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This content was machine-translated from the French version.
Paris host ASVEL this Wednesday evening at the adidas arena with a simple backdrop: two French clubs, the same record of 1 win and 2 losses, and already the need to prevent the start of the EuroLeague from taking on the air of a messy file. The fourth round comes early, but it offers a useful derby for measuring the momentum, nerves and depth of both rosters.
Identical records, not the same trajectory
Paris began its European campaign with two defeats, in Athens against Panathinaikos and then at home against Partizan Belgrade.
Paris began its European campaign with two defeats, in Athens against Panathinaikos and then at home against Partizan Belgrade. The 82-78 win over Zalgiris Kaunas brought some air back into the room. Above all, it put Nadir Hifi back at the center of Paris’s game, with a clear rise in form over the first three rounds: 11, then 19, then 21 points.
ASVEL took the opposite route. The Villeurbanne side opened with a win against Maccabi Tel-Aviv before suffering two more worrying defeats, against Panathinaikos and then Valencia. The latest one, 92-105, stings more because the Rhone team led by eleven points at halftime. Losing in the EuroLeague happens to everyone; letting such a lead slip leaves clearer traces in film-room discussions.
The derby therefore arrives with two teams sharing the same record, but not quite in the same mental place. Paris is looking to confirm that its recovery is not merely a rebound. ASVEL wants to prevent two poor outings from becoming a trend.
Hifi-Mills, a duel of tempo and composure
The most visible matchup within the matchup pits Nadir Hifi against Patty Mills. The Paris point guard is coming off a buzzer-beater against Le Mans in the league, in a night of 33 points and 9 assists. This is not directly the EuroLeague, but it says something about his confidence. Hifi plays fast, takes difficult shots and embraces the noise around him. Paris functions better when that boldness remains connected to the team.
On the other side, Mills brings a different grammar. The former NBA champion has scored 46 points over the first three European rounds, including a 26-point outing against Valencia. At 38, he no longer creates advantages in quite the same way as he did at the peak of his career, but he retains the ability to punish a defense that relaxes for one second. Against Paris, every late rotation on a screen or every soft help can prove costly.
The absence of Mathis Dossou-Yovo, reported on the ASVEL side, adds a real interior concern. Paris has precisely found an impact near the rim in its last two wins, against Zalgiris and then Le Mans. If the Parisians impose volume on the boards and push the pace after stops, ASVEL will have to make up for it with shooting and discipline.
The recent weight of home court
Since Paris joined the EuroLeague, this matchup has followed a fairly clear rule: the home team has won every time in the regular season. ASVEL won at home in December 2024 and then in December 2025. Paris responded in its own arena in January 2025 and then in March 2026. The streak guarantees nothing, but it gives the evening a certain shape: in this duel, the environment matters.
It remains to be seen what kind of atmosphere will truly carry Paris. The start of the season at home has not yet filled the arena to maximum capacity, and this derby should also serve as a barometer of public interest. On the court, the stakes are more immediate: win to return to an even European record and avoid the zone where every road trip begins to look like an urgent repair job.
The next games come quickly. ASVEL will host Crvena Zvezda on October 13, while Paris will welcome Virtus Bologna the following day. In other words, no one will play an entire season this Wednesday. But in a competition where margins are paid for in April, this derby could offer more than a domestic win: a first real indication of which of the two French clubs is moving forward with the greater certainty.
