Euroleague Round 1 Preview and Predictions

Euroleague week 1 predictions are here, so check them out asap.

The top tier of European basketball starts on October 1, with the champions Panathinaikos visiting Alba Berlin. We have all nine games covered here.

Alba Berlin vs. Panathinaikos

The host is one of the weakest teams in the Euroleague, and we've seen that not just over the years but also this preseason when they didn't do anything noticeable.

Meanwhile, PAO is the reigning champion, and it added several more players (mainly from the NBA) to its already fantastic roster led by Kendrick Nunn and Kostas Sloukas.

They will easily defeat the hosts here and start the title defense with a win.

Monaco vs. Olimpia Milano

These two teams are direct rivals for the playoffs and the Final Four. Monaco kept the majority of its team, while Olimpia suffered changes.

The team from Italy would need a certain amount of time to click and create chemistry. That's one reason why we picked the home team to win; the other is their home court. It's not too noisy or ferocious, but it'll present an edge.

Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Barcelona

The hosts have made several big-time additions to their roster but also had departures. All in all, Zalgiris seems to have the same strength as last season.

Jabari Parker and Barcelona had a disappointing Euroleague season last year, so they brought Kevin Punter from Partizan. Barca appears to have a better team than before and should open the season with a victory.

Maccabi Tel Aviv vs. Lyon Villeurbanne

First, you must know that Maccabi plays its games in Belgrade, not Tel Aviv, due to the ongoing war. Despite that, the Israel champions are big-time favorites against Asvel, and anything else but their win here would be a big surprise.

Baskonia vs. Partizan Belgrade

Baskonia changed its head coach and many players, and it had a busy summer. Meanwhile, Partizan kept only one player from the previous season and made a radical decision to reshape its roster completely.

These two teams are pretty close at the moment, but we predict the guests to win the match.

Bayern vs. Real Madrid

Bayern landed the former UConn star Shabazz Napier, but that won't make them a playoff contender. Real lost Guerschon Yabusele after he posterized LeBron, yet the Hezonja-Musa duo is still there.

That's why Real wins this one without problems.

Fenerbahce vs. Olympiacos

Fener landed a plethora of fantastic guards, and they already had one of the best shooting teams in the Euroleague. Do not be surprised if you see them hit 15 threes in a game.

Olympiacos is massacred with injuries, especially the guys under the rim (Fall and Milutinov). However, NBA veteran Evan Fournier and former Euroleague MVP Sasha Vezenkov are ready to roll.

After deep thinking and evaluation, we took the home team to win here and successfully open the season. Absence of Oly's big guys is a big problem for them.

Paris vs. Crvena Zvezda

Paris is the newcomer in this competition. However, we can't say they will present a competitive opponent for the other team. Right now, they don't look like a group that can do anything special.

Zvezda received a lot of money from the Serbian state and has very high ambitions this year. They had a busy summer, mostly signing players, and their defeat here would be a disaster.

So we go with the red-and-whites from Belgrade.

Virtus Bologna vs. Anadolu Efes

Will Clyburn will play his first game for Virtus against his previous unit. But knowing him, there won't be any emotions involved. The team from Bologna didn't have any big signings except for him.

Now, this isn't the case with Efes, who will attack the very top of the Euroleague this year. Shane Larkin still leads the unit, and with several new sidekicks, he can carry this team all the way.

Our final pick in this article is Efes to win.