Valencia Basket men’s team returned to training this morning to begin preparing for the game that will see them back in front of their home fans after three consecutive road trips last week, as they host LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne on Thursday, February 12 at 8:30 p.m. at the Roig Arena. The French side, despite currently sitting bottom of the standings, is in a good competitive shape, having won on one of the toughest courts in the EuroLeague with their 70–80 victory in Bologna less than a week ago, and having lost their last two home games by just one point against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (78–79) and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (76–77, after a tip-in to win that came too late). In addition, the most recent head-to-heads show that ASVEL have left Valencia with a win in their last two visits, making them a very dangerous opponent and one that will require the Roig Arena to recreate the atmosphere of the great European nights we have already enjoyed in the new venue.

VBC–ASVEL: our new continental Classic

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne will make their first visit to the Roig Arena as the most frequent opponent in our continental history, in what will be the 18th official European competition matchup between the two teams. With their ninth visit to Valencia, the French side surpasses the 17 games our men’s team have played in European competition against Khimki Moscow Region, ALBA Berlin, Olympiacos Piraeus and Crvena Zvezda Belgrade.

The 17 meetings with ASVEL so far

EuroLeague 2003–04. Group stage. ASVEL 86 – Valencia Basket 66
EuroLeague 2003–04. Group stage. Valencia Basket 80 – ASVEL 64
EuroCup 2011–12. Group stage. ASVEL 87 – Valencia Basket 78
EuroCup 2011–12. Group stage. Valencia Basket 96 – ASVEL 88
EuroCup 2013–14. Group stage. ASVEL 79 – Valencia Basket 76
EuroCup 2013–14. Group stage. Valencia Basket 97 – ASVEL 70
EuroCup 2018–19. Group stage. Valencia Basket 84 – ASVEL 62
EuroCup 2018–19. Group stage. ASVEL 73 – Valencia Basket 69
EuroLeague 2019–20. Regular season. Valencia Basket 81 – ASVEL 72
EuroLeague 2019–20. Regular season. ASVEL 72 – Valencia Basket 65
EuroLeague 2020–21. Regular season. Valencia Basket 65 – ASVEL 63
EuroLeague 2020–21. Regular season. ASVEL 90 – Valencia Basket 77
EuroLeague 2022–23. Regular season. Valencia Basket 76 – ASVEL 77
EuroLeague 2022–23. Regular season. ASVEL 79 – Valencia Basket 83
EuroLeague 2023–24. Regular season. ASVEL 55 – Valencia Basket 78
EuroLeague 2023–24. Regular season. Valencia Basket 69 – ASVEL 98
EuroLeague 2025–26. Regular season. ASVEL 77 – Valencia Basket 80

The overall record slightly favors Valencia Basket, who have won 9 of the previous meetings, while the French team has claimed victory in 8. That balance was initially built on home wins in the first twelve matchups, and it has continued in a trend where the visiting team has won each of the last five games. A streak that the Taronja side will try to end on Thursday with the support of their fans.

The impact of Braian Angola

At the start of 2026, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne lost their leading scorer and highest-rated player, former Valencia Basket man Nando De Colo, who joined reigning champions Fenerbahçe Beko Istanbul. It took a couple of weeks, but the French team found its new offensive reference point in the Liga Endesa. Braian Angola’s impact on ASVEL has been so significant that there is only one player in the entire EuroLeague with a higher performance rating: Sasha Vezenkov. The Colombian wing has been dazzling in his EuroLeague debut, averaging 18.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and drawing 7.2 fouls for 23.2 PIR per game, while playing just under 25 minutes per night.