Euroleague: FC Bayern against Kaunas with ex-coach Andrea Trinchieri.

What kind of bon mots did this coach leave behind in Munich: After victories, he would have liked to jump into a swimming pool full of red wine; he compared his team to a Cadillac with a few screws still loose. He sometimes saw himself as a tailor, tinkering with a tailor-made suit until it fit just right, or he posed in front of the camera for his club and showed fans how a real Italian bakes a pizza. You can classify Andrea Trinchieri’s work with the FC Bayern basketball players however you want, but the Italian was never boring.

The keen observer can expect a little entertainment on the sidelines on Thursday evening, albeit that of the guests from Zalgiris Kaunas. Then Trinchieri’s Lithuanian team will be visiting the SAP Garden for the first time in the Euroleague, which the Munich team has always left as winners. Kaunas was already a guest in Munich last season, albeit at the BMW Park, where Bayern successfully took revenge with a 64:58 victory after a narrow 73:74 defeat in Kaunas.

Playmaker Sylvain Francisco will also pay a visit to his old employer

But what isn’t particularly meaningful is that Munich has a new coach in Gordon Herbert, who is at least emotionally the opposite of the impulsive Italian, as well as a completely revamped team. In addition, Bayern are having a strong season in the European elite class with 5-2 wins, but this also applies to the guests: Kaunas even travels south as league leaders.

In addition to Trinchieri, playmaker Sylvain Francisco will also pay a visit to his old employer. The playmaker left Munich for Kaunas before the season and comes with the recommendation of the best guest shooter. In the previous season, both competitors missed the playoffs, now the same is the declared goal for Munich and Kaunas. How serious Zalgiris is is shown by the signing of US winger Lonnie Walker, who comes from the Boston Celtics after six years in the NBA. The Munich team had a lot of emotion to counter this in front of 11,200 spectators.