MUNICH (Germany) - The wait is almost over as the new EuroLeague Women season gets underway this week, with plenty to look forward to on Gameday 1.
There are several blockbuster matchups on the opening slate, headlined by reigning champions Fenerbahce Tarfin beginning their title defense on the road against Valencia Basket Club. Meanwhile, Galatasaray Cagdas Faktoring host Beretta Famila Schio in another mouth-watering clash in Istanbul, featuring a host of star names.
The opening gameday of the First Round features seven games on Wednesday, October 14, followed by one more on Thursday, October 15.
Check out our expert's predictions below and don't forget to make your own picks in the EuroLeague Women Game Predictor for a chance to win some fantastic prizes.
Schedule
Play & Win
Expert Picks
This season we're once again calling on the one-two punch of FIBA's global women's basketball specialist Paul Nilsen and EuroLeague Women lead commentator Mark Mills for their predictions.
It's Paul who opens up the new campaign with his Gameday 1 predictions.
Game | Expert Pick |
|---|---|
Athinaikos Qualco (11-15) | |
KKZ Crvena Zvezda (16-20) | |
Emlak Konut (11-15) | |
Casademont Zaragoza (6-10) | |
Flammes Carolo Basket (11-15) | |
ZVVZ USK Praha (6-10) | |
Fenerbahce Tarfin (6-10) | |
Galatasaray Cagdas Faktoring (1-5) |
Safe Pick 🔒
KKZ Crvena Zvezda could emerge as a dark horse this season and have further strengthened their roster with the addition of Angela Dugalic. They will be confident of making home advantage count and using their superior bench depth to outlast visiting Kangoeroes Basket Mechelen.
50/50 🪙
While Fenerbahce Tarfin already have a SuperCup Women title in the cabinet, they are unlikely to have it all their own way on the road against Valencia Basket Club. The hosts have endured some ups and downs early in the season, but this is a great opportunity to show they can be a force and make amends for missing out on Final Six last year.
Stopping Emma Meesseman looks almost impossible these days, so slowing her down will be key. However, Valencia have a strong frontcourt rotation and, if they can make a fast start, this could be a contest that goes right down to the wire.
Wildcard 🃏
While the depth of Athinaikos Qualco should be enough to see them through in Vilnius and justify their top-four position in the opening Power Rankings, could they be vulnerable to an upset? If Kibirkstis-TOKS can build on their winning momentum from the Qualifiers and maintain their red-hot shooting form, they might just spring a surprise.
FIBA