Reigning Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion Anadolu Efes will have its work cut out as it attempts to defend the crown. While every team will bring its best when they face the champs, some games will be tougher than others. Here are five games that fans of both teams will surely have marked on their calendars.

### Round 1: A rivalry in the making

These sides played a memorable playoff series last season with Efes dominated at first before Real Madrid had a pair of come-from-behind wins at home to even it. Then Efes survived a thriller in game 5 to reach the Final Four. In their first clash since then, Real will be hungry to establish itself by downing the champs at home, while Efes looks to keep Los Blancos under its thumb with s season-opening victory in the Spanish capital.

### Round 2: The last two champions meet

Not only did these teams square off in the 2019 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game, but they played a thriller in last season's semifinals, where CSKA Moscow rallied from a 21-point deficit for a shot to win it in the closing seconds before Anadolu Efes Istanbul prevailed and went on to win the championship. In between, they traded blowouts with CSKA winning by 35 in Moscow and Efes by 30 in Istanbul. Something exciting seems to always happen when Efes and CSKA meet and this time it will be Efes's home opener.

### Round 8: Facing the Zenit test

Though Efes made history last season, it came up empty every time it faced Zenit St Petersburg. Coach Ergin Ataman’s side was held to 69 points in an opening-night home loss and Zenit made it a season sweep in Round 21 in Russia. The champs remember those games well and will be motivated to exact revenge in 2021-22.

### Round 12: The Istanbul derby

The rivalry between the two strongest teams in Turkey runs deep and the matchups between Efes and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul show that regularly. Last season, Fenerbahce beat Efes the first time they played before Efes roared for a 74-106 rout in the Asian side of the city in Round 26. Before last season, Fenerbahce had reached five consecutive Final Fours. Now Efes is on top after winning the EuroLeague and then sweeping Fenerbahce in the Turkish League finals. There may be fireworks when these teams meet again.

### Round 13: Championship game rematch

FC Barcelona had the best record in the league last season, but has lost four straight games against Efes, including the 2021 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game. The defending champs will be eager to show their dominance by extending that streak, making the championship game rematch must-see basketball. Especially because these two enter this season with lofty goals once again.

Reigning Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion Anadolu Efes will have its work cut out as it attempts to defend the crown. While every team will bring its best when they face the champs, some games will be tougher than others. Here are five games that fans of both teams will surely have marked on their calendars.

2021-22 Games to Watch: Anadolu Efes Istanbul

# This is a podcast article

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Duis et vehicula leo, at pulvinar tortor. Nullam quis aliquet turpis, eu tincidunt neque. Vestibulum ut sodales ex. Morbi libero nibh, [venenatis](https://euroleague-vercel.vercel.app/) at metus non, tempus convallis turpis. Fusce non eros felis. Praesent condimentum libero bibendum, placerat lorem sit amet, finibus ipsum. 

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DC - News Article - Round 28 Highlights: Barcelona - Baskonia

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DC - News Article Premium - Round 28 Highlights: Barcelona - Baskonia

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Having come so close to title glory last season, falling in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game against Anadolu Efes Istanbul, FC Barcelona will be aiming to go one better this time around. Head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius has restocked his roster with a batch of talented new signings and it promises to be another exciting season for the Blaugrana.

### Round 11: Proving a point against ASVEL

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne might not appear to be the most obvious direct rival for FC Barcelona, but Sarunas Jasikevicius and his players will have something to prove when they head to France in November because ASVEL succeeded in beating Barca not once, but twice last season. Both of those results were explained by ASVEL’s success in limiting Barca’s offensive efficiency, with the Catalans held to less than 70 points in 80-68 and 69-76 losses. Jasikevicius will be eager to ensure that history is not repeated as he locks horns with TJ Parker again.

### Round 14: 'Clasico' calling
Every Clasico is special and really does not need any added spice, but this season’s first meeting between Barca and archrival Real Madrid will be particularly poignant for three players who switched sides in the summer. Adam Hanga and Thomas Heurtel will be lining up in white uniforms as they make their first EuroLeague returns to the Palau Blaugrana, while Nico Laprovittola will aim to steer Barca to victory from the backcourt as his faces his former teammates. As always, sparks will fly when these two fierce rivals meet.

### Round 19: Festive trip to Moscow
Barca’s regular season trip to CSKA Moscow comes on a festive date for both teams with the January 7 meeting sitting nicely around Russian Christmas and Spanish Three Kings celebrations. But there will be an absence of season’s greetings on the floor as these title heavyweights go head-to-head for their first game of 2022 and Barca will be looking to maintain its strong recent streak of success against CSKA. The Spanish team won both games last season, having also triumphed in the previous campaign’s trip to Moscow on a buzzer-beater from Nikola Mirotic.

### Round 21: Revenge mission against Efes

Barca and Anadolu Efes Istanbul have developed a fierce rivalry in recent years and that was taken to a new level with last season’s championship game which saw the Turkish team crowned. Their first meeting this season comes in Istanbul in Round 13, but January’s showdown in Barcelona could well prove to be more significant as the two teams certain to be among title contenders head towards the final straight of the regular season. It will also be a memorable night for Sertac Sanli, Barca’s new center who previously spent three years with Efes.

