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31/10/2017
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EuroLeague Women Week 4 killer questions

MUNICH (EuroLeague Women) - We take a look at some of the killer questions heading into Week 4 of EuroLeague Women action.

We start with our game of the week between Perfumerias Avenida and Yakin Dogu Universitesi - one of eight matchups on Wednesday that you can watch live and for free, via the FIBA YouTube channel. You can also follow Wednesday's game day via our Live Updates.

Perfumerias Avenida vs Yakin Dogu Universitesi

Will Avenida add another juggernaut's scalp to their list in front of a big and noisy home crowd in Salamanca? Can the highly-rated Avenida defense which has annihilated opposing offenses show its teeth against a free-scoring Yakin Dogu outfit? Travelling to Pabellon Wurzburg is a big test for everybody and so how will the visitors react and also in the wake of their first ever EuroLeague Women loss? Will the frontcourt battle be key and can Avenida's Angelica Robinson do the business against her old club? Who will come out on top in the battle of two great veterans in Erika Souza and Ann Wauters? Will Silvia Dominguez use her experience and know-how to stifle the blistering form of Yakin Dogu guard, Courtney Vandersloot?

UMMC Ekaterinburg vs Fenerbahce

One of the biggest games of the week, this is a big challenge for Fenerbahce, and will they be able to confirm they are still a heavyweight and title contender? Both teams showed a much improved face during Week 3 after an equally disappointing Week 2, so which club will continue in this vein? Brittney Griner shone brightly last week, so Fenerbahce will want to come out with a plan to stop her and will Kia Vaughn be able to do it? Do Fenerbahce have someone who can slow down Alba Torrens on the wing? Who will the main guard matchup be between, with Nika Baric facing Birsel Vardarli Demirmen or Pelin Biglic? Can Ana Dabovic, who used to play on Russian soil, light it up for Fenerbahce and outshine Diana Taurasi in the scoring stakes?

Dynamo Kursk vs ZVVZ USK Prague

Sonja Petrovic is up against her former team and as Alena Hanusova knows her ex-colleague by heart, can that be a factor to stifle her – or will it be DeWanna Bonner as she heads back to Russia where she was a major star? Will Bonner be able to play longer this week, since Prague will need every extra minute she spends on the floor to help stop Kursk's offense, which ranks as the best in the competition? Who will prevail in the matchup of the two best passing teams and especially in the all-Spanish guard duel between Anna Cruz and both Marta Xargay and Leticia Romero? Prague are a team still undergoing some reconstruction and so will know better where they stand after this first major test in terms of Final Four potential?

CCC Polkowice vs Tango Bourges Basket

Is an alarm waiting to be heard for the loser of this one as Polkowice would be 0-4, with Bourges a potential 1-3? Can Polkowice avoid a loss of concentration and play for the full 40 minutes? The hosts have lost three times, but all by narrow margins, so can they take the next step to finally push a positive trigger and get their opening win? Can Bourges improve on some worrying statistics such as being the worst rebounding team, the worst free-throw shooting side and with one of the highest number of turnovers? Bourges have a deeper roster, share the ball well, shoot the ball well, so can they take the next step by doing all those things off the ball better? Will it be the in-form Alysha Clark who takes Polkowice over the line?

Wisla CANPACK vs Famila Schio

Things might look bleak on paper, but can Wisla finally convert promise into that elusive first victory at the fourth attempt? Chemistry seems good, they have been highly competitive, but can they deliver a difference maker to take this next vital step? Will Jelena Antic and Sonja Greinacher provide efficient and consistent back-up for Wisla off the bench to solidify the core rotation? Can Schio continue their momentum as they arrive in Krakow on a high after routing Nadezhda and defeating Napoli over the weekend? Will the extra depth of the Schio roster wear down Wisla? The hosts are the third worst rebounding team and so can they step up on the glass? Can Schio continue their hot streak from downtown?

ESBVA-LM vs Sopron Basket

Can ESBVA-LM react to a tough loss in domestic league over the weekend against Bourges? The only defeat so far for both teams came against the reigning champions Kursk, so who can take this opportunity to move to a comfortable 3-1 record? With both teams among the top five scorers in the competition, which of the respective defenses can do the business? Aleksandra Crvendakic is in great shape and scoring nicely for Sopron, so will the likes of Laeticia Kamba slow her down? That is part of a widespread Serbian reunion on both sides, but is it finally the turn of Nevena Jovanovic to step off the bench and make some big plays for the French side? Do ESBVA-LM have anyone to cope with Yvonne Turner in the backcourt? Can Pauline Akonga Nsimbo repeat her incredible display last week as the competition's best performer?

BLMA vs Nadezhda

As BLMA hope it is a case of fourth time lucky, can the French side finally get off the mark? In a game that looks really open on paper, will Nadezhda be able to put their home humiliation by Schio behind them? When BLMA improved last week in the second half against Fenerbahce, was it green shoots of recovery or the Turkish giants taking their foot off the gas? In only the second game with a full roster, can Anael Lardy and Fatimatou Sacko start to impact more? Nadezhda rank last in both points and assists, how will they address these issues, can they? Will Giorgia Sottana and Courtney Hurt be again BLMA's main scoring force and can Romy Bar and Ornella Bankole provide some extra bench scoring? Will Ewelina Kobryn stand up to a feisty and strong Nadezhda frontcourt?

Castors Braine vs Galatasaray

This is a big game for Braine who are staring down the barrel of a 0-4 start and will someone else step up and support Olesia Malashenko and Celeste Trahan-Davis to catapult the Belgians to a much-needed first victory? What mentality will Galatasaray arrive with, having won at Bourges but then lost in their derby against Besiktas? Stopping the tournament's top scorer in Alexandria Quigley will be key for Braine – will they be able to do it? Can Galatasaray cope with foul trouble and will this determine the offensive strategy for the hosts? Jelena Dubljevic has also been on fire for Galatasaray and will her matchup with Malashenko be the pivotal one? Will Olivia Epoupa continue her amazing rebounding season by leading her team in this category and being fourth in the competition at just 5ft 5in (1.64m) tall?

FIBA