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You can see from the start that Efes can't function without Planinic doing his best

Turkish team is missing Gonlum, so Savanovic will get a lot of time. Lucas' defense on Langford could be one of the most important segments of the game

Foto Ciamillo-Castoria / benettonbasket.it

Efes and Milano are old acquaintances. They've met in the Euroleague in the last three seasons, and played 13 games since 2005. Of course, no need to go back to what used to be, these are new teams. Efes trusted Zoran Planinic as the point guard, and that's the biggest change from this summer. Milano changed a lot, replacing Scariolo who almost ruined them.

- Anadol knows, Efes have a new structure this season. We'll give more minutes to the younger players - coach Oktay Mahmuti said before their first European game.

- Milano are a strong team. We won't to through to the second round, and we can't afford to lose at home. We want to beat our opponent and start well. 

Unlike the beginning of the league. They've lost to Galatasaray on their own court with 18 points difference. It could have been 30 if the Turkish champion didn't pull a break, and Efes managed to win the last quarter 27-17. If we can make a conclusion from that game, and the previous ones that Efes played in the Cup, without Planinic and Dusko Savanovic, there are no results. Planinic had 2/10 from the game and 9 assists, but it's not enough. He and Savanovic shot 0/10 three pointers.Considering Kerem Gonlum is missing because of the injury, Savanovic will get a lot of minutes in the game.

- We have to be serious every second of the game. Surprises are always possible in the first games. Considering our goal is to go through, we have to win and boost our moral - Dusko Savanovic added.

Compared to the last season, they've kept the complete frontcourt, with two quality centers, Erden and Barac, beside Savanovic and Gonlum. They're the Efest strength. There are also the wing Vasileiadis and back Lucas, who'll have an important role tonight - stopping Keith Langford.
We'll be seeing Milano in the Euroleague this year as well, and they're hoping that the triple winner of this competition will have a lot better year. After the disappointing season with coach Sergio Scariol, Luca Banchi took the bench. He's probably the best Italian coach at the moment, and he brought Moss and Kangur with him. They're supposed to set the grounds for Milano's defense improvement. But, there are not a lot of players who can play defense in that team...

Alessandro Gentile and Keith Langford are the main strength of the offense, alongside Jerrelss who is one of the most explosive point guards in the Euroleague, and also a great dribbling shooter. Substitute player Haynes is a completely different story and is well back behind the others when it comes to quality. The third option is a very young Toure. last season, Milano was one of the worst teams when it came to jumps, and CJ Wallace, Kangur and Melli aren't known for being great jumpers. The role will be taken by Samuels and Gigli, but even those two can hardly match physically stronger centers.

They didn't start the championship well, and were defeated in the away game in Brinidisi. The defense was the key, but the problem wasn't under the basket, but in the backcourt which was killed by James, Dyson and Lewis, scoring 51 shots altogether. They had a lot of problems with lost balls, and Gentile, completely losing rhythm, lost 7 out of those 20. Langord had a great game scoring 29 points (10/16 from the game, 6/6 free throws) and 9 jumps. Moss with 19 points and 7 jumps, and Samuels with 11 points and 5 jumps were also in a good mood. Banchi's problem were Kangur and Gigli missing, and they didn't travel to Turkey with the rest of the team.

- We start Euroleague with a high quality team that has a real chance to get to Final Four, thanks to a good roster. They're a difficult opponent for us considering all the injuries, but we'll be focused and smart. Planinic, Gordon and Erden are physically very strong, and they can create big mismatch problems. Our ability to control that will decide - coach Banchi claimed.

Moss will be playing for about 30 minutes today because of the offense. Langford could have a lot of problems against Gordon, and Jerrells won't have a picnic against Planinic. That duel could decide the game.

Gentile announced the match:

- It will be a difficult game against a great team on their court. The game will show us where we stand at the moment. After losing a championship game, I expect a feisty show on our side.

For the last three years, the lot connected these teams in the Euroleage. Efes were more successful four times, and they had three clear wins on their own court.