Away game in Dubai is ahead of the Dragons

Basketball players of Cedevita Olimpija arrived in Dubai in the early hours of Saturday morning, where they will face the home team on Sunday at 3:30 PM Slovenian time in the 17th round derby of the AdmiralBet ABA League regular season.

Cedevita Olimpija’s senior team continues their away game series in Dubai. The Ljubljana team reached the United Arab Emirates in the early hours of Saturday, with a stopover in Istanbul on their journey from Panevėžys via Vilnius. The Dragons will step onto the Coca Cola Arena court on Sunday at 3:30 PM Slovenian time, aiming to extend their winning streak in 2025 against Dubai.

The team will be without DeVante Jones, who was unable to travel due to administrative issues related to a lost passport. However, he will rejoin the team in Lyon, from where the Dragons will travel to Bourg-en-Bresse.

Sunday’s match pits Cedevita Olimpija against Dubai, currently sitting in fourth place on the league table with 12 wins and 4 losses before the 17th round. Dubai enters the game after defeating Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet last weekend in Belgrade. The team, led by former Ljubljana coach and player Jurica Golemac, has lost only once in its last six games.

On Thursday, Cedevita Olimpija played Lietkabelis in a postponed game of the 13th round of the BKT EuroCup, securing an 88-78 victory. The Dragons notched their 10th win of the first phase of the season, becoming only the fourth team in both groups to achieve this milestone. The Ljubljana team enters the season’s photo finish in second place, having started 2025 with three consecutive wins in the competition. Their final three EuroCup games include matches against JL Bourg, Valencia, and Hamburg. The Dragons have yet to secure their playoff spot, with Hapoel and Turk Telekom just one win behind, and the teams in fifth to seventh place holding eight wins each.

STATEMENTS BEFORE THE GAME:

“We’re playing against an excellent team that taught us a lot in our first meeting in Ljubljana and humbled us. They are now even better and stronger. Of course, so are we, but that doesn’t mean the game will be easy. We’ll have to see how the team adapts, as the recent travel has been very demanding. We arrived at the hotel in Dubai between 3 and 4 AM local time on Saturday and trained in the evening. It’s hard to predict the players’ condition for Sunday. Energy and focus will be key, and we’ll aim to play quality basketball. If we get the chance to win, we’ll take it, but Dubai is certainly the favorite,” said Zvezdan Mitrović, head coach of the Dragons.

“This season, I faced Dubai when I was still with FMP, and we managed to beat them. But back then, it was a different team, missing some key players. Now, our opponents have a complete roster with a large rotation of experienced and quality players. This will undoubtedly be a very challenging away game,” said Danilo Tasić, returning to the Dragons after missing a game.

TV BROADCAST:

The game will be broadcast on Arena Sport Slovenija 1 and Kanal A.

MATCH PREVIEW:

Dubai entered the new season strongly, boasting several prominent names on their roster. Sunday’s opponents of the Ljubljana Dragons feature players such as Klemen Prepelič, Davis Bertans, and Danilo Anđušić, with Awudu Abass as the team’s leading scorer, averaging 12.2 points per game and bringing significant EuroLeague experience.

With only one game per week, Dubai has sufficient time to prepare for ABA League challenges. Their dynamic and attractive gameplay has seen them defeat Crvena Zvezda twice, beat Cedevita Olimpija once, and lose only to Mega, Partizan, FMP, and Budućnost. In their recent encounter with the reigning champions in Belgrade, Dubai secured a 107-92 victory, with five players scoring in double digits, including Nate Mason (23 points) and Danilo Anđušić (19 points).

Cedevita Olimpija comes into the game after two crucial EuroCup victories this week. On Tuesday, they defeated Hapoel Jerusalem in Bulgaria, followed by a Thursday win against Lietkabelis in Lithuania. Brynton Lemar led the scoring in both games, contributing 17 and 19 points, respectively. Other key players included Aleksej Nikolić, Devin Robinson, and DeVante Jones.

The Dragons have started 2025 with five straight wins—three in the EuroCup and two in the regional league—and are looking to settle the score from their January clash with Dubai, which ended 92-84 in favor of Jurica Golemac’s team in Ljubljana.

ADMIRALBET ABA LEAGUE, ROUND 17

Coca Cola Arena (Dubai, UAE), Sunday, January 19, at 6:30 PM (3:30 PM Slovenia):
DUBAI – CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA (Broadcast on Arena Sport Slovenija 1 and Kanal A)

LOOKING AHEAD:

Cedevita Olimpija has been on the road since Monday. After games in Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Dubai, they will face JL Bourg in France on Wednesday before returning to Ljubljana. There, they will host Mornar-Barsko zlato on Sunday and Valencia on Tuesday. Tickets for both home games are available at vstopnice.olimpija.com.