ZARAGOZA (Spain) - Two basketball juggernauts are set to collide in the ultimate showdown for EuroLeague Women supremacy as Galatasaray Cagdas Faktoring and Fenerbahce Opet take to the floor on Sunday in a mouth-watering repeat of the 2014 Final.
It was Galatasaray who took the honors that day, making history and achieving bragging rights by becoming the first Turkish club to win the prestigious trophy. Since then, Fenerbahce have had the upper hand and won the competition twice in 2023 and 2024.
Another huge Pabellon Principe Felipe crowd will also be treated to an all-Spanish duel in the Third Place Game when hosts Casademont Zaragoza matchup with rivals Spar Girona to try and take the last step of this season's podium.
Play & Win
You can watch EuroLeague Women games through the official Final Six broadcast partners in Spain and Türkiye.
In all other territories, the games will be available on the official EuroLeague Women YouTube channel.
Galatasaray Cagdas Faktoring vs Fenerbahce Opet
Galatasaray would love to channel the underdog spirit of their landmark win 12 years ago to get the job done. And, there's a big link to that famous night in Ekaterinburg - in the shape of General Manager, Isil Alben who was one of the stars and leaders of that storied team. Meanwhile Ekrem Memnun who coached Galatasaray for much of this current season was the playcaller at the helm of their historic success.
Current coach Firat Okul who took over from Memnun has crossed the Istanbul divide, since he was at the helm of Fenerbahce in the 2017 title game. Meanwhile with Memnun having recently won EuroCup Women with CIMSA CBK Mersin, it would be quite the double and thumbs up for Turkish coaches if Okul could now make it a silverware double this season.
Fenerbahce are clear favorites having had the number of Galatasaray domestically all season - even if the rules are slightly different in the Turkish League. With no injury concerns and a deeper wealth of options, they will be expected to win their third title - especially after missing out last year on the same court.
Miguel Mendez is looking to add to his legacy as he coaches in his fifth Final, initially with surprise package Rivas Ecopolis in 2012 and then landing the title with UMMC Ekaterinburg in 2018, 2019 and 2021. If he adds another to his resume, only the legendary Natalia Hejkova will have won more than the Spaniard.
Game History: On that famous night back in 2014, both teams were packed with superstar names, as they are now. It was Sancho Lyttle who largely inspired a 69-58 win for Galatasaray as she churned out a super double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Star player: Marine Johannes put on a show in the Semi-Finals and acted as the spark for Galatasaray to ease out Zaragoza in what looked like being a blowout, but turned into a nail-biter. It feels as if her team will need a classic show from their French star to have a chance of getting past the favorites. Plus, Johannes will not want back to back runners-up medals, having lost last year's Final wearing Mersin colors.
Key matchup: If Julie Allemand is allowed to direct the traffic freely for Fenerbahce then Galatasaray will likely be in big trouble. The assists leader in the competition makes her team tick when she is in top gear and the responsibility of limiting her impact will likely fall on a combination of Kamiah Smalls and Derin Erdogan.
X-Factor: With EuroLeague Women MVP Dorka Juhasz a serious doubt for the game because of the injury she sustained in the Semi-Finals, whether she plays or not will be one of the determining factors in the contest. With it looking highly unlikely she can return, how Galatasaray somehow cope with this, as well as not having Teja Oblak in the backcourt is the big question waiting to be answered.
Pre-Game Press Conference
Third Place Game
Spanish pride and rivalry is on the line when Casademont Zaragoza and Spar Girona meet in the Third Place Game. Both teams will have to pick themselves up and bounce back from their respective Semi-Final disappointments, although they have already cemented their best ever finishes in the competition by reaching the last four.
There are some outstanding matchups to look forward to across the court, including Mariona Ortiz and Helena Pueyo going up against Girona backcourt duo Klara Holm and Juste Jocyte. There will also be some tasty duels in the paint too, with the in-form Merritt Hempe and Mariam Coulibaly going up against each other.
But who will sign off their first ever Final Six on a high?
FIBA