### Round 29: Jokubaitis heads home

The links between Barcelona and Zalgiris Kaunas continued to strengthen in the summer. With Lithuanian legend Sarunas Jasikevicius and fellow former Zalgiris player Brandon Davies already within the Blaugrana ranks, Rokas Jokubaitis has also now arrived in Spain after coming through the Zalgiris youth system. The 20-year-old combo guard has his first chance to return to his native land in March – and he won’t be lacking advice from inside his locker room on how it feels to make a ‘homecoming’ to the Zalgirio Arena.


Having come so close to title glory last season, falling in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game against Anadolu Efes Istanbul, FC Barcelona will be aiming to go one better this time around. Head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius has restocked his roster with a batch of talented new signings and it promises to be another exciting season for the Blaugrana.

2021-22 Games to Watch: FC Barcelona

German champ ALBA Berlin announced the completion of its roster with the addition of guard Jaleen Smith for the next three seasons.

ALBA completes roster with MVP Smith

Smith (1.95 meters, 26 years old) arrives from Ludwigsburg of the German league, where last season he averaged 15.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.7 steals to earn the Season MVP award in that competition. Smith played college ball in New Hampshire, where he averaged 11.5 points, 5.0 boards and 3.0 assists. In 2017, fresh off college, Smith crossed the pond and landed in Germany, where he joined Heidelberg of the second division. His performances there got him a spot with Ludwigsburg, which he joined in 2019. Smith is set to make his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut this season with ALBA.

<div style="display: grid; place-items: center;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">Der MVP kommt nach Berlin! Jaleen Smith erhält bei ALBA einen Vertrag über 3⃣ Jahre.<br><br>Der wertvollste Spieler der <a href="https://twitter.com/easyCreditBBL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@easyCreditBBL</a> ist der dritte und letzte Neuzugang im 16 Spieler umfassenden ALBA-Kader für die kommende Saison.<br><br>Welcome to the family, <a href="https://twitter.com/JaleenSmith0?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JaleenSmith0</a>! <a href="https://t.co/JBtEsqsKOb">pic.twitter.com/JBtEsqsKOb</a></p>&mdash; ALBA BERLIN (@albaberlin) <a href="https://twitter.com/albaberlin/status/1430447386191667200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

On Wednesday morning, German champ ALBA Berlin announced the completion of its roster with the addition of guard Jaleen Smith for the next three seasons.

Perennial title contender CSKA Moscow is ready to launch another challenge in the 2021-22 season, with long-serving Head Coach Dimitris Itoudis keeping the bulk of last season’s successful squad intact while adding a few more key pieces. Here are some of the big games to look for as CSKA guns for glory once again – including an explosive start to the season.

## Round 1: Immediate Milan rematch

The excitement starts immediately as CSKA gets the season underway with a trip to AX Armani Exchange Milan on the earliest opening night in competition history. It will be an immediate rematch of last season’s Third Place Game, which saw Milan claim an 83-73 victory, and another chance for CSKA to go up against former favorites Kyle Hines, Sergio Rodriguez and Ettore Messina. Despite that loss in May, CSKA will take confidence from its recent record in Milan after winning its last five games in the fashion capital, a sequence stretching back to 2010.

## Round 2: The drama continues
If you thought CSKA’s start to the season could not get any tougher, think again: the Round 1 opener in Milan is directly followed by a trip to Istanbul for a meeting with its other recent Final Four opponent and the team which subsequently deposed CSKA as reigning champ, Anadolu Efes. These two teams, who also met in the 2019 title game, know each other extremely well but one wild card for CSKA could be Iffe Lundberg, who has made a great start to his EuroLeague career and scored 15 points in last season’s semifinal loss.

## Round 11: Another thriller in Vitoria-Gasteiz?
If you’re looking for a guaranteed high-scoring thriller, CSKA’s annual encounters with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz are probably the safest bet. Last season’s 95-93 thriller in Baskonia’s favor was just one of many recent nail-biting encounters between the teams at Fernando Buesa Arena, which was also the venue for CSKA’s most recent title triumph in 2019. In total, nine of the last ten regular-season meetings between the teams have been settled by single-digit margins, with the winning team scoring at least 90 points on five occasions.

## Round 15: Vorontsevich reunion in a new Russian derby

CSKA has a new cross-country derby to look forward to with the EuroLeague return of UNICS Kazan, last season’s runner-up in the 7DAYS EuroCup. The teams have only met twice before in the EuroLeague, with CSKA winning both games in the 2016-17 season, and the club from the capital will roll out a special welcome mat for one of its former favorites: Andrey Vorontsevich won three continental titles and made 274 EuroLeague appearances over 14 seasons with CSKA and signed on with UNICS in the summer.

