AS Monaco vs Valencia Basket Prediction & Betting Tips - EuroLeague

Prediction published on 21/03/2024, 17:30  by Devesh Jaganath in EuroLeague Predictions

Week 31 of the EuroLeague will see Monaco taking on Valencia Basket on Friday evening at Salle Gaston Medecin. The hosts are 19-11 and fifth in the league standings, while the visitors are 14-16 and in 11th place. After six consecutive wins in all competitions, Monaco seem to have hit a bit of a rough patch, losing their French Cup semi-final encounter to Graddenstaden last weekend and following that up with a 98-80 defeat agaisnt Milano in midweek. They will look to return to their best form here, but much will depend on Mike James’ ability to find his touch again. The all-time EuroLeague top scorer had two poor outings in the last couple of games, while over the last three games, he has only drained three shots from 24 attempts. While Monaco may well have already booked their place in the quarter-finals, they need to regain their momentum and will feel they can start here, having beaten this opponent at this venue last season. 

Meanwhile, with a record of 14-16, every game is now a must-win situation for Valencia to keep their hopes alive for the play-in tournament. In their last EuroLeague fixture, Valencia hosted Bayern Munich and clinched a narrow victory with a final score of 70-68, bringing an end to their four-game losing streak in the competition. While Chris Jones has not performed up to his standards from the previous season this year, he continues to be a crucial player for the team. His contribution was pivotal in the victory against Bayern, as he scored 19 points, highlighting his importance to the team's success. However, it's worth noting that over the weekend, Alex Mumbru's team suffered a defeat to Basket Girona in the Spanish Championship by a score of 88-92. Currently, after 25 matches, Valencia holds the seventh position in the Liga ACB standings. In order for Valencia to secure a victory and present a significant challenge to Monaco, they will have to focus on matching their opponents' physicality and try to dictate the tempo of the game themselves, though it will not be an easy task.