Andy West previews Round 23 of the 2025-26 EuroLeague season
At a glance: A lopsided round to begin this week's action
Game Preview
8 Mins read
The latest double-round week tips off on Tuesday, with the race for the playoffs continuing to take shape. Here’s your guide to Round 23 on the regular season.
Tuesday, January 20
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv (18:15 CET)
Two teams looking to build more momentum meet in Piraeus as Olympiacos (13-8) welcomes Maccabi (9-13). The Reds are in their best form of the season after stringing together five wins out of six, culminating in a dominant performance at Partizan last week. Thomas Walkup set the tone by delivering 12 points and 7 assists without a turnover, and he’ll look to be similarly effective against Maccabi guard Jimmy Clark, who played a big role in his team’s victory over Zalgiris with 17 points and 5 assists. That much-needed Maccabi victory also featured strong contributions inside the paint from Marcio Santos and TJ Leaf, who will need to maintain a similar level of performance to compete with a formidable Olympiacos frontcourt which could be augmented by a EuroLeague debut for recent signing Tyrique Jones.
Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (18:30 CET)
A game to be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, will pit together two teams heading in different directions as Hapoel (15-6) faces Efes (6-16). The Turkish team’s slide continued with a home loss to Baskonia last week, making it six straight losses for Pablo Laso’s team. His long-time coaching rival Dimitris Itoudis is enjoying a much better time with Hapoel, which has won its last two games to stay in first place. A trio of ex-Efes players will aim to inflict more pain on their former employers, with playmaker Vasilije Micic, swingman Elijah Bryant and center Dan Oturu all taking central roles. To subdue them, Efes will look for leadership and scoring from fit-again Isaia Cordinier, while Nick Weiler-Babb needs to control the tempo and set the tone on defense.
AS Monaco vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (18:45 CET)
It’s a red-and-white battle with plenty of significance in the race for the playoffs with Monaco (15-7) welcoming Zvezda (12-10). Vassilis Spanoulis’s team is looking like the best in the competition right now after grabbing six straight victories, propelled by a series of MVP-level performances from all-time scoring king Mike James. His backcourt battle with Codi Miller-McIntyre will be a key to this game, and Zvezda will also hope for another burst of scoring from Jordan Nwora after his 22 points helped seal a hard-earned win at Milan last week. Former Monaco coach Sasa Obradovic will be challenged to find a game plan to disrupt Monaco’s rhythm, and could be lifted by the return of fit-again big man Joel Bolomboy for the first time this season.
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (20:00 CET)
Playoff-chasing Zalgiris (12-10) will look to get back on the winning path with a trip to joint-last ASVEL (6-16). The Lithuanian team needs to recover its usual defensive standards after allowing 100 points in a loss at Maccabi last time out, and ASVEL is also looking to bounce back from a three-game losing slump. The key to the outcome could lie in three-point shooting: ASVEL ranks last in the league in long-range conversion (31.5%), while Zalgiris tops the rankings in that category (39.6%). So the hosts need a good night from shooters like Zac Seljaas and Glynn Watson, whilst also finding a way to minimize the impact of visiting star Sylvain Francisco, who has gone 10-of-21 from beyond the arc in the last three games.
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (20:15 CET)
Panathinaikos (13-9) is aiming to get back to winning ways as it hosts a Baskonia (8-14) gunning for a second straight road success. The Spanish team finally ended its barren run away from home by downing Efes last week, and backcourt orchestrator Trent Forrest – who had 17 points and 7 assists in that win – will look to again control the tempo in a tough matchup with veteran master Kostas Sloukas. Both teams are hoping that key scorers can recover fitness, with Kendrick Nunn and Markus Howard both missing out last week. Nunn hit a game-winning triple on the final buzzer to give the Greens victory in Vitoria in October, and Baskonia would love to keep the game so close again to test the confidence of a Panathinaikos team which has lost three of the last four.
