Crvena zvezda will face Virtus in Bologna for the fourth round of the most prestigious European competition, and coach Dusko Ivanovic has prepared some changes to the team.
It was expected that Yago dos Santos would make an appearance, as Coach Ivanovic had already mentioned. However, at the last moment, Dalibor Ilic, Stefan Lazarevic, and Mike Tobey were “left out,” making it the biggest surprise at that moment.
Instead of them, the already mentioned Brazilian and captain Branko Lazic, who has recovered from an injury that caused him to miss the match against Monaco, will be in the lineup. Among the 12 players who will be competing for minutes, Ognjen Kuzmic will also be included.
Just as NBA teams engage in popular player exchanges, something similar happened in the latest transfer window. It wasn’t a typical “trade,” but Milos Teodosic and Ognjen Dobric swapped basketball uniforms.
This could be quite an emotional game for Dobric, who decided to take his first step abroad after seven seasons in the red and white colors. On the other hand, Teodosic has always been “as cool as a cucumber” when it comes to basketball challenges, so for him, the match against Virtus can only be an extra motivation, and not a hindrance.
It’s interesting to note that these two teams faced each other for the first time in their history just last season. Each team won when they were playing at home.
An interesting fact: If we look at the results of the two mentioned games, we can see a significant similarity. Specifically, Crvena Zvezda defeated Virtus in Belgrade by 83:74. In the second part of the season, the Italian team performed better, winning 84:72. This might be a particularly interesting piece of information for those who enjoy games of chance.