VITORIA (Euroleague) - The start of a new season in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague is upon us.

Twenty-four clubs set out this week with one thing in mind: win as many games as possible to advance to the Top 16.

Concentration and effort will have to be at a premium, especially in a Group C that many feel is a 'group of death' with powerhouses Panathinaikos, Fenerbahce Ulker and Barcelona, and up-and-coming teams Bayern Munich, EA7 Milan and PGE Turow.

The Euroleague tips off in Vitoria, Spain, on Wednesday with Laboral Kutxa (Baskonia) at home to Lithuanian first-timers Neptunas Klaipeda.

The Basque team has opened its Spanish Liga Endesa season with defeats away to Barcelona and at home to Unicaja Malaga and is desperate to beat Neptunas.

The visitors, coached by Kazys Maksvytis, made it to the Lithuanian League (LKL) Finals earlier this year before falling, 4-2, to Zalgiris Kaunas.

One of their players, Mustafa Shakur, played for Baskonia during the 2008-09 campaign.

Shakur, Justas Sinica and Donatas Zavackas have Euroleague experience, though none have played in the competition for the past four years.

Laboral coach Marco Crespi says the game-plan is simple and straightforward.

"We must play defense, limit their three-point shooting and execute in offense with ball circulation," he said.

Laboral playmaker Thomas Heurtel, a vital member of the French side that finished third at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, is an important figure. He averaged 9.7 points and 4 assists per game for Les Bleus at Spain 2014.

His national team coach, Vincent Collet, has been a reported target of another Euroleague team, Olympiacos, the past several days as a possible replacement for Georgios Bartzokas.

The Greek coach surprised everyone by stepping down just a week before the season, with the Reds putting his assistant, Milan Tomic, in charge on an interim basis.

Olympiacos, Euroleague champions in 2012 and 2013, open their Group D campaign at Valencia Basket on Thursday.

One of the big summer signings for Olympiacos was Oliver Lafayette, the guard who helped Valencia win the Eurocup earlier this year.

The Louisiana native also represented Croatia at the Basketball World Cup.

Dwight Buycks, Bojan Dubljevic, Luke Harangody, Sam Van Rossom and Guillem Vives are Valencia players poised to make their Euroleague debuts.

The other Group D game sees Ergin Ataman, Turkey's national team coach, lead Galatasaray at Crvena Zvezda on Thursday.

The home side boasts Nikola Kalinic, a member of the Serbia squad that finished second at the Basketball World Cup.

Among the players to feature for Gala at Spain 2014 are Kerem Gonlum, Ender Arslan, Sinan Guler and Furkan Aldemir (all Turkey), Martynas Pocius (Lithuania), Carlos Arroyo (Puerto Rico) and Ian Vougioukas (Greece).

Last season's title-winning side Maccabi Tel Aviv are at home to French champions Limoges on Thursday in Group B.

The Israel club, having lost coach David Blatt to the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, are now led by Guy Goodes.

The outfit lost to Flamengo in the Intercontinental Cup and will be looking to rebound.

Maccabi have Israeli internationals Yogev Ohayon, Guy Pnini and Alex Tyus.

There is plenty of firepower on the perimeter in the shape of Jeremy Pargo, Marquez Haynes and Devin Smith, while Australian center Aleks Maric is sure to log a lot of minutes.

Another player Maccabi need to be influential is forward Sylven Landesberg, a member of last season's winning campaign.

Limoges are back in the Euroleague for the first time since 1998.

The club has a rich history in European club competitions, winning the FIBA EuroLeague in 1992-93, and before that prevailing in the Saporta Cup (1987-88), and the Korac Cup (1981-82, 1982-83, 1999-00).

Financial and legal troubles took Limoges to the French third division in 2004 but the team has battled back to prominence and is now in the Euroleague after winning last season domestic title.

Thursday's other Group B games will see Cedevita Zagreb coach Jasmin Repesa at home against his former team, Unicaja Malaga.

On Friday, Alba Berlin, who made headlines by defeating the San Antonio Spurs in one of their pre-season games, square off against CSKA Moscow.

In Group A, Anadolu Efes Istanbul host Unics Kazan on Thursday, while on Friday, Nizhny Novgorod are at home against Dinamo Sassari in a battle of Euroleague newcomers, and Real Madrid square off against visiting Zalgiris.

Real Madrid have lost in the Euroleague Final in each of the past two seasons.

Mexico international Gustavo Ayon, who had a strong performance at the Basketball World Cup, is now among the talented players in the Madrid team.

All of the Group C games will be played on Friday, with Panathinaikos at home to PGE Turow, EA7 Milan visiting Fenerbahce and FC Barcelona hosting FC Bayern Munich.

It will be a dogfight to claim a top-four finish and advance.

Panathinaikos are now led by former Baskonia coach Dusko Ivanovic.

In their ranks are a couple of Greece's players from the FIBA U17 World Championship in Dubai, Vasilis Charalampopoulos and Antonios Koniaris.

Fenerbahce, led by former Pana coach Zeljko Obradovic, now have one of the heroes of Maccabi's title-winning side, Ricky Hickman, in the team.

Players to have outstanding performances at the Basketball World Cup in the Fener team include Serbia's Nemanja Bjelica and Bogdan Bogdanovic and Turkey;s Emir Preldzic.

Barcelona look as good as ever.

They have added the best player from Valencia's side one season ago, Justin Doellman, along with Germany center Tibor Pleiss and Czech Republic guard Tomas Satoransky as well.

FIBA