A Red-and-White derby at Sunel Arena for EuroLeague Matchday 10!
Olympiacos and Red Star face off tonight (9:15 p.m.), with both teams looking for their third straight win in the competition.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Olympiacos: Al-Ghuathil shakes up the starting lineup against PAOK
The Piraeus team is coming off back-to-back wins against Besiktas and Armani Milan, in games where they managed to overcome the challenges posed by key absences, improving their record to 7-2 and sharing the top of the standings with their archrival. Now, Olympiacos’s only loss in its last six games was to Fenerbahçe in Ano Liosia, while last Sunday they cruised to a 91-62 victory over Peristeri, continuing their undefeated run in the Stoiximan GBL.
On the court, Giorgos Bartzokas will be without the injured Montero and the suspended Dorsey, while Fournier is expected to return to action after a three-week absence. We may see Konchar make his debut.
“It’s a very demanding game. The momentum isn’t in our favor, given Red Star’s performance. They’re playing very well; they have a strong defense, forcing opponents to shoot at the worst two-point field goal percentage, and lately they’ve been making lineup changes by putting Ojelele at the ‘5’ position. I have great respect for Coach Navarro; he builds teams with a distinct identity, and as time goes on, he makes his team better. The game will be very difficult, and we’ll have to play well to win. We have a very good record in the EuroLeague, we’re undefeated in the league, and we won the Super Cup. We believe we have a good team and that we’ll be competitive under any circumstances,” said the Olympiacos coach ahead of tonight’s game.
On the other hand, Red Star is in excellent form, having lost just one of its last 10 games. Their record stands at 6-3, with their only loss coming in the EuroLeague derby against Partizan, followed by two home wins last “hellish week” against Maccabi and Bayern. So far, they have managed to secure road wins against Dubai and Villeurbanne, while a few days ago they easily defeated Siroki 100-82 in the Adriatic League.
On the court, Ibon Navarro will be without Motley, who did not travel to Greece with the team, leaving Izoudou and Koloko as the two centers.
“We have the utmost respect for our opponent, the European champions. No team wins anything based on quality alone; it also takes a fighting spirit. Olympiacos has something very important: regardless of any problems, they always find a way to be competitive and win. It’s also the best team in offensive rebounds (ed. note: seventh with 12.7 compared to 14.2 for first-place Paris), points off offensive rebounds, and two-point field goal percentage (60.2%). “A game like this is a major challenge for us,” said the Red Star coach.
The referees for tonight’s game will be Carlos Perugia (Spain), Boris Rizik (Ukraine), and Hug Tepenie (France).
