One of the most anticipated showdowns so far in the Euroleague season takes place on Thursday when a fully-reloaded Real Madrid hosts defending champion Panathinaikos in the Spanish capital in a direct fight for the top spot in Group D.

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05 November 2009

Battle between Euroleague juggernauts

Rm-Asseco Prokom
FOTO ARCHIVO. Velickovic celebra una canasta
  • David R. Anchuelo
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Real Madrid welcome the current champions to Vistalegre

Euroleague.net / Realmadrid.com

One of the most anticipated showdowns so far in the Euroleague season takes place on Thursday when a fully-reloaded Real Madrid hosts defending champion Panathinaikos in the Spanish capital in a direct fight for the top spot in Group D.

Panathinaikos is the only undefeated team in this group with Madrid right behind at 1-1. Above all, it is showdown between two of the best coaches in the game, Ettore Messina of Real Madrid and Zeljko Obradovic of Panathinaikos. These coaches have faced each other in two of the last three Euroleague finals. It is a special game for Obradovic, who led Madrid to its eighth - and most recent - Euroleague title back in 1995. Messina and Obradovic combine for 11 Euroleague titles with six different teams - which says it all about the coaching level in this game.

  W L PF PA
 Panathinaikos   2  0  176  133
 Real Madrid  1  1  175  156
 AJ Milano  1  1  146  145
 Oldenburg  1  1  157  160
 Khimki Moscow  1  1  150  182
 Asseco Prokom  0  2  153   181 

Both teams enter this game with many key absences. Madrid is still without big men Felipe Reyes and Thomas Van den Spiegel. Meanwhile, Panathinaikos will be once again missing Kostas Tsartsaris, Sarunas Jasikevicius and Mike Batiste. Without Reyes and Van den Spiegel, Darjus Lavrinovic, who leads the Euroleague in index ranking (40 per game), is set to have a key role in this game. His matchup against Nikola Pekovic may well become the biggest key to this game. Novica Velickovic and Jorge Garbajosa are ready to open the guests' defense with their outside shots.

Garbajosa has a very interesting matchup against former Madrid forward Antonis Fotsis, with center Giorgi Shermadini and versatile forward Jurica Golemac coming off the bench for the Greens. The point guard battle will be just as interesting, as two of the best floor generals in Europe - Pablo Prigioni of Real Madrid and Dimitris Diamantidis of Panathinaikos - are set to face off. Messina can use Sergio Llull to change the game rhythm. Obradovic has more options in a more flexible offense, using Nick Calathes or even Vassilis Spanoulis at point guard. Madrid has its own battery of experienced players on the wings with Rimas Kaukenas, Travis Hansen, Louis Bullock and Sergi Vidal, who is ready for a critical matchup against Spanoulis.

Bullock enters a shooting showdown against former Alphonso Ford Trophy winner Drew Nicholas, Kaukenas has a tough matchup against athletic forward Stratos Perperoglou, and Hansen will test his all-around skills against Milenko Tepic. Above all, the stage belongs to two coaching geniuses that know each other very well and are ready for yet another top-level battle where the sure winners are the fans watching basketball at its best.

PLAYER PTS REB PIR
Darjus Lavrinovic (Real Madrid)  25,5 40
Kristof Lavrinovic (Montepaschi Siena)  26 34
Tiago Splitter (Caja Laboral)  21,5 31,50
Curtis Borchardt (Asvel Basket)  20 28
Quyntel Woods (Asseco Prokom)  22,5  10 24

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Euroliga

Thursday 05 November

REAL MADRID


PANATHINAIKOS

Discover the secret 2011/12

SQUAD LIST

Point Guards
Prigioni, Llull
Shooting Guards
Kaukenas, Bullock
Forwards
Hansen, Sergi Vidal, Dasic
Power Forwards
Garbajosa, Velickovic
Centers
De Miguel, Lavrinovic

Watch Out For...

  Spanoulis  




Spanoulis

  Diamantidis  




Diamantidis

Officiating crew

Romualdas Brazauskas, Boris Ryzhyk, Eddie Viator
Buscador

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