EuroLeague, Final, Sunday, 25.05.2025, 7:00 p.m.
Pure excitement in Abu Dhabi: The winner of the Basketball EuroLeague will be crowned on Sunday evening! Two very interesting teams will face each other, both of which know that they lack title experience.
So we will definitely see a new champion, but who will be the lucky one? In my opinion, we can expect an open match that could go either way.
In my Monaco Fenerbahce tip, I’ll tell you why I think the Turks will take the decisive step forward.
It’s a final where it’s almost impossible to predict who will lift the trophy. Before I start my detailed analysis, I’ll first take a look at our best online bookmakers.
They have Fenerbahce ahead with average odds of 1.75 to 2.05. I’d now like to find out why that is. A lot could have to do with the performance the Turks delivered in the semifinals.
The four best teams made their way to Abu Dhabi, where Fenerbahce faced Olympiacos Athens. After the first quarter, the Canaries had already fought their way to a 22-14 lead.
It was to be a close game from then on, but the nerves held. In the end, Fenerbahce took home an 82-76 victory, with superstar Devon Hall scoring an impressive 18 points.
The victory was celebrated frenetically, as they had finally managed to knock the reigning champions out of the competition. Fenerbahce last reached the final in 2018, but lost 80-85 to Real Madrid.
The team has played in three finals so far, winning once in 2017. Eight years ago, the final was held at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul, where the frenetic support played a key role in winning the title.
The games are currently being played in Abu Dhabi. The atmosphere is far less enthusiastic than we have seen in recent years, but there were still several thousand fans from Turkey in the stands for the semi-finals.
Fener had no trouble defeating Paris in the EuroLeague quarter-finals, winning 83-78, 89-72, and 98-88. From the outset, the club made it clear: we want to go all the way in this EL season.
They finished the long group stage in second place, with only Olympiacos Piraeus proving slightly stronger. During the preliminary round, Fenerbahce also faced Monaco, of course – and the results must not be repeated on Sunday!
The Turks lost 82-91 and 69-99, with their opponents scoring basket after basket. Fortunately, their direct qualification was never in danger, so I wouldn’t attach any more significance to the defeats than is necessary.
Last year, the two teams faced each other in the EuroLeague quarterfinals, playing each other five times. After a 2:2 tie, Fener won the fifth and final game 80:79 in overtime.
Overall, Turkey has seven wins to AS’s six, so it couldn’t be much closer. Monaco knows that in this final, the smallest details will probably decide the winner and loser.
This Sunday will be absolutely historic for AS Monaco, as the team has made it to the EuroLeague final for the first time ever. The Monegasques advanced to the semifinals in fourth place, so they were not much worse than Fenerbahce.
In the semifinals, the club prevailed 78-68 against Olympiacos Piraeus. World champion Daniel Theis had five points and four rebounds. From the start, Monaco showed that it had its sights set on the final.
After a 17-17 tie in the first quarter, the team stayed on track. 18-15, 22-19 and 21-17 – after this improvement in performance, the final result was more than deserved. Of course, the Monegasques were also lucky that Piraeus only managed a three-point field goal percentage of 18.5%.
The quarterfinals were nerve-wracking for the fans: Monaco squandered a 2:0 lead against Barcelona, but managed to win the decisive fifth match by a narrow margin of 85:84.
In the French league, it is worth mentioning that Monaco is in a heated battle with Paris and Lyon for the title. Fenerbahce, on the other hand, has a clear lead over its competitors in the national competition.
Which team has the nerves to win? On Sunday, Fenerbahce and Monaco will face each other, both having delivered a convincing season. AS lacks experience in such big games, which is not the case with Fener.
The Monegasques knocked out Piraeus in the semi-finals, while Fenerbahce put in a really strong performance to beat the defending champions from Athens. To be honest, I don’t think it will be a clear-cut victory in the final.
However, I’m going to go with the Turkish club. Fener played confidently against Athens from the start and also has more experience in the EuroLeague. My prediction is therefore:
Fenerbahce will beat Monaco!
