Valence has begun the Euroleague season strongly, remaining undefeated despite losing several key players. The Spanish team, which recently claimed the Spanish championship and reached the semifinals of the last Final Four, will face ASVEL in Villeurbanne on Friday at 20:00. ASVEL, coached by former NBA player Tony Parker, has one win and one loss so far in the competition. Valence's start was not without challenges. The team lost its top player, Jean Montero, who moved to Olympiakos, and its former coach, Pedro Martinez, who now leads Real Madrid. Under new coach Xavi Albert, Valence has managed two consecutive victories, including a high-scoring 111-88 win against Baskonia, which set a competition record for points. The team has also benefited from players who have ties to ASVEL’s home city of Villeurbanne, including Armoni Brooks, who was loaned to Valence after ASVEL revised its budget. ASVEL has brought in two experienced NBA players, Patty Mills and Jae Crowder, to bolster its roster. Mills, a 37-year-old point guard, won an NBA title with San Antonio in 2014, while Crowder reached the NBA Finals with Miami in 2020 and Phoenix in 2021. The two contributed significantly to ASVEL’s first-round win over Maccabi Tel-Aviv, with Crowder scoring 19 points and earning 25 ratings and Mills adding 15 points and 18 ratings. However, their physical toll could be a challenge for ASVEL, especially against teams like Valence that prefer a fast-paced style of play. ASVEL has a strong physical presence with players like Bodian Massa, Both Gach, Joel Bolomboy, Myles Cale, and Yves Pons. However, the club faced financial difficulties this summer, reducing its budget from an initial 50 to 60 million euros to 24 million euros due to insufficient financial guarantees from an investor. This led to the departure of several players, including Sylvain Francisco. According to Eurohoops, ASVEL is also banned from recruiting in the Euroleague after a dispute involving Joffrey Lauvergne, who is seeking 300,000 euros from the club, a claim ASVEL denies. The team recently lost 102-79 to Panathinaikos and will face Paris Basketball on October 7 at the Adidas Arena.