Maccabi Tel Aviv Faces Besiktas in EuroLeague Amidst Player Absences

Maccabi Tel Aviv will play their first home game of the 2026-27 EuroLeague season on Wednesday evening against Turkish club Besiktas, though the game will be held in Belgrade, Serbia, due to ongoing security concerns. Both teams are looking to rebound from opening-night losses; Maccabi fell to Villeurbanne, while Besiktas lost to Valencia.

The team arrived in Belgrade late Tuesday and will hold a shooting practice and a team meeting on Wednesday before the game. Following this match, Maccabi will travel to Athens on Thursday for a Friday game against Panathinaikos.

Captain John DiBartolomeo will miss both upcoming EuroLeague games and potentially Sunday's Winner Cup semifinal against Hapoel Jerusalem as he is in the United States for his brother's wedding. His absence is a significant blow as the team seeks a crucial win.

Players Kiton Wallace and Jalen Clark emphasized the need for increased aggression, better decision-making, and improved defense. "As a team, we need to be more aggressive," Wallace stated, "and I need to be more aggressive as well, and just read the game better, make the right decisions, play better defense and execute the offense better."

Clark added, "We need to be together for 40 minutes, play defense for 40 minutes and just bring the energy. It feels like if we do that, everything else will fall into place." He also expressed a desire for games to return to Israel, citing the daily situation there as a reason why they should be held domestically.