Only tonight will Oded Katash pass his true baptism of fire as coach of Panathinaikos - in the big battle over Athens against Olympiacos • So what if he comes as an underdog
Oded Katash.
Will he record his first derby victory without Nadovic?
Photography:
IPI
Avi Segal
Although he has already stood on the lines in several games as coach of Panathinaikos, Oded Katash knows that only from tonight will he really, officially, become the team coach - after first standing on the lines in the big Athens derby against Olympiacos, which won the first meeting of the season (71:78).
However, keep in mind that this rivalry is no stranger to him, as as a player he participated in two derbies 21 seasons ago - and lost twice.
The Athens derby, which will be hosted tonight by Olympiacos at the Peace and Fraternity Hall, has become a particularly rare and prestigious product in the last two years, since the Reds only play in the Euroleague.
Of the possibility of ten such hot meetings in the season (in the league and playoffs, in the cup and in the Euroleague) only two remain, and this time the meeting will be the last for the 2020/2021 season.
Katsch gets a big discount tonight, because one can only describe what he would have gone through if the premiere derby had been held in front of a hall full of local audiences.
It will still be a tough, passionate and important ego struggle, but still softened and lacking in spice due to the empty stands.
However, three weeks after arriving at Panathinaikos, for Katsch it is a spicy landmark.
Not only
will this
luxury
be Katsch's No. 8 game on the lines.
His balance in the previous seven is almost balanced - 2: 2 in the Euroleague and 1: 2 in his favor in the Greek league.
For tonight's hot Euroleague meeting, he arrives in a complex situation.
On the one hand, Pau defeated Valencia in their best game in the previous round, but on the other hand they were surprised in the league by Prometheus, a loss that does not happen every day.
What Panathinaikos will be seen at 9 p.m.?
It's hard to know, but it looks like Katsch will continue with one of the most notable changes he has made so far, making forward Costas Mitoglo a key player, giving no less than 26 minutes (quality).
In every game.
Olympiacos, on the other hand, come into this derby with a streak of three losses, the last against Barcelona (76:74), a game from which they came down with a sense of failure and discrimination on the part of the referees.
Her coach, Yorgos Bratzokas, was even sent off in the closing seconds and fined by the Euroleague management.
Spanoulis. Familiar with the derby on both sides // Photo: IPI
Beyond the prestige of victory, tonight's game is important for the two big rivals also at the professional level.
While Olympiacos wants to interrupt the losing streak and improve its chances of reaching the playoffs (it is currently out of the top eight), Panathinaikos is playing mostly on illusion.
Is the bottom team of the season in the Euroleague with a slim chance of entering the playoffs.
A loss, and her story is over;
A victory will keep alive the little hope and give a big boost to the way forward.
Katsch's big problem is the lack of injured star Nemanja Nedovic.
This is a very hard professional blow that could overwhelm the game, to which Pau comes as an underdog who builds on the phrase "to derby his own rules".
Legend Say hello
with all due respect to Katsch's debut in the derby, the main milestone in this game will be of basketball legend and previous decade player Vasilis Spanoulis.
After 15 seasons in the uniform of both teams (11 of them as an Olympiacos player), the 38-year-old is set to retire at the end of the season, and if nothing special happens, it will be his last derby in his career, as a player.
Greek "Live Sport" journalist Yannis Pasarakis reports in his newspaper today that Spanoulis' latest derby will have another, symbolic meaning - it will be his 96th derby, making him the pinnacle of his Athens derby.
He will replace Frankie Albertis, who has served Panathinaikos throughout his career in 95 derby games.
Had Olympiacos been playing in the first division in Greece in the last two years, Spanoulis would also have broken the 100-point barrier in the big derby.