Basketball : Euroleague 2007/2008 season preview

Fourth crown for Panathinaikos

Last season, Panathinaikos won their fourth Euroleague title by beating defending champions CSKA Moscow 93-91 in the final on home soil at the Athens Olympic Hall. Ramunas Siskauskas made two free throws with five seconds left to secure victory and send the 18,000 fans into wild celebrations. The Greek team's victory gave coach Zeljko Obradovic his sixth European title, two more than any other coach. Earlier, Markus Brown's layup with 1.2 seconds left gave Unicaja Malaga a 76-74 win over Tau Ceramica in the third-place game.

This page is introduction to the 2007/2008 Euroleague season. Latest news, statistics, results and predictions you can find on our main Euroleague basketball page.

2007/08 Euroleague season

The Euroleague format involves two group stages. In the first group stage, 24 teams are divided into three groups of eight.

Group A

Russian champions CSKA Moscow have reached the Final Four on seven occasions since 1996, including the last five Euroleague seasons, and have no intention of seeing that streak end. After missing out on a historical Euroleague repeat last term, the 2006 winners aim for nothing less than lifting the 2007/08 crown next May in Madrid. Tau Ceramica have reached each of the last three Euroleague Final Fours. They undergo a huge renovation, as all-time Euroleague top scorer Luis Scola left the team. However, with new coach Neven Spahija, Tau will likely battle for a Final Four spot again.

With three-time European champion Pini Gershon on the bench, Olympiacos Piraeus become one of the deepest and most talented teams in Europe. After getting stopped in the Quarterfinal Playoffs two seasons in a row, Olympiacos are intent on taking the next step this campaign. The Group A also included the reigning Italian champs Montepaschi Siena, and their opponent in the Italian league finals, Virtus Bologna, then Lithuanian champions Zalgiris, Slovenian title winners Union Olimpija and Polish champions Prokom.

Group B

Following three straight appearances in the Euroleague title game and two trophies, Maccabi missed the Final Four by one game last season. New coach Oded Kattash, who won the Euroleague as a player, always emphasizes attacking basketball, knowing that Maccabi's last trips to the Final Four came through that style of play. Fresh off their best Euroleague season yet, Unicaja return to the competition to keep their name among the very best in European basketball. Unicaja reached the Final Four last season and have been active in the off-season transfer market.

Efes Pilsen start the 2007/08 season with a proven winner at the head of the bench, David Blatt. Fresh off winning the EuroBasket 2007 championship with Russia this summer, Blatt will be eager to continue winning at the club level with the Turkish giants. The Group B also included one of the continent's fastest-rising powers, Lietuvos Rytas, Croatian champions Cibona, French club Le Mans, Greek team Aris and Italian side Milano, who return to the Euroleague after a one-year absence.

The table displays the Euroleague team's success in the 2006/07 season

Group C

Euroleague champions Panathinaikos and Zeljko Obradovic, Europe's most successful coach ever, return to the competition with a reinforced roster. They have strengthened their squad ahead of the new campaign with the addition of three-time Euroleague champions Sarunas Jasikevicius and Vassilis Spanoulis, also re-signing the core of last season's winning team. Real Madrid come off a historic season in which the team not only lifted the Spanish League title again, but also managed to win their first European trophy in 10 years, the ULEB Cup.

Barcelona took the Euroleague title in 2003 and have made it to as many as nine Final Fours since the competition switched to that format in 1988. For 2007/08, Barcelona have brought in a mix of experience and young talent. Chorale Roanne won the French Basketball League last term that allowed the club to return to the Euroleague for the first time since 1960. The Group C also included Turkish champions Fenerbahce Ulker, Italian side Lottomatica Roma, Serbian tittle winners Partizan and Bamberg, who won two of the last three German League crowns.