Euroleague: Panathinaikos and Barça without reinforcements

The EuroLeague kicks off its new season with a backdrop of significant absences affecting several of the main contenders. According to the medical reports provided by the clubs, the situation is complex for the first round, especially for Panathinaikos, which faces a genuine crisis of personnel in its debut.

Panathinaikos, the most impacted team

The Greek team hosts París Basketball without being able to count on Kendrick Nunn, Kostas Sloukas, Nigel Hayes-Davis, and Moustapha Fall. These are four top-tier names, with three of them being among the highest-paid in the competition. The magnitude of these absences means that Panathinaikos starts its title defense with a significantly depleted roster.

Kendrick Nunn underwent knee surgery on August 19, which keeps him out of the starting lineup. Kostas Sloukas, for his part, already missed the 2026 postseason due to a knee injury, and this is a setback that complicates his recovery. Nigel Hayes-Davis suffered a finger fracture on September 1 with a six-week recovery timeline, while Moustapha Fall has been dealing with a hamstring injury since the 9th.

This accumulation of physical problems forces the Panathinaikos coach to completely reevaluate his offensive and defensive schemes for the opening match, being unable to rely on key players who have been decisive in their recent success.

Barça without its interior reinforcements

The blaugrana team welcomes Anadolu Efes with the confirmed absence of Tosan Evbuomwan and Yoan Makoundou, both interior players acquired during the summer market. Evbuomwan has a shoulder injury reported since September 4, while Makoundou is recovering from a knee issue announced on September 11.

The absence of these two reinforcements is particularly relevant as they are part of the eleven summer signings and represent the renewal of the paint that Barça underwent thoroughly during the market. Losing both for the debut is a significant blow to the Catalan team's plans in the continental competition.

However, Anadolu Efes also arrives in suboptimal condition. The Turkish team will be without Isaia Cordinier, who underwent surgery in May with a four-month recovery period, and Georgios Papagiannis, who suffered a torn ACL in October 2025 and is still in rehabilitation.

Belgrade and Zalgiris

The Red Star of Ibon Navarro receives Zalgiris in a match where the Serbians will have Nikola Djurisic as the only confirmed absence. Djurisic is dealing with a muscle injury in his thigh that has a recovery period of three to four weeks. The good news for the Belgrade team is that Semi Ojeleye, who injured his ankle in a friendly on September 13, will be available.

On the other hand, Zalgiris travels to Belgrade without Deividas Sirvydis or Kaodiricki Akobundu-Ehiogu. Additionally, Saben Lee remains a doubt until the last minute, despite the club announcing on September 8 that he would be unavailable for several weeks due to his injury.

In the matchup between Hapoel Tel Aviv and Bayern, the Israelis have ruled out Tomer Ginat for the game.

Friday's absences and pending situations

Besiktas debuts against Valencia Basket with a special situation: Mady Sissoko's contract is frozen due to a health issue. The taronja, for their part, will not be able to count on Neal Sako, who is recovering from a groin injury, as announced by the club on September 22.

In the clash between Partizan and Olimpia Milano, the most notable absence is not due to medical reasons. Lorenzo Brown remains out of the Italian roster while negotiating his exit from the club and his arrival at Hapoel Jerusalem, a situation that creates uncertainty about his availability.

In the case of Baskonia against Olympiacos, the Vitoria club had not submitted its list of absences by the time of the report, while Georgios Bartzokas has his entire squad available. The relevant news is that Nikola Milutinov, who did not play in the SuperCup, is listed as available for the first round.

Pending confirmation

Several clubs had not provided their medical reports by the time of the report: Dubai, Real Madrid, Bayern, Paris, Baskonia, ASVEL, Maccabi, Besiktas, Valencia, Fenerbahce, Virtus, Partizan, and Milan. In the special case of Dubai, there are two situations to monitor: Dwayne Bacon suffered a blow to the head during the SuperCup semifinals and missed the third-place match, while Dzanan Musa did not participate in the tournament.

This landscape of absences and pending situations marks an atypical start to the season for the EuroLeague, with several teams needing to quickly adapt to the absence of important players in their opening matches of the competition.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Euroliga: Panathinaikos y Barça sin refuerzos