In Belgrade, Crvena Zvezda will look to make amends in front of their fans after two EuroLeague defeats. Their opponents are VTB United League Supercup winners Anadolu Efes, who beat Real Madrid after losing their opener to Barcelona.
Crvena Zvezda
Crvena Zvezda began the season with a defeat to Žalgiris (77:83), although that game against the Lithuanian club was their first competitive match with Ibon Navarro in charge. The hosts' main problem is their shooting: they made 37% of their shots from the field in the opening round. The second round brought no success either, with a narrow defeat to Hapoel (80:81). Johnathan Motley was particularly poor in those games, scoring just four points in a combined 30 minutes on court. The squad situation remains difficult: Nikola Đurišić is definitely out through injury, while Chima Moneke and Patrick Baldwin are doubtful.
Anadolu Efes
The Turkish club underwent a major rebuild over the summer, but their start to the season has been uneven. The defeat to Barcelona (82:89) showed that Pablo Laso has problems to solve in both defence and squad depth. Efes have a lengthy injury list: Georgios Papagiannis is still recovering from a cruciate ligament tear and will not return before the end of the year, while Isaïa Cordinier has undergone surgery and is out until winter. Efes responded by beating Real Madrid (94:84) in their most recent game. All 11 players who featured scored at least five points, with P.J. Dozier leading the way on 18.
Crvena Zvezda vs Anadolu Efes Prediction
The head-to-head record favours Crvena Zvezda: the Serbian club won both meetings last season, by 22 and 10 points. Efes were going through a difficult spell then and had a different squad. The Turkish club have looked reasonably good so far this season and are capable of covering a generous positive handicap.
