FC Bayern Munich returns to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this season for its fourth run in the competition. Bayern has become more and more competitive over the years and its recent results – winning the German League title and reaching the 7DAYS EuroCup Semifinals last season - prove it. Here's a look at some of the key games in its EuroLeague return this season.
Round 1: A strong start
Bayern opens the 2018-19 EuroLeague with a home game against Anadolu Efes Istanbul. It is sure to be a tough game, since Efes is a traditional EuroLeague powerhouse and finished last in the competition last season, so it will be highly motivated to bounce back and start this season with a win. These teams will face each other for the first time ever, which adds even more anticipation to this fantastic showdown. Expect a noisy crowd at Audi Dome, as Bayern hosts a EuroLeague game for the first time in over 1,000 days.
Round 6: Going one step higher
Bayern and Darussafaka Istanbul faced each other in the late stages of the 2017-18 7DAYS EuroCup. The teams squared off in an exciting best-of-three semifinal series and delivered two of the best games in competition history. Darussafaka rallied from a 23-point deficit to win Game 1 on a three-point shot by Stanton Kidd at the buzzer before Scottie Wilbekin hit 10 three-point shots en route to a record 41 points as Dacka swept the series. Bayern will hosts this meeting and is hungry for revenge.
Round 9: Olympiacos comes to town
Bayern fans will probably remember Olympiacos Piraeus's only visit to Munich. It was on December 5, 2013, and was one of the highest-scoring EuroLeague showdowns in recent years. The two teams combined for 29 three-point shots as Olympiacos won 103-105 after 40 minutes. The battle between Malcolm Delaney (22 points, 32 performance index rating) and Olympiacos legend Vassilis Spanoulis (24 points, 29 PIR) was memorable. This game will be Bayern's third consecutive home game and the German champs must accumulate early wins in front of their fans to stay in the playoff race.
Round 14: Champs return to Munich
These two European sporting giants have carried their wonderful football rivalry onto the basketball courts with four exciting games since 2014. Bayern downed Madrid 85-83 at home in 2014 by rallying from a 5-point deficit in the final four minutes. Madrid bested Bayern 101-99 at home early in the 2015-16 season on a game-winning three-point shot by Jaycee Carroll. Later on that season, in an almost do-or-die game for both teams to stay alive, Madrid topped Bayern 67-86 to eventually reach the Top 16. We are still at the start of an interesting basketball rivalry. Don't miss it!
Round 24: Radonjic comes home
Bayern's trip to Podgorica will be a very special one for head coach Dejan Radonjic. Born in Montenegro, Radonjic played two EuroLeague seasons with Buducnost and then started his coaching career with the club. He would go on to lead Buducnost to six consecutive Montenegrin League and Cup doubles before he left for Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade in 2013. Expect a warm welcome from the locals when Coach Radonjic returns home to Podgorica.