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sep 19 2026In June, Valencia Basket closed the best season in its history by winning the league with a 108-84 victory in the fourth game of the final against Barcelona, with Jean Montero as series MVP. Three months later they meet again, this Saturday at 21:00 in Badalona, and neither team resembles what they were then.
The champion, without a coach or MVP
Valencia won the Supercopa and League and then lost almost everything that sustained that success. Pedro Martínez departed, now at Real Madrid, as did Jean Montero, Brancou Badio and Jaime Pradilla, signed by top EuroLeague clubs. Montero averaged 23.8 points, 5.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and a 30.3 rating in that final.
The bet has been continuity on the bench: Xavi Albert, Martínez's assistant, takes over the first team. And ten new signings, including TJ Shorts, Mario Saint-Supéry and Nikola Mirotic, who arrived this very week after an entire summer without a team.
Mirotic himself is a doubt due to bureaucratic issues, as the player explained. Added to that are the absences of Neal Sako, almost ruled out after undergoing inguinal hernia surgery in July, and Jasiel Rivero, who did not play in the last friendlies due to physical problems. The club has also confirmed that Elias Valtonen will not continue, despite having played in two friendlies.
Valencia arrives undefeated from the preseason, with victories against Casademont Zaragoza, Monbus Obradoiro and Baskonia, and with Shorts established as leader in decisive moments.
Barcelona, eleven new faces
The blaugrana project is directly different. Designed by Xevi Pujol and led by Aleksander Sekulic, it has left ten departures, eleven arrivals and only four holdovers, seeking physicality, youth and versatility. It is the most Americanized roster with the least European pedigree in recent years.
Justin Robinson and Tyrese Martin stand out among the newcomers. Robinson, in fact, was named best player of the Lliga Catalana, Barcelona's first title of the season after coming back against Ilerna Lleida in the final.
The absences also weigh: centers Tosan Evbuomwan and Yoan Makoundou are injured, and Darío Brizuela is a doubt after withdrawing from the last friendly with a leg contusion.
Barcelona closed the year of its centennial with its third blank season and has not won this tournament since 2015, despite being six-time champions.
The numbers heading in
The ACB Bracket places Valencia as the tournament favorite for 40.5 percent of users, with Barcelona immediately behind (36.4). That is, almost 77 percent of the predictions bet on one of these two.
The winner will face the winner of Joventut-Baskonia on Sunday at 19:00, in a tournament where Real Madrid is absent for the first time in eighteen years and in which all four coaches are making their debuts.
