ANTAKYA (EuroLeague Women 2017) – After making a stunning and unexpected run to last year’s EuroLeague Women Final, it’s back to the starting line for Roberto Iniguez and his new-look Nadezhda side.

The Russian club’s magnificent surge to the title game at the Final Four in Istanbul will now be followed by this next campaign tipping off on Turkish soil. The visitors will be bracing themselves for what could be a tricky Group B curtain raiser against newcomers Hatay BSB.

While Nadezhda have welcomed some big names such as Swedish star Amanda Zahui and Elizabeth Williams, it might well be their rock solid Russian core who provide the backbone needed to emerge from Antakya with victory.

Natalia Anoikina enjoyed a renaissance in the second half of last season and was one of the main instigators in their historical accomplishments, teenage forward Zhosselina Maiga continues to progress nicely, while Anastasiya Shillova, Natalia Zhedik and the ever-reliable Elena Beglova will be key figures.

As for Hatay, it’s going to be a hugely proud moment and it will come just over a week after landing the Turkish SuperCup in a brilliant win against Fenerbahce. Belarus wing wonder, Katsiaryna Snytsina is the heartbeat of the team and Hatay know they must sharpen their game after losing in their Turkish League opener last Saturday.

Meanwhile in Group A, CMB Cargo Uni Gyor will re-enter the competition after a two-year absence, having attained a confidence-boosting victory over Hungarian champions and fellow EuroLeague Women entrants Uniqa Sopron. That boost of morale will certainly be welcomed as Gyor are looking to end an eye-popping losing streak of 24 games which stretches back four years. Leading the charge to end their drought in their opening fixture at home to ZVVZ USK Prague are the all-action Cyesha Goree, WNBA-experinced Brianna Kiesel and Slovak Republic national team forward, Zofia Hruscakova.

As for Prague, they have point guard Laia Palau bearing down on bonafide EuroLeague Women legendary status and history as she edges closer to a monumental milestone of becoming the first player to dish up 1,000 assists. She certainly has enough talent to distribute the ball to, with an almost identical roster to that which rode to the top of the podium in 2015 and then back to Final Four last year. However, they might not be at their fluid best with the team having not had many of their WNBA players and Olympians for the first few weeks of the club season.

The last game of the opening week of the new season looks like it could be a mouth-watering one and tough to predict.

Beretta Famila Schio host Fenerbahce, with both teams having won on opposing home floors when they met during this main phase of the competition in 2016-17. Schio will step out looking largely unchanged with just a few key additions such as Nuria Martinez and Endene Miyem, as they try to match last year’s record-breaking Regular Season record.

Fenerbahce have re-fuelled during the summer with some of Turkey’s brightest young talents in backcourt pairing Ayse Cora and Pelin Bilgic, while their headline incomers are recently crowned WNBA champion Sandrine Gruda and Shekinna Stricklen.

Group A

CMB Cargo Uni Gyor v ZVVZ USK Prague

Beretta Famila Schio v Fenerbahce

Group B

Hatay BSB v Nadezhda Orenburg

FIBA