EuroLeague reaches Matchday 11 with Panathinaikos alone atop the standings and six teams tied at 7-3 behind them. Two of those pursuers, Barcelona and Crvena Zvezda, play away against strong opponents, while Real Madrid must bounce back after a home loss to the Greeks. Luca Banchi also returns to competition on the bench of Olimpia Milano, which has parted ways with Giuseppe Poeta.
Madrid Faces Best Defense
Thursday's game at Movistar Arena pits the EuroLeague's best offense, Real Madrid (97.8 points per game), against the best defense, Crvena Zvezda (75). Ibon Navarro's side arrives with three straight wins, the latest in Piraeus where they held Olympiacos to 57 points, and are 3-1 on the road. Real Madrid, 3-1 at home, comes off an overtime loss to Panathinaikos and continues without Facundo Campazzo, Theo Maledon, Mikael Jantunen, Gabriel Deck, and Usman Garuba. The Vitoria coach has his entire roster available except Stefan Miljenović.
Barcelona in Athens With Injuries
On Friday, Barcelona visits the leader in a rematch of the 1996 final, which Panathinaikos won in Paris. Aleksander Sekulić's side arrives with four straight EuroLeague wins, three of them away, and the statistics favor them: Panathinaikos has won only two of its last seven home games against Barcelona. But the blaugrana team arrives severely depleted: Punter will be out for about six weeks with an ankle sprain and Evbuomwan for about three with an oblique muscle tear, while Juan Núñez, Mo Gibson, and Yoan Makoundou remain sidelined.
Also Read:
- Panathinaikos Stands Alone Atop EuroLeague
- Ibon Navarro Raids Piraeus With Crvena Zvezda (57-62)
- Peñarroya's Partizan Routs Maccabi (88-67)
Valencia and Baskonia
Valencia Basket (7-3) hosts Bayern (3-7) on Thursday with everything in their favor: they are the second-highest scoring team (95.8 points), with TJ Shorts fourth in scoring (16.9) and second in assists (5.6), while Bayern allows the most points (94.5). Additionally, the home team has won the last eight matchups between the two. Xavier Albert's squad continues without Nikola Mirotić and Nate Reuvers, and Mo Gueye is questionable.
Kosner Baskonia (1-9), in last place and 0-5 on the road, opens the matchday Wednesday in Belgrade against Joan Peñarroya's Partizan (5-5), which has won its last two home games. The Vitoria side has scored over 80 points just once in their last five games and will face the fourth-best defense (78.9). Partizan has won the last three matchups. Perasović gets back Rodions Kurucs, and Partizan will be without Kevarrius Hayes and Derek Willis.
Tel Aviv Derby in Cyprus
Maccabi (2-8) opens its new home in Limassol on Thursday with the third Tel Aviv derby in EuroLeague history, each in a different city. They arrive with momentum: on Monday they rallied from 23 points down against Hapoel (6-4) to win the Israeli League Cup final. Both teams are on losing streaks in the EuroLeague: Maccabi with four losses, Hapoel with two. Newly signed Kamar Baldwin could make his debut.
Olympiacos-Dubai: Battle of 7-3 Teams
The defending champion (7-3) looks to bounce back after losing two of its last three home games, facing Xavi Pascual's Dubai side that arrives with five wins in six games. They have only faced twice, and in both instances the Matchday MVP came from the winning team. Additionally, Thomas Walkup will face Olympiacos for the first time, the club where he spent five seasons and won the 2026 EuroLeague title, though he has been out since Matchday 6.
Paris-Fenerbahçe: Speed Against Defense
Paris (4-6) returns home after three straight road wins, with their fast-paced offense facing the EuroLeague's second-best defense, Fenerbahçe (75.4 points allowed). Šarūnas Jasikevičius's side (7-3) has won just one of their four road games, the worst away record among teams with more wins than losses, but have never lost to Paris (7-0).
Banchi Debuts in Milan
Luca Banchi returns to the EuroLeague bench with Olimpia Milano (1-9), which has lost eight straight. His debut comes against Žalgiris (6-4), which has won four straight and has won its last four visits to Milan. The Italians continue without Devin Booker, and Žalgiris only has Nigel Williams-Goss sidelined.
Laso Against Mumbrú in Istanbul
Friday opens with a Spanish coaches' duel: Pablo Laso's Anadolu Efes (4-6) hosts Àlex Mumbrú's Virtus (4-6), which has lost its last four games, three at home. Efes, which beat Panathinaikos on Matchday 8, continues without Mike James, PJ Dozier, and Isaïa Cordinier. The home side has won the last three matchups.
ASVEL-Beşiktaş: First EuroLeague Meeting
The matchday closes in Lyon with the first EuroLeague encounter between ASVEL and Beşiktaş, both 4-6. ASVEL leads the competition in assists (22) and three-point percentage (42.5%), while Beşiktaş ranks fifth in both statistics.