EuroLeague announces Round 1 matchups of the upcoming season / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Pau Barrena/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Pau Barrena/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Mark your calendars, EuroLeague fans! The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague announced Round 1 matchups of the 2022-23 season that will tip-off in the first week of October.

Five big showdowns are set for Thursday, October 6, followed by four more on Friday, October 7. Check out the Round 1 matchups and get ready to be thrilled again!

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens vs. Real Madrid

Panathinaikos last made it to the playoffs in 2019, so the Greens should be hungrier than ever to return to the postseason. New head coach Dejan Radonjic will see his Panathinaikos side play host to Real Madrid, which made it to the EuroLeague Championship Game last season and beat the Greens in five of its last six visits to OAKA.

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan

ASVEL won its three opening games in the 2021-22 season and will be looking to start the new season just as it did a year ago - with a home victory. Milan has the same goal, as it began the last campaign with a five-game winning streak, including a home triumph against ASVEL. Expect a hard-fought game at the Astroballe.

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. Zalgiris Kaunas

Any game between Maccabi and Zalgiris will always be special after their classic matchup 18 years ago, in which only the winner made it to 2004 Final Four. Maccabi recorded one of the most iconic victories in its legendary history and went on to win back-to-back EuroLeague titles. Both teams have changed a lot this summer, so it should be an interesting showdown.

FC Bayern Munich vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

Bayern has opted for continuity by keeping head coach Andrea Trinchieri and a core of players that helped the team reach the playoffs for the second year in a row, falling just short in a do-or-die Game 5 against FC Barcelona last season. Fenerbahce starts a new era with head coach Dimitris Itoudis, who wants his new team to be hungry and highly competitive from day one.

Valencia Basket vs. Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz

There is a lot of history and many crossed paths between Valencia and Baskonia. Notably, head coach Joan Penarroya was with Valencia last season and is now in charge of Baskonia. The two teams have also faced each other in the Spanish League playoffs in each of the last three seasons – Baskonia prevailed in 2020 and 2022, while Valencia won in 2021.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade

This is Efes' first step in its quest to win a third consecutive EuroLeague title, which would make it just the third team to do so after ASK Riga (1958-60) and Split (1989-91).

It hosts Zvezda, which arrives at this game with a new coach – Nemanja Nedovic – and renewed ambitions.

ALBA Berlin vs. Partizan NIS Belgrade

For the first time in many years, ALBA Berlin has managed to keep a full core of players and the same head coach, Israel Gonzalez.

It is also coaching legend Zeljko Obradovic's first EuroLeague game with Partizan since the 1992 EuroLeague Championship Game, in which he won the first of a record nine continental crowns.

FC Barcelona vs. Olympiacos Piraeus

Both teams made it to the Final Four last season and have had many legendary battles in the past, including a couple of EuroLeague Championship Games. Olympiacos won its first continental crown in 1997, and Barca returned the favor by beating the Reds in 2010. Most stars and both head coaches are back, so a big game is guaranteed at Palau Blaugrana.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. AS Monaco

It is a battle between the last two 7DAYS EuroCup champions, and finishing the regular season ahead of each other is one of the main targets for both teams. It is Virtus's first EuroLeague home game since early 2008, which adds more anticipation to this showdown. Monaco made it to the playoffs last season and will be eager to reach the postseason again in the coming campaign.

Full schedule

October 6:

ASVEL vs. Armani Milan, 20:00 CET Panathinaikos vs. Real Madrid, 20:00 CET Maccabi vs. Zalgiris, 20:05 CET Valencia vs. Baskonia, 20:30 CET Bayern vs. Fenerbahce, 20:30 CET

October 7:

Efes vs. Crvena Zvezda, 19:30 CET ALBA vs. Partizan, 20:00 CET Virtus vs. Monaco, 20:30 CET Barcelona vs. Olympiacos, 20:30 CET Like what we are doing? Support us by becoming BN+ member.