Maccabi Tel-Aviv vs Besiktas 30 September 2026 Prediction

Maccabi vs Besiktas will be played at a neutral site in Belgrade after both teams lost their EuroLeague openers. Maccabi is the designated home team and the favorite. Besiktas enters with three consecutive losses and an injury to forward Jeffries.

Maccabi Looks to Recover from Its Opening Loss

Maccabi lost 84-74 to ASVEL in the first round. The Tel Aviv team committed 20 turnovers and fouled more often than its opponent. ASVEL also made 16 of 34 three-pointers. Maccabi responded with a 109-61 win over Ironi in the Israeli league. On paper, its roster has the talent to finish in the EuroLeague’s top 10, though Colson and Theis are still finding their form. Experience was one area Maccabi lacked last season.

Maccabi Predicted Lineup: Madar, Lundberg, Colson, Hoard, Sorkin

Unavailable: None

Manager: Oded Kattash

Besiktas Faces an Early Injury Setback

Besiktas opened its EuroLeague season with an 86-84 home loss to Valencia. Forward Jeffries was injured during the game. The length of his absence has not been announced, but he will miss the game against Maccabi. Besiktas then lost 95-81 to Efes in domestic play. It had also fallen 72-59 to Fenerbahce in the Turkish Super Cup. After a major roster overhaul for the EuroLeague, the team is still developing chemistry.

Besiktas Predicted Lineup: Dotson, Wilbekin, Brown, Omoruyi, Zizic

Unavailable: Jeffries (injury)

Manager: Dusan Alimpijevic

Head-to-Head

This will be the teams’ first meeting in European competition this season.

Maccabi vs Besiktas Prediction: Maccabi Handicap -3.5

Main prediction: Maccabi has the stronger roster. It competed for a play-in spot last season and has since added experienced players. Despite its opening EuroLeague loss, Maccabi showed its offensive potential in a 101-83 Israeli Super Cup win over rival Hapoel. Besiktas was inconsistent in preseason and has lost all three of its competitive games. Jeffries’ absence adds to its problems. The pick is Maccabi -3.5 at 1.77.

Total points prediction: Maccabi’s EuroLeague games averaged 180.8 combined points last season under Kattash. Besiktas has also played in high-scoring games, losing 86-84 to Valencia and 95-81 to Efes despite inconsistent execution. The pick is over 172.5 points at 1.75.