Match Preview
Last season was disastrous for Partizan, with matters escalating when Zeljko Obradovic resigned as head coach. Now, he returns to Stark Arena at the helm of Panathinaikos, so plenty of attention will be on Tuesday's encounter.
Partizan Impressing Despite Roster Changes
Even though they lost a couple of key players earlier this summer, Partizan made an excellent start to the new EuroLeague campaign and have emerged as one of the biggest surprise packages, winning three of their first four games.
The Black and Whites played with plenty of energy and outplayed Milano 92-76 in front of their home crowd in the season opener. Carlik Jones was named MVP of the entire round after scoring 20 points, dishing out 10 assists and grabbing four rebounds.
After beating Paris 92-79 in France, Partizan staged a big comeback against Bayern in the fourth round, securing an 86-84 victory with Tonye Jekiri playing a key role with 17 points. However, they were nowhere near causing an upset last week in Madrid, losing 86-76 to Real Madrid.
Panathinaikos Maintaining Their Perfect EuroLeague Record
Panathinaikos appointed legendary coach Zeljko Obradovic as their new (old) coach and have made a strong start, winning seven of eight games across competitions while maintaining a perfect 4-0 EuroLeague record.
They were unchallenged in the opening three rounds, all played in Athens, outclassing Paris 91-72, ASVEL 102-70 and Maccabi Tel Aviv 90-67. Summer signing Sylvain Francisco impressed in these games, averaging 16 points and four assists.
The biggest test for PAO so far came last week against fellow title contenders Fenerbahce, but they looked unstoppable, claiming a 92-74 victory. Nigel Hayes-Davis and Mathias Lessort were key contributors, scoring 19 points each.