A very tough test for Olympiacos in their season opener!
The European and Greek champions will play their first official preseason friendly tonight as part of their preparations for the new season, having traveled to Crete to participate in the 6th Crete International Basketball Tournament!
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The “Red-and-Whites” will face off tonight (9:00 p.m.) against Fenerbahçe, in a rematch of last year’s EuroLeague semifinal and the second semifinal of the friendly tournament, which will be held in Heraklion, Crete, at the “Dyo Aorakia” indoor arena. Earlier (6:30 p.m.), Olimpia Milano will take on Red Star, the other two teams set to compete.
Having begun its preseason training on August 20 and 21 with ergometric and medical exams for the players, Olympiacos also played its first unofficial three-quarter-long friendly match, held at the team’s new training facility, kicking things off with a 77-63 victory over Promitheas.
All the international players have finished their duties with their national teams and are now available to coach Giorgos Bartzokas, including Montero and Ediai, who trained for the first time with their new team, while the only absentees will be Kostas Papanikolaou, due to discomfort he felt during the national team’s games, and Giannoulis Larentzakis, who is expected to leave to return to AEK. Giorgos Bartzokas also has Bryant Dunston and George Papas at his disposal.
“Crete is a very welcoming place for us. We’ve played there many times in recent years. We’ve won, we’ve lost titles, but we’ve also played in many friendly tournaments there. Overall, this tournament is very well-organized and of a very high standard. I think it’s one of the best tournaments in Europe right now, given that four EuroLeague teams are participating. “You couldn’t ask for anything better,” the Olympiacos coach said, among other things.
On the other hand, Fenerbahçe is entering the new season with new faces on its roster: Ignas Sargiūnas, Sertac Sanli, Savon Shields, Trent Forest, Braxton Key, Shane Larkin, Marcus Bingham Jr., Will Clyburn, and Johnny Zhuang—and has already played three preseason friendlies.
The schedule for the 2026 Crete International Basketball Tournament:
Friday, September
4, 6:30 p.m. Olimpia Milano vs. Red Star
; 9:00 p.m. Olympiacos vs. Fenerbahçe
Sunday, September
6, 6:00 p.m. Third-Place Game
; 8:30 p.m. Championship Game
*photo source: Olympiacos B.C.
