Matchweek 1 of the 2026/27 EuroLeague season will see Barcelona take on Anadolu Efes in one of the 10 fixtures scheduled.

If you are new to EuroLeague basketball betting, it is worth getting across how the markets work before the season tips off.

The two sides will both be aiming to improve on last season’s showing, and will want to get their seasons off to the perfect start on Friday, September 25. The game will take place at Palau Blaugrana, Barcelona, Spain, and start at 04:30 AEST.

Quick Picks

Our pick: Barcelona to win

Value bet: Under total points line

Long shot: Anadolu Efes to cover the handicap

Betting Preview

Looking back on the previous EuroLeague campaign, Barcelona had the much better tournament.

The Spanish side reached the Play-In Tournament after finishing 9th with 21 wins (17 defeats). They got their campaign off to a good start last year, defeating Crvena zvezda in Round 1, 80-72. However, they then lost to Monaco in Round 2, 79-70.

Aleksander Sekulić will lead the team after joining in July 2026, in addition to his role as manager of the Slovenian national team. He has only experienced one game in this competition, losing as head coach of Dubai.

Anadolu Efes, meanwhile, are the most successful Turkish basketball club, having won 42 domestic titles, including 16 Turkish Super League titles. This season, they reached the semi-finals, where they were beaten by Fenerbahce in overtime.

In terms of the EuroLeague, they are two-time winners, but finished way down in 19th last season.

Pablo Laso arrived halfway through that campaign (taking charge of 22 games) and will get his chance to lead from the beginning, having won two EuroLeague titles as head coach in 2015 and 2018 with Real Madrid.

He also has three runners-up medals, but his time with Bayern Munich and Baskonia (one season each) finished in the league phase.

Betting Markets to Watch

Barcelona have been made the pre-game favourites. They won this corresponding fixture last season at home in Round 33, and in fine fashion, 78-71. The scoring by quarter was 19-15, 23-15, 15-24, 21-17.

William Clyburn was top scorer in that match with 21 points, while Tornike Shengelia led in rebounds (8), with Dario Brizuela co-leading in assists (3) alongside Shengelia. However, remember that neither Clyburn nor Shengelia are with Barcelona now.

Ercan Osmani had 18 points and 8 rebounds, and remains with Efes this season, so could be one to watch. Battles on the boards often come down to size, and it is worth seeing how these bigs stack up against the tallest players in basketball.

The game in Istanbul was also a high-scoring affair, as that finished with the hosts winning 74-73. That would suggest there’s value in the total points market, with the line at 169.5. That seems high, given they were around 147-149 in those two meetings, leaving the Under the most likely.

This game could be an equally tight affair, even if Barcelona have home advantage. The Palau Blaugrana crowd can lift the hosts, and fans might enjoy seeing how it compares to the biggest basketball arenas.

That said, Barcelona have certainly marked Anadolu Efes’ cards in the past. Out of the last six meetings between the pair, Barcelona have won four of them.

Our Prediction

You can check out our latest Barcelona vs Anadolu Efes EuroLeague betting odds.

We think Barcelona are the likely winners, with our value pick being the Under for total points.

Our long shot is the Efes handicap. The line has been set at +4.5. While they lost by seven in Spain last season, Barcelona are a much changed side this time around.

Anadolu Efes, meanwhile, have managed to keep their core, which could see them tighten the distance, especially in a potentially nervy tournament opener for the hosts.

If you are unsure how handicap betting works, it pays to understand the line before backing it.