This evening to be a crucial one in the Eurocup for three local basketball teams
Only one team – Aris or Panellinios – will be able to proceed to the knockout stages of basketball’s Eurocup tonight, as Turk Telekom secured the first of the two spots for advancing to the next round. Turk Telekom was awarded the two points for the match that never took place in Ankara against Israel’s Bnei Hasharon last week. Turkish fans attacked Hasharon players in protest at the conflict in Gaza. The referees ordered the stands to be emptied, but the Hasharon players refused to return and play. The authorities’ decision was to award the game 20-0 to Turk Telekom, which now has four wins in five games. Aris, in second, has three wins and travels to Israel today to face the already eliminated Hasharon. If Aris wins it will qualify for the next round. «A lot has been said about this game and the conditions under which it is taking place in Israel, but we must remain focused on what we have to do and do our best,» said Aris coach Andrea Mazzon. But if Aris loses and Panellinios defeats Turk Telekom in Athens tonight, the two Greek sides will finish level on points and the Kypseli team will be the one to advance thanks to its better head-to-head record with Aris. «We will fight as hard as we can to get the win so we can have hopes of qualifying for the next round of the competition,» said Panellinios coach Ilias Zouros. Both games begin at 7.30 p.m. In Group A Maroussi visits eliminated Roanne in France. The Greek side will proceed with a win, but will also go through with a defeat if Latvia’s Riga beats Zadar in Croatia. These games also start at 7.30 p.m.
