Is Alba’s run of bad luck set to continue?

Just two days after the 95:90 win against Braunschweig, the Albatrosse from Berlin already have the next must-win game on the agenda against Fenerbahce, this time in the 2022/2023 Euroleague mind you. As expected, the Berliners will start the match against the Turkish top club as underdogs.

After eight defeats in a row on the international stage, it would be more than surprising if, of all things, a bet on the capital club pays off in Alba Berlin vs Fenerbahce. The guests from Turkey, on the other hand, have only lost two of a total of eleven matches in the Euroleague and are consequently at the top of the table.

The last time Fenerbahce suffered one of these two defeats was against the Real Madrid basketball team. With only a few substitutes, the yellow-navy blue team from Istanbul suffered a bitter 71:85 defeat, which was also their highest defeat of the season. Nevertheless, there is no reason for the Turkish champions to be displeased.

With the 76:68 victory in Gaziantep, Fenerbahce showed a defiant reaction even without key players like Bjelica, Wilbekin, Pierre and Guduric and celebrated the next league success. Against the Albatrosse from Berlin, head coach Itoudis is now aiming for the next win with his squad and wants to underpin their lead in the Euroleague standings.

Alba Berlin – Statistics & current form

Alba Berlin is still in free fall in the Euroleague. Last week, the Berliners lost against FC Barcelona for the eighth time in a row a match on the international stage. Only the last quarter against the Catalans was commendable. In the meantime, Alba had at least reduced the 14-point deficit to one point.

In the final minutes, Alba only narrowly missed a surprise. In the previous three quarters, however, the Albatrosse had been woefully inferior, so the close result at the end was all the more surprising. Since that defeat, Alba not only won the cup match against Göttingen with 99:71, but also beat Braunschweig with 95:90.

With the shortest possible regeneration time – the match in Braunschweig took place on Tuesday evening – they now go into Thursday’s match against Fenerbahce Istanbul. Encouraging for the Albatrosses is only the most recent H2H against the Turkish representative. Since January 2020, Alba have lost only one of their last four matches against FB.

Will Alba win again against Fenerbahce?

At home, the Albatrosses even have a record of 3-1 against FB, with the only home defeat coming in January 2020. Since then, Alba have won two in a row, including an impressive 89-63 win in December 2020, and bettors leaning towards a Berlin win this time around can pick up attractive betting odds on Alba Berlin vs Fenerbahce for tip 1.

Alba coach Israel Gonzàlez will only have to do without Eriksson and Mattisseck. There are no other absences for the Albatrosses at the moment. With Jaleen Smith and Tamir Blatt, at least the two best scorers in the team are available. Smith currently has the best scoring average with his 14 points per game.

Predicted Starting Five of Alba Berlin:
Blatt – Koumadje – Schneider – Smith – Zoosman

Fenerbahce – Statistics & current form

Fenerbahce, like last season, are once again among the narrow circle of title favourites in the Euroleague. The yellow-navy-blue team has only won the Euroleague once so far. The top club from Istanbul won the trophy in the 2016/17 season, while Fenerbahce twice missed out on the title in the final.

Last year, on the other hand, Fenerbahce had a season to forget. Internationally, there were only ten wins in a total of 28 matches in the Euroleague. Fenerbahce thus missed out on the playoffs for the first time since the new league format in the Euroleague. Consequently, coach Dordevic was also dismissed.

With Itoudis, the Canaries are on an upward trend again and have found their way back to success, especially this season. Under the Greek head coach, a clear playing concept can be seen again. The points haul on the national and international stage is therefore by no means surprising.

Has FB already digested the defeat against Real?

So far this season, Fenerbahce have lost only three of their 21 competitive matches. One of these three defeats came in the last EL match against Real Madrid. Weakened by a lack of substitutes, Fenerbahce lost 71-85 against the royals and thus also conceded the highest defeat under the management of Itoudis.

On the other hand, the recent weekend match against Gaziantep was a comfortable 76-68 victory in which Itoudis was even able to start the rotation machine. As in the league match against Gaziantep, the Greek will still be missing Bjelica and Wilbekin due to injury. Guduric and Pierre, on the other hand, are still question marks.

It is quite possible that Itoudis will continue to rest both players against Alba. Given the current situation in the Euroleague – Fenerbahce leads the table with a record of 9-2 – there is room for rotation. The Turks have a promising line-up across the board and should not be underestimated even with their second team.

Predicted Starting Five of Fenerbahce:
Akpinar – Birsen – Booker – Calathes – Hayes

Alba Berlin – Fenerbahce Direct comparison / H2H-Balance

Alba Berlin and Fenerbahce Istanbul meet for the ninth time on the international stage. Both clubs have recorded four victories so far. The Berliners celebrated three of these four victories in the last four matches with the Turkish top club. Among them was the 66:57 in March 2022.

The 150-point mark has also been broken in three of the last four matches between the two teams. Only the last EL duel between the Albatrosses and the Canaries from Istanbul was a low-scoring encounter. Nevertheless, Fenerbahce have only won once in Berlin so far. This time we would venture a prediction on the visitors between Alba Berlin and Fenerbahce according to the odds.

Alba Berlin – Fenerbahce Tip

Alba is currently on thin ice on the international stage. Mathematically, even after the false start in the Euroleague 2022/23, a place in the playoffs is still possible, but for that the Albatrosse must initiate the turnaround and win a match. Most recently, there were eight defeats in a row in the Euroleague.

The series of defeats was certainly surprising. Alba started the season on the international stage with three wins in a row, including a surprise coup against defending champions Anadolu Efes. Thursday’s opponents Fenerbahce, on the other hand, are on a high and are currently the statistically strongest basketball team in Europe with a record of 9-2.

Considering how weak Alba has been in the Euroleague lately, we think it is quite reasonable to bet on Alba Berlin vs. Fenerbahce against the visitors from Turkey. After all, acceptable betting odds in the range of 1.50 are offered. We bet a total of six units for our tip on a FB win.