although they fought until the very end, they ultimately fell to Olympiacos, and fatigue is an issue they will need to address.
Here is the full schedule for Matchday 3:
Thursday, October 1
7:00 p.m. Hapoel Tel Aviv – Real Madrid
9:00 p.m. Red Star – Anadolu Efes
9:30 p.m. Virtus Bologna – Olympiacos
9:45 p.m. Paris – Žalgiris Kaunas.
Friday, October 2
8:00 p.m. Besiktas – Barcelona
8:45 p.m. Fenerbahce – Dubai
9:00 p.m. Villeurbanne – Valencia
9:00 p.m. Bayern Munich – Partizan
9:15 p.m. Panathinaikos – Maccabi Tel Aviv
9:30 p.m. Baskonia – Armani Milan.
*Photo source: KYPE
