Facing Barcelona will be a serious test for the EuroLeague leaders. Panathinaikos are the only team in the competition to have won eight of their opening 10 games, although Barcelona have just one fewer victory. This will be a hard-fought contest.
Panathinaikos
After a poor performance away to Anadolu Efes (68:83), Panathinaikos unexpectedly slipped up in domestic competition too, losing to Aris Thessaloniki (91:101). They quickly adjusted their line-up, which led to hard-fought wins over Real Madrid (115:112) and AEK Athens (83:74). In the latter game, Panathinaikos dominated under the basket (35-31 in rebounds) and held their opponents' shooting percentage below 43% (42.9%).
Barcelona
Barcelona have built up considerable momentum after two consecutive defeats in mid-October. They have won seven games in a row, but Valencia Basket (98:94) are arguably the only top-class opponents they have faced during that run. Darío Brizuela starred against Hapoel Tel Aviv (93:90) last week, scoring 22 points in 18 minutes, but Barcelona should have beaten them far more convincingly.
Panathinaikos vs Barcelona Prediction
Panathinaikos return to their home court after two weeks away — they are highly motivated after a lengthy run of away games. Barcelona suffered a heavy home defeat against Panathinaikos in April (93:79), so they will find it difficult to exceed their points line.
