Game of the Week: Galatasaray eye four in a row, Sopron out to bury Istanbul nightmare

ISTANBUL (Turkey) - Galatasaray are hoping to build on their momentum with a fourth straight EuroLeague Women win, while Sopron Basket are hoping for happier memories than on their last Istanbul trip.

The pair go head to head in what could be an absorbing Game of the Week, with Galatasaray having seemingly transformed their campaign. Starting with two defeats, they have turned things around nicely with three victories on the bounce.

They will like their chances against Sopron - especially as they have added the offensive power of Kaela Davis to the roster. She has already lit it up in EuroCup Women this season at Tenerife and joins Galatasaray for a second spell, having previously taken them to a EuroCup Women title.

Meanwhile the last time Sopron were in the Turkish city earlier in the season it proved to be an absolute nightmare, as they suffered a huge blowout at the hands of Fenerbahce Safiport. It is the only blip on their record in what has otherwise been a very productive season.

The live broadcast of the game between Galatasaray and Sopron Basket will be freely available on the EuroLeague Women YouTube channel, as well as on Facebook, at 18:00 CET on Wednesday, November 24.

Form guide: Galatasaray are 3-2, sitting in joint-second place in the Group. Meanwhile in the Turkish League they have the exact same record. Sopron Basket are 4-1 and the current group leaders, while in the Hungarian League they are yet to taste defeat and are currently 9-0.

Last meeting: The two teams met each other in quick succession just under a year ago due to a revised schedule because of the pandemic. Sopron won both of those games on Hungarian soil, by 70-58 and 69-66. Prior to that, you have to rewind four years for when the clubs met in Istanbul, with Sopron taking an exciting 75-73 victory, with Jelena Brooks scoring 14 points.

Tina Krajisnik of Galatasaray will play against her former team, which she represented so well previously

Key matchup: It will be fascinating to see Galatasaray center Tina Krajisnik going up against her old team and one that she served so brilliantly over the years. She will have matched up so many times in practice against the towering Bernadett Hatar, but now she has to do battle against her former teammate. Both players have had excellent starts to the season and whoever wins this battle could go a long way to determining the result. 

X-factor: Galatasaray have done well this season in the open court and average almost double digits in fast-break points, so Sopron can't gift-wrap any opportunities and must be wary. Both teams look after the ball well, particularly the hosts, while Sopron don't get many steals. Can the visitors turn the defensive screw and disrupt the home offense?

Wednesday, November 24

Group A
MBA Moscow v UMMC Ekaterinburg - 17:00 CET
TTT Riga v ZVVZ USK Praha - 18:00 CET
Umana Reyer v BLMA - 19:30 CET
Perfumerias Avenida v KSC Szekszard - 19:30 CET

Group B
Dynamo Kursk v Beretta Famila Schio 16:00 CET
VBW Arka Gdynia v Fenerbahce Safiport - 18:00 CET
Basket Landes v Spar Girona - 20:o0 CET

FIBA