Partizan vs Crvena Zvezda: Analysis and Prediction – Partizan and Crvena Zvezda will meet in the EuroLeague Week 5.
Partizan vs Crvena Zvezda Odds
Partizan Team News
Partizan is off to a slow start in the EuroLeague with just one win in the first four games. While the schedule was challenging, they missed a significant opportunity in Piraeus last week, falling to Olympiacos in overtime. The impact of that loss was evident when they were shocked by Mega in the ABA League.
Partizan hasn’t made significant changes to its roster from last season, but it appears that the new additions haven’t reached the same level as those who departed. Frank Kaminsky has struggled on the defensive end, and PJ Dozier is still adjusting to European basketball. Ognjen Jaramaz’s confidence took a hit last season with Bayern, and Mateusz Ponitka is dealing with shoulder issues. Even the players who were expected to lead the team, like Kevin Punter, have had difficulties, and Alen Smailagic and Zach LeDay have shown inconsistency.
This upcoming derby could be a turning point for Partizan. Last season, they looked very poor until mid-December, but then things turned around. To avoid a similar situation, they need to start with better results earlier in the season, and there’s no better way to turn things around than with a win against their biggest rival.
Crvena Zvezda Team News
Crvena Zvezda made an early coaching change this season, parting ways with Dusko Ivanovic after just three weeks. Following their loss to Virtus in Bologna, the club promoted Ioannis Sfairopoulos, a former head coach of Olympiacos and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
During the summer, red and whites assembled the most expensive team in their history and announced their ambition to reach the Final Four of the EuroLeague. However, defeats to Virtus, Monaco and Zalgiris have shown that the path won’t be easy, and Sfairopoulos has a lot of work ahead of him. One of his primary tasks is to distribute roles better than his predecessor. Shabazz Napier was signed to be the team’s leader, but he has shown inconsistency. Rokas Giedraitis and Adam Hanga have been among the most consistent performers in their respective roles, while Mike Tobey, Yago dos Santos and Marko Simonovic are still finding their place in the team.
Crvena Zvezda claimed win in the first EuroLeague derby against Partizan last season, which was also played in front of Partizan’s fans. They now hope to achieve the same result in this upcoming clash under Sfairopoulos’s helm, as it would be an ideal start to his tenure with the club.
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Partizan vs Crvena Zvezda H2H
Partizan and Crvena Zvezda played 10 games against each other last season. In the EuroLeague, their head-to-head was 1-1, and overall it was also tied at 5-5.
Absences and Injuries
Mateusz Ponitka will miss this game for Partizan. Branko Lazic has injured a rib and is highly likely to miss this game for Crvena Zvezda, while Nemanja Nedovic is questionable.
Partizan vs Crvena Zvezda Prediction
Both Belgrade teams are currently in poor form. Partizan is having issues with defensive rebounding, while Crvena Zvezda has shown great strength in offensive rebounding in the early part of the season. This will be the biggest task for the black and white team, to control things under the basket. If Nedovic is unable to help the guests, Aleksa Avramovic will be able to apply pressure on the rest of Crvena Zvezda backcourt. It’s also time for Punter to take responsibility for the home team, and for Smailagic to continue where he left off in Greece. The change in coaching will certainly cause a positive shock to Crvena Zvezda, but probably not significant enough to outplay their eternal rival in Sfairopoulos’ first EuroLeague game with his new club.
Tip-off Time: Thursday, 26.10.2023, 18:30 CET
Prediction: Partizan -3.5
Odds: 1.71
Sportsbook: 22Bet
*Odds are active at the time the article is published
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