By Selcuk Bugra Gokalp
ANKARA (AA) - Reigning champions Anadolu Efes will host CSKA Moscow in Istanbul on Friday in a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague regular season clash, one of the hotly anticipated games in the 2021-22 basketball campaign.
The showdown between the game's giants means a rematch of the 2021 EuroLeague Final Four in Germany's Cologne where the Turkish team beat their Russian opponents 89-86 at Lanxess Arena.
Turkey's Anadolu Efes were crowned the EuroLeague winners last season over a 86-81 win against Barcelona at the same venue.
It was not the first time that these two met in the EuroLeague Final Four as CSKA Moscow secured the 2019 EuroLeague title after beating Anadolu Efes 91-83 in the championship game held in Spain's Vitoria-Gasteiz.
The round two game between Anadolu Efes and CSKA Moscow in Istanbul's Sinan Erdem Sports Hall will tip off at 1730 GMT.
In the EuroLeague opener last week, both clubs were beaten.
Anadolu Efes lost to Real Madrid 82-69 in Madrid's WiZink Center. Meanwhile CSKA Moscow were defeated by Italy's AX Armani Exchange Milan 84-74 in Mediolanum Forum, Milan.
- Round 2 fixtures in EuroLeague
Thursday:
Zalgiris Kaunas - Zenit St Petersburg
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens - Fenerbahce Beko
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv - Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade
Bayern Munich - Barcelona
Friday:
UNICS Kazan - Monaco
Anadolu Efes - CSKA Moscow
ALBA Berlin - LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
Olympiacos - Real Madrid
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz - AX Armani Exchange Milan