The Reds look to snap a four-game slide in games against Los Blancos when they meet on Tuesday
The heat is on for Olympiacos-Real Madrid showdown
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What do you get for the rivalry that has it all?
After all, Olympiacos Piraeus and Real Madrid have met in back-to-back Final Fours, including the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game, which was only decided in the final seconds. One player (Nigel Williams-Goss) switched sides from the Spanish capital to the Greek port city in the summer of 2023.
Olympiacos head coach Georgios Bartzokas and forwards Sasha Vezenkov and Kostas Papanikolaou all spent time with Real Madrid’s archrival, FC Barcelona. Real forward Mario Hezonja is a self-avowed fan of Olympiacos’s archrival, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens.
Okay, not entertained. I get it. Been there, done that.
How about the fact that Real has won four in a row against Olympiacos? Now we are getting somewhere. And add the fact that – to put it mildly – neither team has gotten off to a blistering start to the season. Real is 3-2 and Olympiacos is 2-3.
Now just imagine how important this Round 6 fixture is to both teams… And thus we have captured the essence of the Rivalry Series. This win will mean a lot to the victors. And it will truly smart the losers.
The heat is on the coaches
We can start with the coaches. If Real wins, Bartzokas will be off to the worst start of a season among his eight on the Olympiacos bench. That would add even more pressure after the Reds lost their Greek League derby against Panathinaikos on Sunday. And with Vezenkov, the 2022-23 EuroLeague MVP, back with the team after a year away.
If Olympiacos wins, coach Chus Mateo of Real will be off to his worst start as head coach of the team. For contrast, Los Blancos did not lose their third game last season until Round 22. So the heat is on.
Two of the league’s biggest stars
Despite the team’s quiet starts, their main stars have been rocking. Real playmaker Facundo Campazzo leads the league in PIR (25.2 per game) with excellent shooting (50% 2FG, 56.2% 3FG, 100% FT). Vezenkov is fifth in PIR (22.6) and averaging 16.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
Between Thomas Walkup, the reigning EuroLeague Best Defender, and Luca Vildoza, who is Campazzo’s friend and former teammate at both the club and national team level, Olympiacos has reasons to believe it can slow down Real’s star. Last season, Campazzo only totaled 24 points in three games against Olympiacos. He also had 27 assists as well as 11 turnovers.
The last time Vezenkov played Real, he went off for 29 points, 9 boards and 4 assists in the 2023 title decider. But he will see a much different defense this time; Gabriel Deck was injured and Eli Ndiaye was but a teenager with a bit role. Can they contain the former MVP this time?
The list of what may make this Rivalry Series game great is infinite. Both teams are rich in talent and history. But if we just focus on the rivalry between them, the dread of another early-season loss and the great form of their stars, we have enough of an understanding why this is must-see basketball!