FC Barcelona suffered its first loss of the Euroleague season on Tuesday, September 29, falling 94-87 to Dubai in the second round. The team was missing several key players due to injuries, including Josh Nebo, Yoan Makoundou, and Tosan Evbuomwan. Barcelona was led by coach Aleksander Sekulic, who had previously guided Dubai to the ABA League title before switching roles this season. The team started strong, with Joel Parra and Justin Robinson hitting three-pointers to take a 25-23 lead after the first quarter. However, Dubai surged in the second quarter with a 12-0 run, and Barcelona struggled to respond, scoring only five points out of 21 shots in the period. They returned to the locker room with a 15-point deficit (52-37). Dubai’s Mfiondu Kabengele was the top scorer with 21 points, while Jaron Blossomgame added 10 points, helping extend Dubai’s lead to 20 points in the third quarter (76-56). Kevin Punter, who finished the game with 25 points, led a late Barcelona rally, bringing the score to 86-80 with three minutes remaining. However, the Catalan team could not close the gap. Elie Okobo contributed 9 points for Dubai, and Tornike Shengelia, a former Barcelona player, scored 4 points. The match was notable for the exchange of coaches between the teams. Xavi Pascual moved from Barcelona to coach Dubai, while Sekulic made the reverse move after leading Dubai to the ABA League title. Dubai now has two wins from two rounds, following a 78-77 victory over Real Madrid in the opening match. Since the official restart of the season, Barcelona has recorded three wins and two losses. The team defeated Valencia in the Supercopa semifinals (87-86) before losing the final to Joventut Badalone (101-87). They also beat Anadolu Efes in the Euroleague (89-82) and Leyma Coruña in Liga Endesa (119-101) before their recent loss to Dubai. Injuries have plagued the team, with Makoundou, who joined from Monaco in August, dealing with worsening patellar tendonitis in his left knee, and Evbuomwan recovering from a left shoulder subluxation. Nebo also suffered a right soleus muscle injury during training, with a two to three week absence expected. Olek Balcerowski, a specialist center recruited from Malaga this season, is the only available center for Barcelona. He scored 10 points against Dubai, following a strong performance of 21 points on 9 out of 9 two-pointers in a previous game against Coruña. To give him a rest, Sekulic has been using smaller lineups, with Joel Parra and Olivier Nkamhoua playing in the four position. Barcelona will face Besiktas in Istanbul during the third round of the Euroleague this Friday.