## Round 16: Grigonis back in Berlin

CSKA’s big summer signing Marius Grigonis will have an emotional return to face former club Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 14, but a week later the guard will head back to another old home venue and, indeed, the place where his European basketball adventure truly began. Grigonis spent the 2017-18 season with ALBA Berlin and averaged 11.6 points per game in the 7DAYS EuroCup during his first campaign in senior continental competition. And as the 2022 Final Four will also take place in the German capital, Grigonis will hope it’s not his only visit to his former home this season.

Perennial title contender CSKA Moscow is ready to launch another challenge in the 2021-22 season, with long-serving Head Coach Dimitris Itoudis keeping the bulk of last season’s successful squad intact while adding a few more key pieces. Here are some of the big games to look for as CSKA guns for glory once again – including an explosive start to the season.

2021-22 Games to Watch: CSKA Moscow

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More and more teams started their practices with the new season on the horizon.

Real Madrid had its first practice on Tuesday with new faces like Adam Hanga, Thomas Heurtel or Nigel Williams-Goss wearing white for the first time under coach Pablo Laso's orders.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🏀 Primer entrenamiento: ✅✅✅<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HalaMadrid?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HalaMadrid</a> <a href="https://t.co/zftg4SHk3K">pic.twitter.com/zftg4SHk3K</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1430268396617310208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

FC Barcelona and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul also started to work with the ball on their respective practice gyms. Also a perfect occasion to see new names wearing new colors and getting to know their teammates on the court.



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">📹 Day 3️⃣<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowLegacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowLegacy</a> <a href="https://t.co/r61D0Nxz8Z">pic.twitter.com/r61D0Nxz8Z</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1430455424654979077?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">🏀 Comencen els entrenaments a Encamp!<br><br>🔵🔴 Som-hi Barça! <a href="https://t.co/6WkHBeAC77">pic.twitter.com/6WkHBeAC77</a></p>&mdash; 🏆 Barça Basket 🏆 (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1430451610522619904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

EuroLeague newcomer AS Monaco is one of the teams that has been practicing for longer, and the pace is not going down as the 7DAYS EuroCup champs prepare for their debut in the big stage.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">🆙 Ɠσιη’ HIƓH 🌟 <a href="https://t.co/2DaHzo8nEZ">pic.twitter.com/2DaHzo8nEZ</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1430450904885567490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

In Lithuania, the new Zalgiris Kaunas team opened doors to the media so the players could answer some questions. Among them, the latest acquisition, Emmanuel Mudiay.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The newly-built Zalgiris team opened up to the media and shared their thoughts during the open practice! 🎙️<br><br>Coach Schiller interview 👉 <a href="https://t.co/xXeQux2cvN">https://t.co/xXeQux2cvN</a> <a href="https://t.co/OMaMiNQ4NE">pic.twitter.com/OMaMiNQ4NE</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1430448974243184642?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

FC Bayern Munich was also back to its home, the Audi Dome, to start practices with ball on the floor. Of course, the many new names in the roster were the main protagonists of the day as the team will look to repeat the results of its most successful EuroLeague season to date.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">😍 BOYS ARE BACK IN AUDI DOME<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FCBB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FCBB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FCBB2022?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FCBB2022</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/O_hunter5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@O_hunter5</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Rated_Aug?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Rated_Aug</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NihadDjedovic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NihadDjedovic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DHilliard6X?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DHilliard6X</a> <a href="https://t.co/knRu3cwufQ">pic.twitter.com/knRu3cwufQ</a></p>&mdash; FC Bayern Basketball (@FCBBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball/status/1430246342870323204?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Finally, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens was also back to OAKA in the Greek capital, as a new era starts with new coach Dimitris Priftis.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="el" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BackInBusiness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BackInBusiness</a> 🏀 <br><br>🗣 Δείτε τις δηλώσεις του προπονητή μας, Δημήτρη Πρίφτη, από την απογευματινή προπόνηση της ομάδας!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/panathinaikosbcopap?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#panathinaikosbcopap</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GreenOurHome?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GreenOurHome</a> <a href="https://t.co/T1dtEx3EJ1">pic.twitter.com/T1dtEx3EJ1</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1430241757128704001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Real Madrid had its first practice on Tuesday with new faces like Adam Hanga, Thomas Heurtel and Nigel Williams-Goss wearing white for the first time under coach Pablo Laso's orders.

More teams start training camps

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv announced on Tuesday that it has signed Ido Ben Harush for the coming season. Ben Harush (1.93 meters, 23 years old) is a product of the club's youth system and was a member of Maccabi's senior team for the 2016-17 season. He played for AS Ashkelon in Israel's third division last season. Before that he played for Rehovot and Givatayim.



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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="iw" dir="rtl">חוזר למכבי &gt;&gt; <a href="https://t.co/GIIPiwGe1I">https://t.co/GIIPiwGe1I</a> <a href="https://t.co/vG6quM2GiF">pic.twitter.com/vG6quM2GiF</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC (@MaccabitlvBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabitlvBC/status/1430114227948302366?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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