Panathinaikos starts its European obligations in a difficult year, in every respect. The change in the management of the team, with Dimitris Giannakopoulos being a thing of the past and Albertis and Diamantidis undertaking to create a team that will cost as much as the sponsorships, was the first obstacle that the new coach of the team, the George Vovoras. The roster created in the first phase looks satisfactory but is based on some players who are prone to injuries, with whatever risk this entails. The first official game of the season created great concern since the greens lost to Peristeri in the newly formed Super Cup, with Vovoras and his associates being called upon to provide solutions to the weaknesses that appeared. However, this is not easy since in Friday's match Panathinaikos will play without three of the most important players in its roster, playmaker Jackson, the only reliable defender Sant Ross and the key power forward White as they all suffer from problems injuries. As if the problems of the match were not enough, the greens have to face the consequences of the coronavirus since they were invited to travel to Moscow via London since Russia accepts flights abroad only from England, forcing the Greek team on a long and tedious trip.
Khimki, on the other hand, added big names to her roster but the chemistry between all these stars is expected to be a very difficult problem. With Svend, Booker, Bertrans, Tima and Jerebko remaining on the roster and McCollum, Mickey and Monroe added next to them, an impressive ensemble is created and if they manage to put their egos second and work together then it will be very difficult for anyone to stop them. Until they achieve this, however, they will remain a team that, in order for everyone to be happy, they should each have their own ball, while the absence of Jovic is expected to cost a lot in creation for the Russians. Finally, Svend remains at the helm of the team, I miss Curtainitis I meant wrong, who will be in his place as long as he lets the Russian star do whatever he wants on the floor and have his favor.
The fact that the season is starting now and the Russians' fights have not had time to fight with each other as well as the injury problems of Panathinaikos lead me to the ace with more than 6 points at odds of 1.75