FC Bayern Munich vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (20:30 CET)
Bayern (8-14) will hope to continue its recent resurgence against a Partizan (6-16) that desperately needs a win of its own. The Serbian team’s painful season took another turn for the worse with last week’s 38-point home blowout against Olympiacos, while Bayern enjoyed different fortunes against a Greek giant by downing Panathinaikos. The three-point shooting of Andreas Obst was again central to that triumph, and he will look to feast against a poor Partizan perimeter defense that has allowed a league-high 40.7% on three-point conversions. The form of Duane Washington, with 28 and 20 points in the last two games, is one bright spot for the Serbian team. Bayern’s red-hot man is Justinian Jessup, who will look to help his team keep climbing the standings after stringing together four consecutive double-digit scoring nights.
Valencia Basket vs. Paris Basketball (20:30 CET)
Faltering Valencia (14-8) will look to get its top-four challenge back on track with a visit from similarly fast-paced Paris (7-14). The Spanish team has lost its momentum by suffering two straight losses, and will also be motivated by revenge after losing a thriller, 90-86, in Paris in Round 11. Entertainment is guaranteed in a matchup between the third and second highest-scoring teams in the EuroLeague (89.8 vs 90.0 points per game), and the battle of the boards will also be spectacular – only Paris (14.7 per game) averages more offensive rebounds than Valencia (13.5). On a personal level, there will be a stellar backcourt matchup between two of the league’s brightest young talents as Jean Montero (averaging 18.0 points and 4.0 assists over the last three games) faces league-leading scorer Nadir Hifi (20.3 points per game).
FC Barcelona vs. Dubai Basketball (20:30 CET)
Barcelona (14-8) will look to bounce straight back from last week’s Clásico disappointment by overcoming Dubai (10-12). The visiting team has struggled on the road, winning just two of 11 away games, but can take confidence from its 83-78 victory over Barca in Round 5. Filip Petrusev inspired that triumph with 23 points and 8 rebounds, and his battle for control of the paint with Toko Shengelia – who has six straight double-digit scoring nights – will be one of the highlights of this encounter. The Spanish team needs to recover its usual offensive fluidity after dishing just 9 assists in last week’s loss in Madrid, while Dubai will rely on another big contribution from Dwayne Bacon, who has averaged 18.6 points in the last six games. Dzanan Musa, out since Round 3, is expected to make his return to action for Dubai after featuring in the ABA League this past weekend.
Real Madrid vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (20:45 CET)
Milan (11-11) will attempt to climb into the top 10 with a tough road trip to Real Madrid (14-8). The Spanish team will be confident after outplaying rival Barcelona last week, and will look for another burst of energy from Usman Garuba to keep Milan on the back foot. The Italian team has struggled for consistency recently, and needs defensive improvement after allowing 103 points in last week’s loss to Zvezda. The all-round scoring threat of Shavon Shields (13.3 points per game) will be one of the biggest threats to the home defense, while Gaby Deck will look to continue his remarkable long-range accuracy after making 8-of-8 three-pointers in the last three games. Real leads the league in defensive rebounding (25.8 per game), so Milan will need to make the most of its scoring opportunities.
Wednesday, January 21
Virtus Bologna vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (20:30 CET)
In Wednesday’s only game, Virtus (11-11) will keep pushing for the all-important top 10 with a visit from high-flying Fenerbahce (14-7). Disrupting the visiting team’s rhythm will be the task of Round 22 MVP Saliou Niang, who has grabbed at least 7 rebounds in four straight games. Virtus is one of the league’s best home teams (8-2), and maintaining that will need another big night from former Fener star Carsen Edwards (24 and 21 points in the last two games). But it won’t be easy against a visiting team which has become even more complete with the addition of Nando De Colo, and can increasingly rely on strong contributions from Talen Horton-Tucker after eight straight double-digit scoring nights. Fener edged Virtus 66-64 in November, and this one could be just as tight.