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Mixed martial arts Euroleague Round 1 Best Bet: It’s Raining in Istanbul
Euroleague Round 1 Best Bet: Friday, October 7th
Basketball season is back, and after getting a small taste of what’s to come at Eurobasket 2022, we finally get to watch the highest tier of European basketball again! We’ve got 5 games on Thursday and 4 more on Friday night, and I’ve combed through all of them to find you the best value bet.
In this article:
Anadolu Efes vs Crvena Zvezda Preview
October 7th, 18:30 UK Time
The two-time defending champions Anadolu Efes make their way back to Sinan Erdem Dome this Friday night hoping to get their first win of the new season against a familiar opponent – Crvena Zvezda Belgrade. Efes made history last season, winning just 2 of their first 8 Euroleague games, but still going on to win their 2nd Euroleague title in a row. The bookmakers have placed them as third favourites to go for a three-peat at 5.00 odds, right behind Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Ergin Ataman’s squad was one of the best-attacking teams in the league last year, averaging 81.0 points per game on 36.4% from beyond the arc. On the flip side, they’ve been guilty of forgetting about their defensive tasks at times and allowing an unnecessarily high number of points. In fact, Efes allowed 78.5 points per game, and most of their losses last year can be attributed to a poor defensive effort. They’ve brought in Ante Zizic, Will Clyburn, Amath M’Baye, Egehan Arna and Achille Polonara this offseason, so we will have to wait and see how this changes their performance.
Meanwhile, the Belgrade side finished the 2021/22 Euroleague season 11th in the standings with just 12 wins and 16 losses. They had significant wins against high-profile teams like Olympiacos, Efes and Real Madrid, but their lack of consistency prevented them from ever going on a significant winning streak. Crvena Zvezda averaged 72.6 points per game, but their offensive performance was far too inconsistent. They would score 57 points against Olimpia Milano but bounce back the very next game to go for 80 against Monaco.
That said, one thing was certain, their defence was elite at home, but rubbish on the road. Zvezda allowed an average of 76.5 points per game, and this number often climbed to the high 80s. Their team has changed a lot during the offseason, and despite losing Nikola Kalinic to Barcelona, they have acquired Nedovic, Holland, Martin, Petrusev, Bentil and Adams. With all these changes and a new head coach in Vladimir Jovanović, I expect team chemistry to be a huge issue for this team, at least at the start of the season.
Anadolu Efes vs Crvena Zvezda Best Bet
These two teams faced each other twice last season and combined for 167 and 178 points respectively. Efes are the heavy favourites heading into this match-up at 1.13 odds, to win, whilst Zvezda are valued at 6.25. Normally, I would jump at the chance to back a +13-point handicap (Unibet), but it’s the first round of the season, and I advise a healthy dose of caution.
The 157.5-point line seems a bit too low for teams that have a habit of shooting the lights out against each other. I’m going with lower stakes, but backing the Over is by far the best bet of the bunch.
- Selection: Over 157.5 Points
- Best Odds: 1.94 (Lasbet)
- Stakes: 3/10
Odds as at 12:45 pm on October 6th, 2022. Odds may now differ.
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