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Who will win SuperCup Women: Tango Bourges or Sopron Basket?

BOURGES (France) - The curtain is about to be raised on the SuperCup Women 2022 as reigning EuroCup Women champions Tango Bourges play host to current EuroLeague Women title holders Sopron Basket.

Both clubs will participate in the 11th edition of the prestigious competition, with Tango Bourges looking to take inspiration from last year when Valencia BC made history by becoming the first EuroCup Women champion to take down a EuroLeague Women representative when they beat four-time winners UMMC Ekaterinburg 73-66.


Bourges and Sopron will both play in the EuroLeague Women Regular Season in this upcoming campaign, although they can only meet each other if they make the Play-Offs, since they have been drawn in separate groups.

The live broadcast of the game will be freely available on the EuroLeague Women YouTube channel, with tip-off scheduled for 20:00 CET on Tuesday.

Live stats and play-by-play will be available here.

Bourges Basket

After winning EuroCup Women on their home floor as the hosts of last edition's Final Four, Tango Bourges have had a relatively significant roster overhaul which has seen many players move on: from veteran duo Elin Eldebrink and Isabelle Yacoubou to rising star and EuroCup Women Final Four MVP, Iliana Rupert.

 

In their place, Bourges has secured the eye-catching Serbia national team playmaker Yvonne Anderson, while also snapping up Kayla Alexander and Anete Steinberga, although the latter has been suffering with an injury. Stability comes in the form of the evergreen Sarah Michel, experienced Endy Miyem and ever improving Laeticia Guapo. 

Sopron Basket 

Sopron Basket has also had an injection of new faces in the wake of their famous weekend in Istanbul when then underdogs claimed their maiden EuroLeague Women title. Opals' standout Ezi Magbegor has been brought in and alongside Dragana Stankovic who switches from Prague, meaning they have athleticism and a mobile frontcourt.

Floor general Briann January and the dynamic EuroLeague Women Final Four Gabby Williams have been harder to replace and especially since the Hungarians announced last week that the highly-rated Courtney Vandersloot would no longer be joining. That puts a heavy load on incoming playmaker Brittney Sykes and there will need to be some high production from new wing, Alice Kunek.


The experienced Jelena Brooks  is play another season with Sopron  and remains their leader on the floor

Jelena Brooks and Zsofia Fegyverneky continue to lend their extensive veteran know-how, with Aliz Varga rising up the minutes played column as she continues to mature. 

Key matchup: The source of Sopron's scoring is likely to come mainly from experienced forward Jelena Brooks. If Bourges can shut her down, then it's tough seeing the EuroLeague Women champions racking up a big score. The task of slowing her down is likely to fall to Canada's Kayla Alexander or another veteran in Endy Miyem. 

Form guide: Bourges have not yet started the LFB season and so may be a little undercooked in terms of competitive games coming into this this one. It is also a huge week for them, since they don't only have SuperCup Women, they have the Match of Champions against Basket Landes this weekend in France.

In contrast, Sopron Basket have already played six games and are a flawless 6-0 in the Hungarian League, which has been running longer than almost any other in Europe this season. 

SuperCup Women history

Year EuroLeague Women Club EuroCup Women Club Result
2021 UMMC Ekaterinburg Valencia BC 66-73
2019 UMMC Ekaterinburg Nadezhda Orenburg 87-67
2018 UMMC Ekaterinburg Galatasaray 79-40
2017 Dynamo Kursk Yakin Dogu Universitesi 84-73
2016 UMMC Ekaterinburg ESBVA-LM 66-63
2015* ZVVZ USK Prague UMMC Ekaterinburg 93-91
2013 UMMC Ekaterinburg Dynamo Moscow 72-63
2011 Perfumerias Avenida Elitzur Ramla 95-72
2010 Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje Athinaikos 70-61
2009 Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje Galatasaray 92-59

FIBA