The Greeks are the favorites for the EuroLeague final
The 2024-25 EuroLeague season arrived at its most important moment, as the Final Four tournament will be held this weekend at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. It is the first time that the event will take place outside of Europe, and it confirms the interest from the United Arab Emirates in European basketball, as Dubai BC is rumoured to be one of the new teams added to the EuroLeague next season.
It will also be the first Final Four since 2004 without a Spanish team. Real Madrid and Barcelona finished in the top 8 in the standings, but they both failed to qualify for the Final Four. However, we will have two Greek teams, and Olympiacos and Panathinaikos both have very high hopes of adding another trophy.
Panathinaikos will be the first to play on Friday, when the Greens will face Fenerbahce Istanbul. Ergin Ataman’s team surprised many people last season when they won the EuroLeague, but this time they will not be considered underdogs against anyone. Fenerbahce finished with a slightly better record in the regular season standings; however, the Turkish team lost both regular-season games against Panathinaikos. In Round 5, PAO won 81-76 in Istanbul at the Ulker Arena, while in February at the OAKA, the Greens, led by Kostas Sloukas, won another close battle 91-90. It is expected to see another very close game between the two teams on Friday.
In the second semifinal, Olympiacos will play against AS Monaco. Olympiacos won the regular season and could be considered the main favourite to win the trophy. However, on Monaco’s bench we have a coach who knows Olympiacos better than anyone, Vassilis Spanoulis, a legend for the Reds. In the head-to-head games, both teams won the away game. In Round 13, Olympiacos defeated Monaco in the Salle Gaston Médecin, but in Round 32, Mike James and co took revenge and won 80-77. Just like the other semifinal, this will also be a very balanced matchup. Olympiacos is slightly favourite, but if players like Mike James or Elie Okobo have a great night, they will be very hard to stop.
Imre Halasz
Photo credit: EuroLeague
