The message from Galatasaray's new signing from the Czech Republic, Ivana Vecerova, is straight and to the point.

"The EuroLeague (Women) is really difficult," said Vecerova, a Czech international who spent last season with Ros Casares in Spain.

"You already have one (Turkish) league game every week and you also have the European game.

"Many exhausting journeys are taken. All the EuroLeague teams are strong."

Vecerova and her new team-mates, who captured last season's EuroCup Women, will get a sneak preview of life in the EuroLeague when they travel to face three-time defending champions Spartak Moscow Region in the inaugural SuperCup in Vidnoje, Russia, on October 20.

Though Spartak didn't take the Russian title last season, falling to UMMC Ekaterinburg, they did win the EuroLeague while boasting the Team USA trio Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles and Australia's Lauren Jackson.

The rich got richer this summer.

While Galatasaray got Vecerova and former UMMC center Yelena Leuchanka of Belarus, star-laden Spartak signed 2007 FIBA Europe Women's Player of the Year Anete Jekabsone-Zogota of Latvia and Russia international Ilona Korstin.

When people in the crowd at the Supercup watch Spartak, they will see former enemies now in their team because Jekabsone played at Dynamo Moscow and Korstin at CSKA Moscow.

Korstin, in fact, spent many years at CSKA but with the club enduring sponsorship problems and facing an uncertain year, she left for Spartak.

"At CSKA, who were two years ago called VBM SGAU (Samara), I spent six memorable seasons," Korstin said.

"It was at this club I was a multiple champion of Russia and the EuroLeague. In my memory will forever remain these triumphant moments.

"But the objectives of the army club (CSKA) for the new, upcoming, season did not coincide with my ambitions, so our paths, unfortunately, differed. That stage of my career ended and the next stage begins."

Most important for Korstin is that Spartak will contend for titles, and that Spartak supporters treat her like one of their own.

"Fans of Spartak have accepted me without prejudice," she said.