The BCL Final Four is stronger than ever
The Basketball Champions League Final Four tournament is scheduled for this weekend, and the expectations are that it will be a very intense battle for the trophy. The event is hosted by Athens and the chosen venue is the Sunel Arena (also known as Ano Liosia Olympic Hall), which is the home court of AEK Athens.
Friday we will have the two semifinals,s and the first game of the day will be the one between Tenerife and Galatasaray. Tenerife is one of the specialists of this competition as the Spanish team won the trophy twice in the first eight years of BCL, including the inaugural season in 2017. Besides the two triumphs (the second title was won in 2022), Tenerife also has two lost finals in 2019 and 2024 and a 3rd place in 2023. This season, they are again one of the big favourites as Txus Vidorreta’s team has an incredible 14-0 record so far. If they remain unbeaten after this Final Four, it will be a historical achievement for the side from the Canary Islands. On the other hand, Galatasaray might seem like an outsider in this matchup. The Turkish team had its ups and downs this season as they lost five games, but for sure, they will have more fans in the stands than Tenerife, and in a win-or-go-home game, this detail can also count a lot. The last continental trophy won by the yellow and red team is from 2016, when they won the EuroCup, so they are eager to add another one.
The second semifinal will be between the home team AEK and the defending champions Unicaja Malaga. Just like in the other semifinal, the Spanish team is considered to be the favourite based on their results (Malaga lost just one game the whole season) and the roster, but AEK will have the advantage in the stands, where their fans will fill the arena and put a lot of pressure on the visiting team. If the two favourites win the semifinals, it would be the third 100% Spanish final in the last four seasons in the BCL, which confirms that the ACB League is still the strongest in Europe.
Imre Halasz
Photo: FIBA
