Barcelona Hosts Zalgiris Amid Injuries and Travel Delays

FC Barcelona hosted Zalgiris Kaunas at Palau Blaugrana on Friday, October 9, for Round 4 of the 2026-27 EuroLeague regular season, with injuries and travel complications affecting preparations for both teams. Barcelona entered the matchup with a 2-1 record, while the Lithuanian visitors had lost their previous two games and stood at 1-2, according to Eurohoops and BasketNews.

Barcelona received a setback when Justin Minaya injured the adductor muscle in his right thigh. The 27-year-old forward had averaged 2.7 points and 1.7 rebounds through three appearances, including two starts, in his first EuroLeague campaign. Eurohoops reported that he was expected to miss approximately ten days.

Barcelona also monitored the availability of Josh Nebo, who was recovering from a right calf problem, and Tosan Evbuomwan, who had a left shoulder strain. Yoan Makoundou remained unavailable with a left knee injury. Evbuomwan, 25, was seeking his first appearance in Europe's premier club competition after playing 50 NBA games and earning Finals Most Valuable honors during the previous season's G League championship run.

Zalgiris faced uncertainty in its backcourt, with Saben Lee dealing with a hamstring injury and listed as a game-time decision. Nigel Williams-Goss was unavailable while recovering from a hamstring strain in Kaunas, according to Eurohoops.

The visiting team also encountered transportation problems before departing for Spain. BasketNews reported that a technical issue delayed its scheduled flight from Kaunas Airport on Thursday. The club arranged for a replacement aircraft to travel from Vilnius to Kaunas.

In its statement, Zalgiris described the disruption and the arrangements made to continue the journey to Barcelona.

"On Thursday, Zalgiris held their final practice at Zalgirio Arena before having lunch and preparing to travel to Spain, where they are set to face the Catalan side in a EuroLeague game on Friday. However, after arriving at Kaunas Airport and before boarding began, it became clear that the flight had been delayed due to a technical issue with the aircraft. At first, efforts were made to fix the problem, but a quicker solution was eventually found — another aircraft of the same type will be sent from Vilnius to Kaunas. The team is currently waiting for the replacement aircraft to arrive, after which the players and the fans traveling with them will be able to continue their journey to Barcelona." the club said.

Barcelona guard Kevin Punter emphasized the importance of maintaining the intensity that had helped the team in its recent home games. Speaking before the matchup, he identified consistent energy and concentration as priorities against the Lithuanian side.

"It's going to be important. In the last two home games, we won by showing good energy and good feelings, so it's going to be very, very important. We have to take it game by game," Punter said.

Punter also acknowledged Zalgiris' ability to compete with leading EuroLeague teams, highlighting the challenge posed by its established playing style.

"Zalgiris has been a very solid team. They always have the talent to be one of the top eight teams. We must be prepared, just as we would for any other game," Punter said.

Barcelona's injury situation prompted Punter to reflect on the potential benefits of restoring unavailable players to the rotation. The guard said the team had continued concentrating on its immediate responsibilities despite missing several teammates.

"To be honest, I almost forgot we had Josh Nebo. And also the guys who were out, like Tosan and Yoan. I'm so focused and so into what I'm doing that I had to remind myself we had a couple of players out," Punter said.

He remained optimistic about the team's prospects when those players became available again, pointing to the importance of familiarity among teammates.

"We're going to be fine. When those players return, the chemistry will increase even more," Punter said.

Punter also described his approach to balancing individual scoring with Barcelona's broader offensive requirements, particularly when absences force changes in team responsibilities.

"I'm being who I am, smart enough to read the game and be myself. We have a different team, but I'm being who I am. I'm not a selfish player in any way. I feel that often I set aside my scoring for the team, but that's who I am," Punter said.

Asked about the possibility of the NBA expanding into Europe, Punter said he was still gathering information and did not have a settled assessment of the proposal.

"I've had that conversation with many people, but to be honest, I don't have much information on it. I have my opinion, but I don't know. I'm still researching and looking for information. I'm not too sure about it," Punter said.

Barcelona entered the game following a 95-82 road victory over Besiktas, while Zalgiris was coming off an 82-78 defeat against Paris Basketball. BasketNews reported that Zalgiris had beaten Barcelona in both meetings during the previous season, winning 88-73 in Barcelona and 83-71 in Kaunas.