Basketball European Cup
Bayern want to rock the Euroleague – Alba in restart mode
The new star at FC Bayern: Serge Ibaka. photo
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
The Euroleague is starting again – and the Bayern basketball players want to know it this time. The Final Four in Berlin is the goal. For Alba it seems out of reach.
The basketball players have to go to their spectacular glass floor Bayern Munich will be without the start of the new Euroleague season after testing. But even so, the star ensemble from the Isar wants to finally create special effects internationally again in the new season.
After clearly missing out on making it into the playoffs last season, taking part in the knockout rounds is something of a minimum goal this season. The focus is clearly on the Final Four, which will take place in Berlin at the end of May 2024.
“I want to win everything,” said Bayern’s new center Serge Ibaka, who joined Bayern with the experience of more than 1,000 NBA games. Bayern are still having a hard time in the league at this early stage of the season. The opening win against Syntainics MBC was followed by a surprising defeat at EWE Baskets Oldenburg without Ibaka. Now there should definitely be another success this Thursday (8.30 p.m./Magentasport) at the start of the Euroleague in the German duel with Alba Berlin.
Praise from the Alba coach
“Bayern have strengthened their team to the highest European standard. If they manage to put the individual pieces together, they will be difficult to beat,” said Alba coach Israel González with respect about Bayern, who in Andreas Obst, Isaac Bonga and Niels Giffey have three world champions in their ranks. On Thursday they will see Alba captain Johannes Thiemann, the only hero from Manila in the Berlin team.
Because in Maodo Lo, another world champion has left the capital to join the Italian top team from EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. How the face of the Alba team has changed significantly. Nine players left Alba in the summer, including top performers like captain Luke Sikma (to Olympiakos Piraeus). “It’s basically a new start again. We therefore need patience and time,” said Berlin’s managing director Marco Baldi.
Final tournament in Berlin
Time that doesn’t exist in the Euroleague. The European premier class has developed enormously in recent years and has long since offered just as good entertainment as the NBA. It will therefore be exciting to see how the young Berlin team fares against all the financially and powerful competition. Last season, Alba mostly had no chance and clearly missed the playoffs – and that with a team that was, at least on paper, better than the current one. The Final Four in our own hall certainly serves as motivation, but is likely to remain out of reach.
Bayern, on the other hand, can be confident of making it into the top four teams on the continent if everything goes optimally. In the first competitive game against the MBC, the Munich team already showed their great potential from time to time. However, the spectacular glass floor with graphic effects still delivered a better show in his test. That should change as the season progresses. “We can play fast and attractive basketball. That was one of our goals, but that wasn’t necessarily the focus in the past for various reasons,” said Bayern managing director Marko Pesic.