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The new 2023-24 EuroLeague season enters its first double week and Virtus Bologna will seek consecutive wins after a 6-1 start to the new season in all competitions. Alba Berlin lost both their games so far and they are desperate to stop the bleeding as soon as possible. Which team will start the hectic week with a win?
Virtus Bologna vs Alba Berlin – game predictions
Contents
Here are our Virtus Bologna vs Alba Berlin predictions. You can find more EuroLeague predictions here.
Prediction 1: Tornike Shengelia under 4.5 assists @ 4/5 (1.80)
Virtus Bologna have a gifted passer at small forward. Still, Tornike Shengelia recorded exactly 4 assists in each of the first 2 rounds. Shengelia developed his passing skills mainly in recent years with the 13-year veteran no longer able to get to the basket as easily as before.
Still, over his 13 years in the EuroLeague, he’s averaged only 2.1 assists per game. He’s yet to have more than 4 assists in a match, EuroLeague or domestic one, this season. That is why we don’t think he will go above the 4.5 spread in this game either.
Prediction 2: Sterling Brown over 6.5 points @ 8/11 (1.73)
Our second prediction backs Alba’s struggling playmaker Sterling Brown to score at least 7 points. Brown shot 1 of 5 from beyond the arc in both matches so far. He scored 8 points vs Bayern and only 5 last week vs Baskonia.
Brown remains aggressive though. On average, he takes 10.5 shots per game. If he keeps doing that eventually his shots will start to fall and he won’t need many of those to go over his 6.5-point spread.
These odds were correct at the time of writing.
Virtus Bologna vs Alba Berlin preview – can Brown wake up?
Alba’s star playmaker Sterling Brown has been a major disappointment so far. Only if he finds a way to contribute more in the offence the Germans could be thinking about an unlikely win in Bologna.
Virtus Bologna news, injuries, and starting lineups
Virtus Bologna are enjoying a perfect start to their domestic campaign – 5 wins in 5. They lost their first home match in the EuroLeague though. Despite dominating 3 of the 4 periods against Zalgiris Virtus lost the final quarter badly and with this the game.
The reaction was convincing with Virtus Bologna cruising to an easy 83-59 away win vs Monaco last week. The defensive display was hugely impressive in this match. Shengelia and Dobric played particularly well and with their actions, they forced 11 turnovers between them. Veteran Belinelli also found his range and he shot 3 out of 6 from beyond the arc.
Starting power forward Achille Polonara is expected to miss the rest of the season due to a serious health condition. Mickey looks poised to be starting often from now on.
Virtus Bologna Injury Report:
Achille Polonara PF – ruled out
Virtus Bologna Starting Lineup:
Alesaandro Pajola, Marco Belinelli, Ognjen Dobric, Tornike Shengelia and Jordan Mickey
Alba Berlin news, injuries, and starting lineups
Alba began their EuroLeague campaign with back-to-back defeats. First, a painful 68-80 loss was suffered against domestic rivals Bayern Munich. Alba played well in this match during the first half but their offense collapsed for the final 2 quarters.
Last week Alba played much better in their first home outing but still lost 86-91 vs Baskonia. Once again, led early but struggled to score points late on.
The situation is hardly helped by the fact that Alba are currently missing 4 players due to injuries. Bigs Wetzell and Koumadje have been missed most. Alba were convincingly outrebounded in both EuroLeague games so far. They have given the most offensive rebounds of all 18 teams after 2 matches.
Alba Berlin Injury Report:
Elias Rapieque SG – ruled out
Marcus Eriksson SG – ruled out
Yannick Wetzell PF – ruled out
Christ Koumadje C – ruled out
Alba Berlin Starting Lineup:
Sterling Brown, Kresimir Nikic, Louis Olinde, Ziga Samar, Johannes Thiemann
Virtus Bologna vs Alba Berlin head-to-head record since 2000
The sides have met only twice in official matches this century. Virtus Bologna won both EuroLeague clashes last season. For good measure, the Italians also won a friendly less than a month ago.
- 17.09.23 CF Alba Berlin vs Virtus Bologna 76-90
- 09.03.23 EUR Alba Berlin vs Virtus Bologna 74-96
- 14.12.22 EUR Virtus Bologna vs Alba Berlin 85-76
Virtus Bologna vs Alba Berlin game details
- Date & Time: Wednesday, October 18th, 2023 at 19:30 GMT
- Venue: PalaDozza in Bologna, Italy
- Where to watch the match in the UK: EuroLeagueTV, Eurosport 1, Eurosport Player
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