OPENJOBMETIS VARESE vs. ASVEL LYON-VILLEURBANNE (Group C) Tuesday at 20:30 CET

VARESE (Basketball Champions League) – One walks into Openjobmetis Varese's Lino Oldrini arena and inevitably looks up where the banners serve as a constant reminder that this is the most successful Italian basketball club internationally. Five European Champions' Cup trophies, three Intercontinental Cups and two Saporta Cups, are testament enough to Varese's glorious legacy without even taking into account their 15 Italian titles.

It is not often Varese receive at Lino Oldrini a club that possess a similar-sized trophy case but Tuesday night is one of those rare exceptions, as reigning French champions ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne arrive in Lombardy. It is not by accident that Tony Parker chose to become president of this club, despite the fact he never pulled on the green-white jersey as a player. ASVEL are the most successful French club in history with 18 championships.

ASVEL maintained only four influential players from the side that lifted the Pro A league trophy last June, in Charles Kahudi, Trenton Meacham, Nicolas Lang and Darryl Watkins. Kahudi however underwent surgery after the Rio Olympics and has yet to play this season.

In addition to the absence of the French forward, ASVEL have to deal also with an important modification on the roster, as they parted ways with Kwame Vaughn and have chosen to trust the point guard spot to DeMarcus Nelson. It is doubtful however that the 30-year-old former Unicaja Malaga player will join his new team in time to play in Italy.

All these changes and issues have meant that coach JD Jackson's team has struggled to find rhythm at the start of the season and had started on 1-3 in the Pro A. On the positive side, summer signings Walter Hodge and Adrian Uter have met expectations and are the players with the highest efficiency rating on the team following the first four games.

Although Varese dropped to 1-2 in the Italian Serie A at the weekend, they feel much less concerned about their negative record than ASVEL does. Varese's two defeats came at Dinamo Sassari and Olimpia Milano, which are by definition two of the most difficult road games in the Serie A schedule. And despite those defeats, Varese coach Paolo Moretti has seen a lot of encouraging signs that point to a successful re-construction of the roster following the eight departures and arrivals in the summer.

Shooting guard Melvin Johnson, point guard Aleksa Avramovic and forward Christian Eyenga have taken over as the main scoring options, Oderah Anosike provides an important presence in the paint while Norvel Pelle has become an instant favourite with Varese fans for his spectacular blocks, leading the Italian league in that stat category.