We saw this exact matchup a week ago, and it was a grind. Greece sat deep, let Germany have the ball and won 1-0 with very little of it. Now both sides are missing key attackers: Tzolis for Greece, and Musiala, Havertz and Gnabry for Germany. I expect the rematch at Toumba to look a lot like the first one.
Barcelona come to Murcia at the wrong moment. They have two days' rest after a Euroleague trip to Istanbul, and three frontcourt players are out injured. Murcia have had a full week off and get to open their home schedule against a thin Barcelona rotation. With fresh legs at home, Murcia can attack the paint and the glass for forty minutes.
Neither side looks able to carry much attacking threat here. Las Palmas are reported to be missing up to eleven players, most of them forwards and midfielders, and Valladolid have barely scored on their travels. My read is that this is a cagey game where the real question is whether either team can create enough, and I lean towards them struggling to.
Barcelona come to Murcia at the end of a punishing week, and with only one natural centre. Murcia have had a full week at home to prepare. That gap in rest and size is what this match turns on more than names or last season's playoff.
Both of these ACB games follow the same pattern. A Euroleague side finishes a heavy week on the road, against a home team that has had the whole week to prepare for its first game in front of its own fans. Valencia go to Zaragoza and Barcelona go to Murcia, each with less than two days since a European away game. That gap in legs and preparation is what I'm backing in both games.
Scafati should find their rhythm on their home court against a severely depleted Varese squad, while over in Serie A1 Women, Macerata’s continuity will test a completely rebuilt Bergamo side enough to extend the match. The key for Scafati is exploiting the absence of Varese's primary playmakers, and for Macerata, it is capitalizing on Bergamo's lack of chemistry in their season opener.
Greece beat Germany in the first meeting by staying compact, giving up the ball and making German possession count for little. Those ingredients are still in place, and Germany's front line is thinner than the name suggests. I think Greece are the side to trust here, because their way of playing does not depend on having the ball.
I expect chances at both ends when Kosovo and Austria meet again. Austria made its openings count in Vienna, but Kosovo also got Vedat Muriqi into dangerous positions. Franco Foda's plan to bring back players rested against Israel adds to a matchup that already produced chances through different routes.
This slip pairs two well-rested underdogs facing opponents dealing with extreme schedule density. In both cases, the massive rest advantages create a clear edge for the underdogs to control the tempo against tired legs. When heavy EuroLeague commitments force domestic rotation, fading the fatigued favorites offers strong value.
Las Palmas have had plenty of the ball without consistently making good chances, and their reshuffled midfield now meets a Valladolid side creating sharper openings. The missing players matter most in the spaces between midfield and defense, where Las Palmas have already struggled to protect themselves. Valladolid's recent chance creation gives them a way to make those spaces count. That matchup is the reason for this slip.
The rematch in Pristina looks closer than the score in Vienna suggested. Kosovo found openings for Vedat Muriqi even while Austria created more chances. With Kosovo’s rested attacking regulars returning and the worn surface changing the rhythm, the shift in setting carries more weight for me than the earlier margin.
Both teams turn up in Gran Canaria with their attacks badly stripped. Valladolid have left their main creator, Luis Chacon, out of the squad along with three other forwards. Las Palmas have lost Sandro, Ale Garcia and Viti up front, and Inaki Gonzalez is suspended. My read is a tight, low-chance game where at least one of these two sides finds it hard to score.
Le Mans are rested and at home, while Paris arrive in the middle of a packed Euroleague stretch. Paris's offense has gone cold, and at Antarès this matchup has usually been tight. When Paris last came here with the same kind of European schedule, Le Mans won by small margins. That's the game I expect again.
Kosovo faces a significant challenge here without their focal point, Vedat Muriqi, who is doubtful with a muscular injury after missing their previous match. Austria already showed they have the tools to break down Kosovo’s five-man defense, winning their recent encounter 3-1. Without Muriqi as a counter-attacking outlet, Kosovo will struggle to relieve the pressure, allowing Austria to eventually capitalize on their sustained attacks.
This is a league opener where the name on the shirt says one thing and the summer says another. Rzeszow is last season's runner-up, but it lost nine players, including the libero and the setter who defined the club in recent years. Lodz rebuilt too, yet it kept its coach and added real quality in the middle and at opposite. My read leans toward the home side in this one.
Oldenburg’s cleanest recent road game came from valuing each possession: 24 assists and just 6 turnovers at Würzburg. Bayern have owned the glass in their two recorded league games, yet their latest EuroLeague game ended with 17 turnovers. So the fun part of this matchup is whether Oldenburg can keep getting a shot up while Bayern creates second chances—not which early record looks prettier.
Two domestic games in this slate share the same outline: a Euroleague team on short rest, away to a side that has had most of the week off. Barcelona go to Murcia, Paris go to Le Mans, and it's tempting to read it as the same story twice. I don't think it is. Where the tired legs come from, and what the home team actually wants the game to look like, make these two quite different.
Bayern Munich and EWE Baskets Oldenburg clash in a highly anticipated BBL matchup, and the tactical interlocking here is fascinating. Bayern comes into the upcoming match boasting the league's most potent three-point shooting, fueled by Duane Washington and Andreas Obst, while Oldenburg rides the momentum of a perfect three-win start to sit atop the standings. The critical battleground will be how Oldenburg exploits Bayern's current rotational vulnerabilities in the paint.
Austria come to Pristina as the clear favourite, but this is a different game from the one in Vienna eight days ago. The pitch is in bad shape, Austria's midfield and attack are thin, and Kosovo are far more dangerous in their own stadium than their last result suggests. I'm backing the home side to be the one that handles the conditions better.
Lodz already beat this Rzeszow team a week ago, and both sides were using their new-season squads. Rzeszow are still building almost a whole new team around a new pair of setters, while Lodz have a strong middle block and play in their own hall. The way I see it, this match turns on whether a young setter partnership can find its hitters against that block. That's why I'm siding with Lodz.
