The Basketball Champions League plays the second round of its second matchday this week. Groups B, C, E and H complete the action that groups A, D, F and G already played last week. For Spanish basketball, there is a specific challenge: maintain a perfect record. Surne Bilbao and UCAM Murcia delivered victories against Slavia Prague and Bamberg, and now it's Unicaja and Asisa Joventut's turn to add a second win.
Unicaja, facing a wounded Pardubice
Unicaja opens the week on Tuesday at 18:00 in the Czech Republic. The team arrives in good form: in their European debut they dominated Utena 69-105, with Willy Hernangómez as the standout player and a lead that reached 39 points, and over the weekend they won at Nou Congost against Manresa in the Liga Endesa. Pardubice, meanwhile, started the competition with a clear defeat in Reggio Emilia 82-65 and needs a home win to avoid falling behind. Group E has a second game on Wednesday, Reggiana-Utena, which leaves open the possibility that Unicaja could finish the matchday as sole leaders. The Málaga team, BCL champion in 2024 and 2025 and third last season, remains one of the major contenders.
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- Unicaja debuts in BCL with a festival in Utena (69-105)
- Asisa Joventut starts BCL with victory (86-75)
Joventut defends the Olímpic against the other unbeaten team in the group
The most demanding game of the week for the Spanish teams is played on Wednesday at 20:00 in Badalona. Asisa Joventut and Telekom Baskets Bonn won their debuts, and the winner will stand alone atop Group H. The green-and-black team defeated Bnei Herzliya 86-75, with 20 points from Emir Sulejmanovic and a perfect shooting performance from Simon Birgander. Bonn won by the slimmest margin against FC Porto (78-74). Joventut arrives highly motivated after dominating Barcelona on Sunday in the Liga Endesa (113-89), and will count on the support of an Olímpic crowd that, last season, carried them to the quarterfinals. That's where AEK eliminated them.
AEK and Galatasaray, other focal points of the week
AEK, finalist of the last edition, hosts Antwerp Giants on Wednesday in a clash between the two teams that won in the first matchday of Group C. The Greeks struggled to beat Salon Vilpas by two points (95-93). In Group B, Galatasaray needs to react at home against Strasbourg after conceding 96 points in Zagreb. The French team, which debuted with a 100-62 victory over Legia, is one of the hottest teams at the start of this competition.