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EuroLeague Women Week 7 killer questions

MUNICH (EuroLeague Women) - We take a look at some of the killer questions heading into Week 7 of EuroLeague Women action.

We start with our game of the week between Bourges Basket and Sopron Basket - one of eight matchups that you can watch live and for free, via the FIBA YouTube channel as well as following them via our Live Updates.

Bourges Basket vs Sopron Basket


With an unwanted 1-5 record, can Bourges cope with the mounting pressure and especially as home court advantage might only increase this feeling?  Facing Sopron's loaded frontcourt, how will Bourges manage to protect the rim, work the boards and stop the likes of Crystal Langhorne? Sopron have not lost on the road yet, so can they keep that perfect record for at least another week and bounce back from their loss to Prague?

UMMC vs BLMA

Can UMMC take this glorious opportunity to go three in a row and finally get their season started properly?  UMMC go for the second week in a row against a team having difficulty with their frontcourt, so is it a question of not whether Brittney Griner will be dominant - only how dominant? Can the 1-5 BLMA survive not having a single true post player available?  A change of roster for BLMA can also mean new chemistry, new roles, so will anybody step up and impact more on a regular occasion, other than Giorgia Sottana and Courtney Hurt? Can BLMA come up with what would be a gigantic upset and the biggest of the season?

Nadezhda vs Yakin Dogu Universitesi

On opposite trajectories at 1-5 and 5-1, will it go to form? Kayla McBride will go up against her former team, so will the Yakin Dogu swingman find some extra motivation? Will new Yakin Dogu signing Sandrine Gruda suit up and if so, will she impress on a return to Russia where she played at UMMC? seeing their season going off track can Nadezhda get a big win to keep them believing and especially as they have been competitive against some other heavyweights like UMMC and Fenerbahce? At 1-5, can Nadezhda make the most of three games at home in a row and their support in Orenburg? Will the injured Alex Bentley be back any time soon for them?

Galatasaray vs ESBVA-LM

Who will win and grab the momentum of two clubs locked on 3-3 records? As the last two games have shown, Galatasaray cannot afford having a key player or more sitting out, so will they have the personnel to avoid three defeats on the spin? The hosts won a thriller by one point last weekend in the Turkish League, so can they build confidence from that game and erase the taste of demolition they got in Kursk last week - maybe the biggest in in the club's history? Will Olivia Epoupa shine against her former team? Joyce Cousseins-Smith has played her first game in an ESBVA jersey as Virginie Bremont's medical joker, so can she have an impact? ESBVA arrives from a tough and important win in LFB over the weekend against Flammes Carolo Basket, but still among the last teams in field goal shooting, can they find better positions to improve their scoring efficiency?

Fenerbahce vs Wisla CANPACK

The home side have two wins in a row including domestic action and the visitors have two losses in a row, so which way will the pendulum swing? Who will contain the in-form Wisla guard, Maurita Reid? Can Cheyenne Parker manage to keep a tough Fenerbahce froncourt in check - including Kia Vaughn and Anastasiya Verameyenka? Will the newfound confidence for the Polish team fuel an upset?

ZVVZ USK Prague vs Castors Braine

Buoyed by a first road win of the season, can Prague take a  big opportunity to move to an eye-catching 5-2 record? Can they use their frontcourt size advantage efficiently and will Amanda Zahui enhance her MVP candidate status? Or, will Braine center Anete Steinberga come back to haunt her former employers and have additional motivation? Braine finally got off the mark with an important win last week, so can they continue with their excellent ball movement and shooting? 

CCC Polkowice vs Dynamo Kursk

 It is a tough task for CCC Polkowice, but can they bounce back from disappointing loss at Castors Braine last week and create a major upset? Weronika Gajda is in fine form of late, so can she add herself to the list of well performing Polkowice players and make the difference? Can Dynamo Kursk hit the centennial mark for a third time this season? 

Famila Schio vs Perfumerias Avenida (Thursday)


In a clash of the 4-2 records, whose season will look even better after this one? Two teams with new additions, who will have the bigger impact, Zofia Hruscakova or Kim Mestdagh? Is Mestdagh the missing piece of the jigsaw for Avenida and can they connect from three-point range, where they are the second-worst ranked team? Can Schio overcome their shortage of post players and avoid foul trouble in that position? Can Schio and especially Isabelle Yacoubou survive against another strong frontcourt and handle the physicality of Erika Souza and Angelica Robinson?

FIBA