• CSKA holds a 9-2 advantage in EuroLeague games against Crvena Zvezda.

CSKA Moscow (2-1) takes on Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade (2-1) in the Russian capital as both teams look for a third consecutive victory. Both won at home in Round 3. CSKA never trailed in its 77-67 triumph against Zenit St Petersburg. Toko Shengelia erupted for a career-high 33 points and had 8 of those during a 16-2 start to the game. He also collected a team-high 8 rebounds. However, Shengelia hurt his shoulder and will not be available on Friday, joining Nikola Milutinov and Marius Grigonis on the injured list. As such, CSKA will depend that much more on Will Clyburn, who had 16 points and 7 boards against Zenit.

Zvezda defeated Zalgiris Kaunas 73-61 at Stark Arena. Nikola Kalinic scored 13 of his team-high 15 points in the second half to pace Zvezda. Ognjen Dobric added 13 points, Luka Mitrovic got 12 points and 7 rebounds and Nate Wolters had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists for the Serbian powerhouse. CSKA is 15-2 against Zvezda, and 9-0 at home, since their first meeting on January 15, 1970.

• This is the first-ever official meeting between the two clubs.

AS Monaco (2-1) takes on FC Barcelona (3-0) at Salle Gaston Medecin in what is an unprecedented event in European basketball history, as these teams have never faced each other before. Monaco comes off its first loss of the season, and first as a EuroLeague team, 94-86 against Real Madrid in the Spanish capital on Wednesday. Mike James led Monaco with 24 points and 10 assists but could not finish the game due to injury. Donta Hall added 12 points while Will Thomas had 11 for the principality powerhouse.

Barcelona leads the standings and remains undefeated but needed overtime to down Olympiacos Piraeus 79-78 on Wednesday night. Pierre Oriola was Barcelona’s hero, hitting the go-ahead free throws with 7.6 seconds left. Nikola Mirotic led Barcelona with 22 points. Cory Higgins added 11, while Brandon Davies picked up 10 and Nick Calathes flirted with a triple-double with 9 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists.

• Olympiacos and Zalgiris are tied at 13-13 in their meetings this century. Zalgiris has won three in a row and seven of the last eight.

Olympiacos Piraeus (2-1) hosts Zalgiris Kaunas (0-3) on Friday for Round 4 in a classic Turkish Airlines EuroLeague showdown in which both teams seek to get one victory from the season’s first double-round week. Olympiacos comes off its first loss, 79-78 in overtime against FC Barcelona. Kostas Sloukas had 14 points, Tyler Dorsey and Sasha Vezenkov both scored 12 for Olympiacos. Zalgiris lost 73-61 at Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade on Wednesday. Josh Nebo paced Zalgiris with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Niels Giffey and Lukas Lekavicius added 11 points apiece.

It should be a very special game for Thomas Walkup, who faces Zalgiris for the first time after three seasons with the club. Zalgiris head coach Jure Zdovc won the 1992-93 EuroLeague title with Limoges CSP in the very same building, Peace and Friendship Stadium. It is a rematch of the 1999 EuroLeague semifinals and the 2018 EuroLeague playoffs. On both occasions, Zalgiris was victorious. The Lithuanian powerhouse is 14-13 against the Reds.

• Milan and Efes have played each other at least twice in each of the past 11 seasons. Efes holds a 20-10 edge in games this century, but Milan swept their series last season.

ALBA Berlin (1-2) welcomes Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (1-2) to the German capital in a clash of two teams looking to build on their most recent performance. Both ALBA and Baskonia registered their first wins of the season on Tuesday. ALBA scored 57 second-half points to rally from a double-digit deficit and sink visiting Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 84-70 behind 22 points from Oscar da Silva and 21 points from Maodo Lo.

Baskonia edged Panathinaikos OPAP Athens 81-79 with Rokas Giedraitis and former ALBA forward Simone Fontecchio each scoring 16 points. In head-to-head games, ALBA swept Baskonia last season and the German champs have won three of their last four games, including both games in Berlin over the last two seasons.

