Beat The Expert: Will Praha punch a QF ticket, or will restocked Avenida bounce back?
MUNICH (Germany) - ZVVZ USK Praha could secure their place in the Quarter-Finals this week if they can ride past Perfumerias Avenida, who have been busy making roster moves during the mid-season break.
MUNICH (Germany) - ZVVZ USK Praha could secure their place in the Quarter-Finals this week if they can ride past Perfumerias Avenida, who have been busy making roster moves during the mid-season break.
As the action resumes, this one attains 'Game of the Week' status as we brace ourselves for Regular Season crunch time with just four weeks remaining. There are seven matchups penciled in for Wednesday night, plus another on Thursday evening.
We also restart our 'Beat the Expert' challenge, with fans having the chance to predict the winners, while we turn to someone who not so long was stepping out on the EuroLeague Women hardwood - in the shape of Great Britain and former Perfumerias Avenida star, Karlie Samuelson.
Game of the Week: ZVVZ USK Praha vs Perfumerias Avenida
The hosts are one of only two teams who have lost just once all season and they sit proudly at the top of Group B with a 9-1 record. That is only matched by Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding - the Group A leaders. Meanwhile, Perfumerias Avenida have drifted in and out of the top four in the group and currently occupy 5th place with a 5-5 record.
Praha have been imperious at home and chase a ninth straight victory, with Avenida eager to bounce back from a narrow loss to Virtus Segafredo Bologna, which now has them staring down the barrel of three losses in a row.
The Spanish club have made changes to their lineup in an attempt to lift the team into the Quarter-Finals. They have brought in something different inside the paint to help the in-form Sika Kone, with the size of Hungarian star center Bernadett Hatar likely to provide a big boost, while Australian Chantel Horvat will also look to now make an impact having appeared once before the break.
You can watch the live broadcast of the game between ZVVZ USK Praha vs Perfumerias Avenida with commentary on the EuroLeague Women YouTube channel on Wednesday, January 10 at 19:00 CET.
Key matchup: The contributions of both Nyara Sabally and Sika Kone for their respective teams has been impressive and both will be looking to continue this down the season stretch. It could be a great matchup to watch if they do end up guarding each other.
At 23 and 21 years-old, these two ballers are the present and future of the competition and demonstrate how super rising stars are putting on exciting shows in the tournament. The strength of Sabally is very impressive, while Kone has great athleticism and mobility. If one of them can dominate, it will be a huge bonus for their own team.
Predictions: The Expert vs Karlie Samuelson
Each week our resident EuroLeague Women expert Paul Nilsen faces a different guest challenger in our prediction game. Fans also have the opportunity to test their prediction skills in the voting below. The first 10 weeks have witnessed the fans take the lead ahead of the expert, with the guests running out of time to make up lost ground.
Our guest for Week 11 is Great Britain's Karlie Samuelson, who is currently balling in EuroCup Women with London Lions and has previously played in EuroLeague Women with both Perfumerias Avenida and Castors Braine.
Do you have what it takes?
Predict the winners of this week's games below!
Season predictions so far:
The Expert: 62/80 (78%)
The Guest: 55/80 (69%)
The Fans: 65/80 (81%)
Question of the Week: Will Alina Iagupova fire Valencia into the Quarter-Finals?
It came completely out of leftfield and there is no denying that the sensational switch of Alina Iagupova from Cukurova Basketbol Mersin to Valencia Basket Club has given the latter a much needed offensive boost.
Nuevas caras a La Fonteta 🍊🧡 The former #EuroLeagueWomen MVP, Alina Iagupova joins @valenciabasket for the rest of the season! pic.twitter.com/yhbqZPQhTI
— EuroLeague Women (@EuroLeagueWomen) January 4, 2024
Sat outside of the top four places with a 4-6 record and with just four games to play, will the free-scoring Ukrainian ace be the difference-maker and propel her new team to the post season?
Let us know what you think in the poll below!
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