The real headline of the 2022-23 EuroLeague season so far is the fact that champions Anadolu Efes have experienced a sticky start to the campaign. There have been just two wins in the first seven matches and the Turkish side will need to find more improvement if they are to replicate an amazing 2021-22 campaign which saw them crowned champions.
Real Madrid and Barcelona have leapfrogged the Turkish team in the betting, with the latter winning five of their first seven matches of the season. The Catalan side are no strangers to EuroLeague success, although their last victory came in the 2009-10 campaign and perhaps it’s Real Madrid who could be the best basketball bet.
Real have landed no less than ten EuroLeague basketball titles and their last triumph was in 2017-18, with the team finishing runner-up last term and they might use that setback as motivation to go one better this time around, although the Spanish duo and champions aren’t the only team trading at single figures.
Olympiacos have made a strong start to the 2022-23 EuroLeague season and the Greek team finished fourth last season, so they have the experience of playing in the Final Four. However, it’s Fenerbahce who have cast Anadolu Efes in the shade when it comes to Turkish basketball and they shouldn’t be disregarded after previously winning in 2016-17.
2022 EuroLeague Outright Winner Tips
Barcelona are bidding to secure a third EuroLeague championship and there has been plenty to like about their performances this season. They enjoyed a 75% win rate during the regular season which left them top of the standings, with the bookies making them the team to beat.
However, at the time of writing, Barca are embroiled in a competitive tussle with Bayern Munich to secure a Final Four spot. Although they should be able to navigate their way through to the semi-final, the 90-75 defeat against Bayern in their second game of the quarter final tie illustrated plenty of weaknesses.
Perhaps Real Madrid could be the team to potentially take advantage, with the team from the Spanish capital having put themselves in the driving seat with consecutive wins over Maccabi Tel Aviv. They opened with a ten-point triumph over their Israeli opponents before a more substantial victory.
Anadolu Efes have endured a tougher assignment after clashing against AIX Armani Exchange Milan, with the Turkish team having a strong pedigree considering that this club have already tasted EuroLeague success.
However, Milan should be respected considering they finished third in the overall standings and Olympiacos had an identical record of nineteen wins and nine defeats in their twenty-eight clashes.
Can Real Madrid Land Their Eleventh EuroLeague Basketball Title?
Real Madrid have a very proud basketball history both on a domestic and European basis. Los Merengues have secured the EuroLeague title on ten previous occasions and they are currently leading the way at the top of the regular standings. The team are proving hard to beat and there’s no reason to doubt they will reach the Final Four right now.
However, Real could only finish sixth in the table last season and that meant they were handed a tough quarter final last term, with the team going head-to-head with Anadolu Efes where they came off worse after five competitive matches against the eventual champions.
Anadolu Efes Aiming to Retain EuroLeague Crown
Could the EuroLeague title be heading to Turkey for the second season running? Anadolu Efes were surprise winners last season although the bookies are showing them more respect this season. The reigning champions were able to beat Barcelona 86-81 after a slender semi-final clash against AX Armani Exchange Milan.
Anadolu Efes have shown they have the stomach to win the tough matches and they came through a tough quarter final tie against Real Madrid, although it’s always hard to win this competition.
CSKA Moscow and Armani Milano Targeting EuroLeague Final Four
CSKA Moscow thrashed Fenerbahce in last season’s quarter final tie when winning 3-0 and the Russian side and were then narrowly beaten by the eventual winners, with this club having won the EuroLeague as recently as 2018-19 and they certainly can’t be discounted despite a relatively slow start to the season.
Armani Milano finished third place after losing their semi-final last season before winning the third place play-off, with the Italian side certainly the best in their own country, although they achieved eight wins from eleven matches to illustrate that there’s a strong case for them going deep in the tournament.
2021 EuroLeague betting odds – bookies finding it hard to call
We’ve reached the play-off stage of the 2020/21 EuroLeague, with the eight leading teams from the regular season now doing battle for a place in the final four.
It was Barcelona who topped the standings after winning twenty-four of their thirty-four matches, while CSKA Moscow had an identical record and the two sides are now among the EuroLeague 2021 betting favourites although the bookies make this a wide open contest.
Anadolu Efes Favourites to Win 2021 EuroLeague
Anadolu Efes finished third in the overall standings although the bookies expect the Turkish basketball side to be the team to beat, with the side clashing with Real Madrid at the quarter final stage and they achieved back-to-back wins over their Spanish opponents although they were beaten in the most recent clash.The Istanbul side have never won a EuroLeague title and it will still rankle that they were the regular season winner during the 2019-20 campaign before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Anadolu Efes having previously finished runner-up during the previous term.
Ergin Ataman has been in charge since 2017 although they are likely to have stiff competition in the form of Barcelona and CSKA Moscow, the latter of whom have already gone through after three games played.
CSKA Moscow Could Be Betting Value to Win EuroLeague
The good news for CSKA Moscow is that they have sailed into the last four of the EuroLeague after enjoying three comfortable wins over Fenerbahce Beko, with the Russian side having matched anyone during the regular standings and they have already secured eight EuroLeague titles during their history.
CSKA most recently won the 2018-19 EuroLeague title although they are sure to get a tougher semi-final opponent, with Barcelona the outstanding team during the normal season and perhaps there’s value siding with the Catalan side who recovered from losing their first quarter final match against Zenit Saint Petersburg.Barca have enjoyed two slender victories against their Russian opponents and they need just one more win in order to book a place in the final four, with AX Armani Exchange Milan the fourth favourites and they’re currently in the ascendancy against Bayern Munich holding a 2-1 advantage.
2020-21 Euroleague betting preview
The 2020-21 EuroLeague is under way and we’re hoping to have a completed season after the 2019-20 campaign was brought to an abrupt end by the COVID-19 pandemic, with eighteen teams competing from all over Europe and the leading eight teams will go through to the playoffs in order to determine the champions.
The new season began on 1 October 2020 and will run through to 9 April 2021, with the leading teams starting to form an orderly queue at the top of the division and there are some spectators in attendance at some of the matches.
Barcelona Favourites to Win 2021 EuroLeague
Barcelona might have only triumphed in the EuroLeague on two occasions although Šarūnas Jasikevičius' side are currently the betting favourites to land this season’s crown and the former Barca player has certainly made a promising start as head coach of the Catalan club.
Barcelona are no bigger than 4.00 at the time of writing and they have won seven out of their first eight matches which suggests that they will be at the business end of the competition this term, with the team having last won the EuroLeague in the 2009-10 season and perhaps they can land a third title.
Can CSKA Moscow Defend EuroLeague Title?
CSKA Moscow have only had a modest start to their EuroLeague campaign by winning five of their eight matches, with the Russian side having been successful two seasons ago and they have to be included on any shortlist, with the team having landed eight different titles.
Victories in 2016 and 2019 means that we have to take CSKA seriously and they look likely to feature in the business end of the competition, with the bookies fluctuating between odds of 4.00 and 6.00 when it comes to this team.
Who Are the Other Teams Competing for EuroLeague?
Anadolu Efes are Turkey’s leading hope in the EuroLeague and they’re expected to mount a decent challenge for the 2020/21 season, with the team having felt hard done by last season considering that they topped the regular season standings before the season was cancelled.
They were also runners up in the 2018-19 season and have to have a chance this time around, while Real Madrid are the other team trading at single figure odds and they have a proud history of landing ten EuroLeague titles and will aim to hit the play-offs with some momentum in a few months’ time.