Euroleague Prediction: Zalgiris Kaunas – FC Barcelona (03-10-2024)

Europe’s strongest basketball league is back. The 2024-25 Euroleague season kicks off in the first week of October, and Zalgiris will face a challenge from Barcelona in their first game.

The first round will also see Fenerbahce – Olympiacos and AS Monaco – EA7 Emporio Armani. This time, the focus is on Kaunas and the Zalgiris – Barcelona match on October 3.

Both clubs have worked hard over the summer. Zalgiris welcomes the new season with seven new players: Sylvain Francisco, Tyrone Wallace, Deividas Sirvydis, Ignas Brazdeikis, Matt Michell, Alen Smailagic, and Bryant Dunston.

The roster has expanded considerably, changing Zalgiris’s whole look. The team will no longer have one clear leader of last season, Keenan Evans, and team play, high intensity, high three-point shooting, and fast offense should be Zalgiris’ new strength.

You can also read our 2024-25 Euroleague regular season predictions.

Barcelona starts the season with a new coach, Joan Penarroya. The line-up was then completed by Juan Nunez, Justin Anderson, Chimezie Metu, Youssoupha Fall, and the biggest signing of the year, Kevin Punter.

Compared to the departures of Rokas Jokubaitis, Ricky Rubio, Nikola Kalinic, Oscar da Silva, James Nnaji, and Oriol Pauli, it is fair to say that the team has strengthened.

Kevin Punter should also be particularly important, as he should shine the brightest at the end of the game. Until now, Nicolas Laprovittola has taken it upon himself at the end of games.

Zalgiris is considered a slight underdog in Kaunas, with basketball betting sites giving a +3.5 point advantage. It would certainly not be a surprise if they managed to win. At the beginning of the season, the weaker teams have a good chance to beat the leaders before they reach their best form.

However, this time, we chose a total of more than 159.5, which doesn’t seem high when both teams have such potential in attack. Zalgiris should be much better this year in the Euroleague, especially at home.

With the increase in three-pointers, stopping Zalgiris’ offense will not be easy, even for the best teams. Barca has many players who can be attacked, while at the same time, there is plenty of talent on offense. Both teams are capable of scoring more than 80 points.

This Euroleague prediction is for guidance only and we are not responsible for your bets.