To start the second half of Regular Season we face Manresa

Before the senior team of Cedevita Olimpija lies the opening game of the second half of the BKT EuroCup regular season – in Round 10 of the competition, the Dragons will face BAXI Manresa in Manresa on Wednesday at 20:45. A live television broadcast of the clash with the Spanish team will be available on Šport TV 1.

The senior team of Cedevita Olimpija, which completed the first half of the regular season in the BKT EuroCup with distinction and recorded seven wins in nine games played, is entering the second half of the group stage of the season. As part of Round 10 of the competition, the Dragons will on Wednesday at 20:45 visit BAXI Manresa at Pavello Nou Congost. The Slovenian champions defeated Manresa in the opening round in Stožice by 76:69. The Dragons enter the game with Manresa on the back of four consecutive EuroCup victories, and except for the first one against Cluj, all were achieved on the home floor of Arena Stožice. It is worth mentioning that the Ljubljana side will play only three of their upcoming nine EuroCup games in Ljubljana; all the others will be away.

Due to a knee injury suffered in the game against Slask, Rok Radović missed the last test in the regional league and will not travel with the team to Spain. Luckily, the injury is not severe, and Radović is expected to be out for about ten days. After an illness that also kept him off the floor on Sunday, Thomas Kennedy rejoined the team on Tuesday, though he trained on a modified program. Kennedy will travel with the team to Manresa.

After nine games played in the regular season, the BAXI Manresa players currently have a record of four wins and five losses, placing them fifth in Group A before the start of Round 10. The Spanish team enters the clash with Ljubljana after a convincing 99:72 home win over Hamburg in the ninth round, following a period before the national team break during which they suffered four consecutive defeats—against Bahçeşehir, Neptunas, Cluj, and Venezia.

TV BROADCAST:

The television broadcast of the Round 10 BKT EuroCup game against BAXI Manresa will be available on Šport TV 1. The studio coverage will begin at 20:00.

STATEMENTS BEFORE THE GAME:

“We prepared well for our first matchup with Manresa in the EuroCup and we showed an excellent performance. At the end of the game we had some problems, because they are a young and aggressive team. There were several changes to their roster, but despite this our opponents still play very fast and aggressively, so we can definitely expect an intense game with a lot of running. Manresa plays much better at home, which is evident from their number of wins at home. It is definitely not easy to play there. We must be ready for fast and aggressive play. The information from the first game helps us as well, since our opponents have not changed their playing system despite the addition of new players. We expect a tough game,” said the Dragons’ head coach, Zvezdan Mitrović, before departing Ljubljana.

“Our next opponent in the EuroCup is Manresa. On Tuesday we trained well and prepared in Ljubljana. We want to show a good performance, because we know that Manresa is a very talented and excellent team that will play in front of their home fans, so the game definitely won’t be easy. Despite that, we want to extend our winning streak,” said David Škara before departing for Spain.

GAME PREVIEW:

On Wednesday, Cedevita Olimpija faces a challenging road game in Manresa, and the matchup against the home team is extremely important for the ongoing battle for positions leading to the EuroCup playoffs. The Dragons arrive on the Iberian Peninsula after a home win over Slask, following which they remain tied with Hapoel Jerusalem at the top of Group A in number of wins. Hapoel will visit Stožice next week.

After the competition break brought by national team activities at the end of November, Cedevita Olimpija returned to the floor with two consecutive wins. First, the Dragons defeated Slask Wroclaw 108:74 in the EuroCup, and on Sunday they beat Perspektiva Ilirija 83:69 in Stožice. The last defeat in either international competition that the Slovenian champions are playing in during the 2025/26 season came on 29 October, when Ljubljana lost to Neptunas at home. Over their last eight games, the Dragons are averaging just over 93 points per game, while beating their opponents by an average margin of 16.6 points per game.

BAXI Manresa will certainly look to end the Dragons’ EuroCup winning streak, seeking revenge for the Round 1 defeat. Manresa, known for fast and efficient play, has suffered only one home loss this season, and among others has also defeated the previously mentioned Hapoel in Spain (101:94).

Like Cedevita Olimpija, Manresa last played on Sunday, visiting Joventut, who prevailed 83:79. Joventut secured the win in the final moments, turning a 74:76 deficit into a victory with a 9:3 run, handing Manresa their sixth loss of the season in the Spanish championship. Hugo Benitez was Manresa’s top scorer with 14 points.

Benitez is the fourth-leading scorer of Manresa in the EuroCup this season, averaging 10.2 points per game. Ahead of him are Pierre Oriola (10.5), Alex Reyes (11.0), and Alfonso Plummer (14.8), who has also been the team’s most efficient player by performance index rating this season. However, last week Plummer moved from Manresa to Bosna, who will be the Dragons’ opponent in the regional league on Saturday. It is worth noting that Manresa is the leading team in the EuroCup in assists—its players average 22.4 per game, slightly more than second-placed Cluj.

The first head-to-head game of the season between the two teams took place in Stožice on 1 October and was won by Cedevita Olimpija. They opened the game strongly and led by eleven points after ten minutes (29:18) and by fifteen at halftime (42:27). After the break, the visitors from Manresa chased the deficit and forced a tight finish, in which the Dragons maintained their advantage and celebrated their first win of the season. The top scorer for Ljubljana was Aleksej Nikolić with 17 points. Ten more were added by Nikos Chougkaz and Thomas Kennedy. Chougkaz also grabbed nine rebounds, while Kennedy collected 11. For Manresa, Alex Reyes scored 16 points.

BKT EUROCUP, REGULAR SEASON, ROUND 10

Pavello Nou Congost (Manresa, Spain), Wednesday, 10 December, at 20:45:
BAXI MANRESA – CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA

LOOKING AHEAD:

The Cedevita Olimpija team will return to Ljubljana on Thursday, where on Saturday at 19:00 at Tivoli Hall they will face Bosna BH Telecom in Round 10 of the first stage of the AdmiralBet ABA League. Next Tuesday in Stožice comes the Round 11 EuroCup group stage game against Hapoel Jerusalem. Tickets for both games are already available at half price at vstopnice.olimpija.com.