Newcastle Eagles eye European glory in ENBL Final Four

By Miguel Villafuerte on April 8, 2025

The Newcastle Eagles look to clinch a European final berth as they take on Polish side Dziki Warszawa tonight in the European North Basketball League (ENBL) Final Four in Bratislava.

The Eagles have been in impressive form in the ENBL having defeated last year’s champions Bakken Bears 177-160 on aggregate, to book their spot in the semifinal.

The result against Bakken comes after Newcastle notched up seven wins with only one loss to finish first in Group A, including a 79-70 victory over tonight’s opponents in November.

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The journey continues as the @enbleague Final Four tips off tonight in Slovakia as your Eagles face a rematch with @dzikiwarszawa

Let’s us know where you’ll be watching. #WeAreEagles #ENBL #ENBLFinalFour2025 pic.twitter.com/eHZFR4SDQ9

— Newcastle Eagles (@NewcastleEagle) April 8, 2025

Head coach Marc Steutel couldn’t be happier with his side’s European run and is raring to keep it going against Dziki, who made it past German side Bamberg Baskets to reach this stage.

“I am elated at where we are in this competition right now,” he said.

“I’m excited at the opportunity that we all have. I know the excitement that’s around the club and the buzz that this week’s games are generating for everybody.

“There’s been a lot of conversations around the Final Four in the last few days and we need to make sure that we respond the right way to the expectation and the excitement.”

Steutel reiterated that the stakes couldn’t be higher as this competition presents another chance for Newcastle to claim more silverware this season, having also won this year’s Super League Basketball Trophy in January.

“Dziki has to be the biggest 40 minutes of our lives,” he said. “Our performance simply has to be built on the kind of urgency and desperation — and any other words that you can think of — associated with a game of this significance.

“Games like these transcend the current team and impact upon the whole history of the organisation.

“The semi-final is everything. Nobody wants to look back on a semi-final and wish they could have done more.”

The Great Britain head coach will be sweating on the fitness of star guard Mike Okauru for the Final Four showdown in Slovakia, after he was forced to exit early in Friday’s loss against the Surrey 89ers.

Okauru however is expected to take his place in the starting lineup tonight.

Newcastle Eagles versus Dziki Warszawa tips off at 7:30pm from Gopass Arena, Bratislava and is available to watch live and for free on YouTube.

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