Martínez and Pascual face off in Abu Dhabi

The EuroLeague SuperCup presents a highly attractive semifinal for Spanish basketball. Pedro Martínez, who in June won the ACB title with Valencia Basket after defeating Barcelona 3-1 under Xavi Pascual, now leads Real Madrid in his first official game with the white team. Three months after their clash in the domestic competition final, both coaches meet again in Abu Dhabi, but with completely reversed roles: Martínez now coaches the Madrid outfit while Pascual has taken on the responsibility of training Dubai Basketball. This matchup undoubtedly represents the most significant encounter of the tournament for Spanish fans.

Dubai, the team of the summer

The Emirati club has made an unprecedented transfer market in European basketball. No other continental team has generated as much movement in the transfer market. After concluding their EuroLeague debut with a record of 19-19, placing them in eleventh position, Dubai Basketball arrives in Abu Dhabi with the ABA League title already in their collection, secured convincingly with a 28-5 record.

Under the guidance of Xavi Pascual, the club has added six significant players. Among them are Toko Shengelia, Davion Mintz, Jaron Blossomgame, Elie Okobo, and Mamadi Diakité, who comes from Baskonia. The most eye-catching move came at the last moment with the signing of Thomas Walkup from Olympiacos, a deal that reportedly exceeded $2.5 million according to various sources.

The Walkup operation and the disciplinary file

The signing of the American guard deserves special mention. Walkup had one more year on his contract with the Greek team, and Piraeus rejected a $1.1 million offer for his release a month earlier. This standoff between the clubs led EuroLeague to open a disciplinary file against Dubai Basketball. Ultimately, Walkup signed a three-season agreement with the Emirati club.

The team retains players with continental experience such as Dzanan Musa, Dwayne Bacon, Mfiondu Kabengele, McKinley Wright IV, and Filip Petrusev. The team captain is Klemen Prepelic, a former Real Madrid player who is well acquainted with the European competition environment and elite basketball.

Madrid faces its new project

For Real Madrid, the match in Abu Dhabi represents the first official game with Pedro Martínez on the bench. It is also the white team's first opportunity to lift a title in this new phase that has just begun. The summer has brought significant changes to the team's structure.

Mario Hezonja has left for the NBA, while Eli John Ndiaye has been loaned to Joventut due to the accumulation of players in the frontcourt position. Conversely, Madrid has signed Damian Jones, who has already debuted in the Costa del Sol Tournament, and this week finalized an agreement with Nick Smith Jr., coming from the Lakers, thus reinforcing the team’s perimeter.

Promising preseason

The preseason has left positive feelings for the white project. Real Madrid retained the title of the Costa del Sol Tournament with a convincing victory of 74-113 against Unicaja at the Carpena, in which Theo Maledon and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot were the main offensive protagonists. Previously, the team had fallen to Breogán in Pontevedra, but the overall balance of the preparatory period has been satisfactory.

The Madrid delegation arrived in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and is staying at the Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island. On Thursday, they held their first training session at the Etihad Arena, where they will play the match, focusing on tactical work and five-on-five drills to fine-tune the final details before the semifinal.

What is at stake in Abu Dhabi

The winner of this duel between Madrid and Dubai will advance to the final on Saturday, where they will face the victor of the match between Olympiacos and Fenerbahce. This will be the first title at stake in the European season 2024-2025. The team that loses the semifinal will play in the third-place match, thus concluding their participation in the EuroLeague SuperCup.

The context of the clash adds extra appeal for Spanish fans, who will witness a duel between two coaches who recently faced each other in the ACB final with different responsibilities. Now, in the European continent and in the new EuroLeague competition, both seek to start their respective projects in the best possible way by lifting a title that would set the tone for the season just beginning.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Martínez y Pascual se enfrentan en Abu Dabi