Bold predictions, Rounds 6-7: Teams going in different directions

Euroleague.net's team of experts have each made one bold prediction ahead of Rounds 6 and 7 of the 2024-25 season

The second double-round week of the season is here, which should spell plenty of drama for all 18 teams in Rounds 6 and 7 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

In the lead-up to Round 6, the Euroleague.net experts have each come up with one bold prediction.

Paris to keep on charging this week

by Geoff Gillingham

What a time to be a Paris Basketball fan. In the club’s first-ever season in the EuroLeague, Tiago Splitter has guided his team to two notable wins – at home against reigning champ Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in Round 3 and on the road at AS Monaco in Round 5 – to give the Parisian club a 2-3 record after five games. In fact, Paris could easily have found itself with two, if not three, more wins under its belt, but its inexperience was its undoing. This week, I think Paris – led by superstar point guard TJ Shorts – will beat ALBA Berlin on the road on Tuesday before downing Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz at home on Friday. That Baskonia game will be a special occasion for Coach Splitter, who had his No. 21 jersey retired by the Spanish club last season, but I think Paris will be looking at an impressive 4-3 record come the end of this week.

Olympiacos bounces back at home

by Javier Gancedo

Olympiacos Piraeus has had a rough start to the season and currently ranks 11th with a 2-3 record. It also lost against archrival Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in the Greek League derby last Sunday, so it is time for the Reds to regroup at home against Real Madrid and FC Barcelona – that's my bold prediction. Olympiacos should beat Real, as it is Sasha Vezenkov's first game against Los Blancos since losing the 2023 EuroLeague Championship Game at the buzzer. No one will be more motivated in this game, and Vezenkov already had 29 points and a PIR of 34 in that fatal night back in 2023. Thomas Walkup should have a key role, guarding Facu Campazzo in Round 6 and Kevin Punter in Round 7. Olympiacos beat Barca in last season's playoffs, winning Game 5 at Palau Blaugrana, so the atmosphere should be wild at the Peace and Friendship Stadium. Despite its slow start, Olympiacos is basically the same team as last season, plus Vezenkov, Evan Fournier and Luca Vildoza. Expect the Reds to have a winning record by the end of this week.

Zalgiris’s magic act comes to an end

Frankie Sachs

Zalgiris Kaunas is tied for the league’s top record alongside FC Barcelona at 4-1. And now it hosts back-to-back home games. Is now the time coach Andrea Trinchieri’s team establishes itself among the contenders. In my humble opinion, it will not. Since beating Barcelona on opening night, Zalgiris’s wins thus far have come against teams at the bottom rungs of the standings and its clashes against teams with winning records – Crvena Zvezda Meridienbet Belgrade on Wednesday and AS Monaco on Friday – present much stiffer challenges. Zalgiris has won so far with a collective effort as only two players (Sylvain Francisco and Dovydas Giedraitis) are averaging double digits in scoring or PIR. Zalgiris has not yet replaced Tyrone Wallace and offseason additions Deividas Sirvydis and Matt Mitchell have not provided offensive fireworks. To beat the stars on Zvezda and Monaco, they will need those fireworks. I am not sure they are up Trinchieri’s sleeve.

Monaco shows character on the road

by Igor Petrinovic

Monaco has had an up-and-down start to the season, just like almost every other EuroLeague team. Heading into the second double-round week of the season with a 3-2 record isn't that bad, especially considering the team has been missing key backcourt pieces in Nick Calathes and Furkan Korkmaz, while Mike James is still not at 100% after his back surgery this past summer. However, Monaco played four of its five games at home and lost its only away clash, which came at FC Barcelona. This week, Monaco will first visit Partizan, then travel to Kaunas to face Zalgiris. A challenging week with two tough road games in front of packed houses. But I think Monaco shows character and steals two road wins in three days, putting the rest of the league on notice of what this team is capable of.