An extremely challenging and difficult road game for Olympiacos!
The “Red-and-Whites” will face Valencia tonight (10:00 p.m.) at the packed “Roig Arena” for Game 5, thus kicking off their schedule for the second “doubleheader week” of this year’s EuroLeague, as they’ll remain in Spain to face Barcelona on Friday night (Oct. 16, 9:30 p.m.).
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Last week, the Piraeus team got off to a perfect start at Sunel Arena, where they played as the home team for the first time, defeating Efes 89-66 and thus returning to winning ways after their loss in Italy at Virtus Bologna’s home court.
Thus, Giorgos Bartzokas’s team improved its record to 3-1, while last Saturday they struggled considerably in their behind-closed-doors home game against Kolossos, but ultimately managed to secure a 99-83 victory, with Montero putting on an impressive performance and finishing the game with 30 points!
On the court, the “Red-and-Whites’” coach will be without, both for tonight’s game and for Friday’s game in Barcelona, Plotas and Bournel, who did not travel to Spain with the rest of the team.
“They have the best offense in the EuroLeague—first in pace and second in three-point shooting. They’ve won all four of their games, and anyone who watched yesterday’s game will understand the level of speed. We need to make the necessary adjustments for this game.
We’re far from where we want to be. We have a lot to improve, and that’s what this process is all about. We have plenty of room for improvement. There are many games and few training sessions—unfortunately, we don’t have the opportunity to train—but we want to secure the necessary wins. We have a lot of away games, which we find incredibly helpful,” said Giorgos Bartzokas, among other things, ahead of tonight’s match.
As for Valencia, they’ve made an impressive start to this season, racking up 4 wins in their first 4 EuroLeague games! The team that captivated everyone with its outstanding performance last season may have lost most of its key players and its coach, but it’s proving that it remains at the highest level!
With former Panathinaikos player T.J. Shorts leading the charge, Valencia has gone 4-0 with wins against Besiktas (94-96), Baskonia (111–88), Villeurbanne (92-105), and Hapoel Tel Aviv (93-82), and is the only team so far, along with Panathinaikos, to have a perfect record. In the Spanish league, they haven’t gotten off to such a strong start (1-2 record) and last Sunday suffered a narrow 89-86 loss in its away derby against Barcelona. As part of this “grueling week,” they’ll play at home again, against Maccabi.
On the court, Saint-Supéri did not play against the Israelis due to a cold, but he was ready for the game against the “Blaugrana” and will be available to his coach as usual. “We’re facing an opponent whose abilities and strength we know very well. We’re playing against the reigning champions of the competition, and we’re eager to take on this challenge, to play again at home in front of our fans, with the support of all our fans,” said Valencia coach Xavi Albert, among other things.
The two teams met twice last season, with Valencia winning both games, 99–92 at SEF and 85–84 at the “Roig Arena.”
