This weekend, the SAP Garden arena in Munich will host the final tournament for the German Basketball Cup. The first trophy of the season will be contested by four top teams: hosts FC Bayern Basketball, Alba Berlin, EWE Baskets Oldenburg, and Bamberg Baskets. Despite the favorite role assigned to the Bavarian team, the tournament is marked by roster problems for key players, which could influence the final outcome.

Bayern as the favorite

The team of Svetislav Pesic is playing in front of its home crowd at the SAP Garden and is tipped to win the tournament after a series of successful performances.

Alba's point guard crisis

The Berlin team is grappling with injuries to all three point guards, which weakens their offensive potential ahead of the match against Oldenburg.

Return of Bamberg Baskets

The team from Bamberg will play the role of the underdog in the first semifinal against Bayern, hoping to cause an upset in the Bavarian capital.

The upcoming weekend in Munich will be marked by the competition for the German Cup. In the modern SAP Garden arena, four teams will battle to take the title from last year's champion, Syntainics MBC. The main favorite is FC Bayern Basketball, led by legendary coach Svetislav Pesic. The Serbian coach managed to pull the Munich team out of a crisis and hopes to crown his work with the first trophy of the current season. Meanwhile, Alba Berlin, the record holder for the number of cups won, is struggling with serious roster issues. The lack of traditional point guards, including injured Jaleen Kayil and Martin Hermannsson, forces the coaching staff to seek unconventional tactical solutions. The Berliners' hope is young talent Jaleen Kayil, provided he can return to full fitness for the semifinal match. Their opponent, EWE Baskets Oldenburg, has also not avoided health problems, although under new coach Lazar Spasic, the team is showing much better form than at the start of the season. The Top Four format was introduced in German basketball to popularize the sport, concentrating all cup excitement into one weekend, which attracts thousands of fans and a wide television audience.The schedule includes two semifinal matches on Saturday: the hosts will face Bamberg Baskets, followed by Berlin playing against Oldenburg. The final is scheduled for Sunday. Broadcasts of the event will be carried by Dyn stations and regional broadcasters such as BR and rbb. Experts emphasize that although Bayern has the strongest squad, the nature of the final tournament, where advancement is decided by just one match, favors surprises and a closely fought battle until the final seconds. „The timing is not optimal and it's quite a tough challenge for us, but we have to rely on team chemistry.” — Alba Berlin

Mentioned People

  • Svetislav Pesic — Experienced coach of FC Bayern Basketball, a legend of European basketball.
  • Lazar Spasic — New coach of EWE Baskets Oldenburg, who has improved the team's results.
  • Jaleen Kayil — Young talent of Alba Berlin, a key player despite injury.