We have the great and eternal derby of Athens in the Euroleague tonight. The atmosphere will be special and full of anticipation as always in Athens. These two clubs squared off a week ago in the domestic league and Panathinaikos won. Will Olympiacos take over the mantle as the kings of Athens?
Both of the clubs have gotten off to a good start in this seasons edition of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague. Panathinaikos have won five and lost two games, seven weeks into the Euroleague. Panathinaikos currently sits at the third position in the table and Olympiacos are at the 7th spot. They’ve got four wins and three losses. Last week the red & white Olympiacos defeated Barcelona in a blowout game at home (95-74). Their archrivals Panathinaikos travelled to Belgrade for an encounter with Crvena Zvezda. Panathinaikos won 81-77. These two clubs from Athens played each other ten days ago in the domestic league and Panathinaikos won 78-71.
Panathinaikos have won three straight fixtures in the Euroleague (Crvena Zvezda, Lyon-Villeurbanne and Fenerbahce). They have found their groove, much thanks to Mathias Lessort and Kendrick Nunn. Olympiacos have two straight wins in the Euroleague (Barcelona and Real Madrid). Both clubs are coming in with some nice and fresh momentum to this game. Lorenzo Brown has joined Panathinaikos and their backcourt rotation is really strong with Nunn, Sloukas and now Brown.
The pressure has been on for the players of Olympiacos since the derby loss ten days ago. Only a win will be good enough for them. A second derby loss in ten days will be hard for them to deal with. So there’s nothing else to do for the players than step up and win this game. Otherwise they will not be able to leave their houses for a couple of days, at least. Olympiacos will be very motivated to win this match. But will it be enough is the question. We will get the answer tonight.
The Frenchman left the NBA in the off season to play for Olympiacos. Fournier had 19 points in their prior Euroleague fixture versus Barcelona. EVan must have a good game for the red and white to win. Sasha Vezenkov, former MVP of the Euroleague, is playing at a high level and will give his all for the fans of Olympiacos in this very anticipated match in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague. He also left the NBA in the off season to join his beloved Olympiacos.
