Valencia Basket aims for first win in Belgrade as gift from Three Kings

Valencia Basket opens the second round of the EuroLeague with one of the toughest trips on the calendar. The Talonja team will visit Estrella Roja this Tuesday, January 6th (8pm).

Pedro Martínez’s side face the challenge of being the leaders of the EuroLeague, with the goal of achieving an unprecedented victory in the EuroLeague after a record unbeaten first round of 13-6. So far, Valencia Basket has not been able to get a win in Belgrade in the Euroleague, which was an added challenge at the beginning of a particularly difficult week.

The match in Belgrade will be the start of four consecutive games in seven days for Valencia Basket. After the European matches, the Talonja team will return home to face AS Monaco, before playing two consecutive La Liga Endesa matches against Unicaja and Casademont Zaragoza.

This game pits two of the best defensive structures in the championship against each other. Red Star has the second best defensive efficiency in the Euroleague, while the Talonja team occupies third place in the section. Moreover, the match featured a contrast between Valencia Basket, which leads the competition in triple scoring, and its rival, who stands out by reducing the external success of their opponents.

In the first round at Roig Arena, Valencia Basket won 76-73, but the game was decided in the final moments, with the Serbian team holding the final possession that could decide the tie or victory.

Sasa Obradovic’s side are in ninth place at the start of the day with 11 wins and eight losses and go into this game in the mid-table zone. The red and white teams won eight of their 10 home games, turning the court into a fortress.

Red Star started the year with a big away win against Pablo Laso’s Anadolu Efes. For this game, the Serbian coach brought back Ognjen Dobric and Jago dos Santos, but kept Joel Boromboy, Jasiel Rivero, Tyson Carter and Isaiah Canaan long-term absentees.