• In their clashes since 2000, Real Madrid holds a 21-10 edge over Panathinaikos and has won 12 in a row.

In a battle of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague powerhouses, Real Madrid (2-1) takes on Panathinaikos OPAP Athens (1-2) on Friday in Round 4. Real is undefeated at home and comes off a hard-fought victory against AS Monaco, 94-86. Guerschon Yabusele led the way with 18 points. Thomas Heurtel followed with 13 points and 7 assists, while Fabien Causeur poured in 12 points. With the game on the line, Rudy Fernandez hit a critical three-pointer that allowed Los Blancos to seal the outcome.

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens (1-2) is looking for its first road victory, which almost came in Round 3 against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz on Tuesday. Ioannis Papapetrou led Panathinaikos with 22 points but his game-winning three-point try at the buzzer hit short. Daryl Macon added 13 points while Howard Sant-Roos had 9 for the Greens. These teams combine for 16 EuroLeague crowns, which says enough about this game’s tradition and importance.

Tip: 2 (+12.5) at 1.90 with bet365

• All four of the previous games between Zenit and Bayern have finished with single-digit margins of victory.

Zenit St Petersburg (2-1) is set for a home-opener as it welcomes FC Bayern Munich (0-3) to Sibur Arena on Thursday night. The two sides that have made history last season, each reaching the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs for the first time, have opened this campaign in opposite fashion. Zenit holds 2-1 record, having won the first two games of the season before suffering a 77-67 defeat to the hands of its Russian rival CSKA Moscow on Tuesday.

On the other hand, Bayern opened its season with three defeats by a combined margin of 12 points, and it is coming off a 73-70 road loss against UNICS Kazan after a game in which it surrendered a 16-point second-quarter lead. All four of the previous games between Zenit and Bayern have finished with a single-digit margin of victory, and the teams split narrow home wins last season.

• These teams have a 2-2 record against each other.

Two teams that finished on the opposite side of rollercoaster games in Round 3 face off on the Asian side of the Bosporus when Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (1-2) welcomes UNICS Kazan (1-2) on Thursday. The hosts are coming off a 14-point loss against ALBA Berlin after a game in which they held a 10-point lead. It was their second straight loss.

UNICS, coming off its first win, arrives to Istanbul for its first road game of the season. UNICS trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half against FC Bayern Munich but rallied to pull out a 73-70 win. This is the fifth head-to-head game between these two sides, with each having won two previous contests. The last time they faced each other, in the 2016-17 regular season, they split road victories.

• These two teams are tied at 4-4 in their head-to-head series this century.

ALBA Berlin (1-2) welcomes Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (1-2) to the German capital in a clash of two teams looking to build on their most recent performance. Both ALBA and Baskonia registered their first wins of the season on Tuesday. ALBA scored 57 second-half points to rally from a double-digit deficit and sink visiting Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 84-70 behind 22 points from Oscar da Silva and 21 points from Maodo Lo.

Baskonia edged Panathinaikos OPAP Athens 81-79 with Rokas Giedraitis and former ALBA forward Simone Fontecchio each scoring 16 points. In head-to-head games, ALBA swept Baskonia last season and the German champs have won three of their last four games, including both games in Berlin over the last two seasons.

• Maccabi is 5-4 in games all-time against Villeurbanne.

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (3-0) will try to continue its magical start to the 2021-22 season when it hosts Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (1-2) on Thursday. Not only is ASVEL undefeated and in the midst of its best-ever start to the EuroLeague season, but it is also coming off a thrilling come-from-behind 75-73 win over reigning champion Anadolu Efes Istanbul in which the French champion remarkably rallied from a 19-point second-half deficit.

ASVEL swept Maccabi in their two regular-season clashes last season and will try to extend that streak against the Israeli champion, which will try to return to winning ways after losing two in a row – both by double-digit margins. Maccabi is coming off an 83-72 loss at AX Armani Exchange Milan, a contest in which it trailed by as many as 22 points.

Tip: Over 152.5 at 1.86 with bet365