A very tough test for Olympiacos in the 7th round of the EuroLeague!
The “Red-and-Whites” host Fenerbahçe at the “Sunel Arena” (9:15 p.m.), riding high off their 2-2 record from last week’s grueling stretch in Spain, where they defeated Valencia (102-97) and Barcelona (105-100) in two consecutive overtime games!
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
With a 5-1 record, the Piraeus team’s only “blemish” at the start of the season is their road loss to Virtus Bologna. Their two wins in Spain were followed by another (79-68) over the Vikos Falcons in Ioannina, bringing their league record to 3-0.
In tonight’s game, Olympiacos will take the court with key players missing, as Giorgos Bartzokas cannot count on Fournier and Dorsey, while Montero’s availability remains in doubt. The Frenchman will be sidelined for three weeks with a shoulder and right knee injury, while Dorsey has been suspended and will sit out for one month. As for Montero, he experienced discomfort in his ankle and knee during the week, and his availability will be determined at the last minute. The injured Plotas remains sidelined.
Fenerbahçe, now at 5-1, also went 2-for-2 last week, in their home games against Zalgiris (99-80) and Partizan (74-65). Thus, tonight’s visitors bounced back from their heavy defeat (92-74) at the hands of Panathinaikos at the “Telekom Center,” while in the first three rounds they celebrated victories over Virtus, Bayern, and Dubai. However, last Sunday they suffered a shocking home loss to Petkimspor, their second in four games in the Turkish league.
On the court, Sarunas Jasikevicius has all his players available, though he chose to leave former AEK center Chris Silva, who did not travel to Greece with the rest of the team.
The two teams met three times during last season, each celebrating a home victory (104–87 at SEF and 88–80 in Turkey), while they also faced off in the Final Four semifinals, with Olympiacos securing a decisive 79-61 victory! Additionally, they played friendly matches over the summer, with the “Red-and-Whites” claiming an equal number of victories—82–77 in a friendly and 92–90 in the EuroLeague Super Cup semifinal.
*photo source: AP
