The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season is back in action after a one-week break in which most teams fought for domestic cup titles. Some teams reached glory, as Real Madrid lifted the trophy in Spain, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul conquered the Turkish Cup title, while Zalgiris Kaunas and ALBA Berlin won the cup crowns in Lithuania and Germany, respectively. Congratulations to all of them! Fenerbahce is set to face Real in Round 25, a highly anticipated showdown between two of the most successful teams in EuroLeague's recent history. Some teams did not play this weekend and may have an advantage in Round 25, as they have an extra week of practice under their belts. Above all, there are 10 games left in this year's regular season and literally anything can happen. The battle to reach the playoffs will be harder than ever, even when Anadolu Efes Istanbul is already into the next round.
It is also do-or-die time for all EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge managers, both those fighting for the fantastic first-place prize and those trying to win single-round honors. Here are some suggestions for Round 25.
Facu Campazzo, Real Madrid (2.28 million) – Campazzo arrives to the game against Fenerbahce in the best moment of his season, right after being chosen as the Copa del Rey MVP. He had 13 points and 13 assists in the final against Unicaja Malaga. He had 31 assists and just 3 turnovers in three games over the weekend. Campazzo has become Madrid's go-to guy and he is delivering with great consistency.
Rodrigue Beaubois, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (1.16 million) – Efes has confirmed that it will be without its star backcourt duo of Shane Larkin and Vasilije Micic in this week's game against FC Bayern Munich. That gives extra playing time to players like Dogus Balbay (360,000) and Beaubois, who already had a PIR of 19 in Round 24, with Larkin and Micic fully available. Expect him to be instant offense for the Turkish powerhouse.
Nikola Milutinov, Olympiacos Piraeus (2.31 millions) – Olympiacos is without superstar guard Vassilis Spanoulis, so a new rotation took place in Round 24 against CSKA. From now on, Milutinov is the go-to guy and he proved it with a solid game against CSKA – 11 points, 12 rebounds and a PIR of 24. Expect him to lead the team from this moment until the end of the season, and keep an eye on Kostas Papanikolaou (1.20 million), too.
Alexey Shved, Khimki Moscow Region (2.58 million) – Those managers who have Larkin and are forced to sell him may consider Shved as a replacement. He has played some of the best games of his career against AX Armani Exchange Milan. Indeed, Shved averages 23.8 points, 7.6 assists and a PIR of 26.6 in five games against Milan, much higher than his career averages of 16.2 points, 4.2 assists and 15.2 PIR.
Semaj Christon, KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (1.10 million) – Baskonia was one of the few teams that had no official games scheduled last week. Knowing head coach Dusko Ivanovic, it was probably a critical week of down-to-small-details practices. Christon arrived to the team recently, already had a good game in Round 24 against ASVEL – 11 points, 11 assists, 15 PIR – and probably knows the team better after this intense week.