Panionios On Telecoms returns home after a tough return to the Euroleague last week with an even more daunting task awaiting, reigning champion CSKA Moscow. Panionios was outscored 43-29 in the second half last week as it lost by 21 at Real Madrid in its first Euroleague game in a decade. However head coach Aleksandar Trifunovic’s men are hoping that their fans will make the difference this time. Meanwhile CSKA started the season where it left off last year, blasting Armani Jeans 90-64 as a well-balanced team effort saw seven players score at least 8 points led by Trajan Langdon’s 18. Panionios has two major issues it needs to improve on this week: To limit its turnovers and to establish a better scoring game in the paint. Panionios turned the ball over 18 times, while its top interior scoring threat, Lonny Baxter, was limited by foul trouble all night and fouled out in less than 15 minutes on the floor. He will be needed – along with Goran Nikolic, Levon Kendall and Yannis Giannoulis – to rise to the occasion against CSKA strong and deep frontline led by Erazem Lorbek, Terence Morris and Alexey Savrasenko. Meanwhile CSKA’s biggest task is adjusting to life without injured forward Matjaz Smodis, who is still sidelined with an ankle injury. 

BETTING ANALYSIS

Panionios is hard to analyze yet because this team did not play any home games yet and it's hard to expect what kind of improvement we will see today. Trifunovic schemes worked well against CSKA schemes when he was in Rytas and I have some reasons to believe that with such deep rotation (9 players have more 10 minutes on court) they can compete with CSKA for long especially with crazy home crowd support. But unfortunately offensively Panionios will be forced to find way to score points because pick-n-rolls which Trifunovic likes will be not be effective against CSKA iron defense. Also defensively Paninionios should improve too and not to allow easy points for CSKA.

CSKA on other side started really well but don't overstimate that result. Team is still struggling in away games and CSKA game is not looking so confident often their experience offensive problems and up-and-downs during a game. But with no doubts CSKA has much higher class team and experience which will count here. According to Messina interview CSKA will play usual low tempo game with defensive approach and I hope that they will now allow greeks to score over 70 points because that should be enough for hitting under.

I expect a tough game with lot of defense from both sides, in the end CSKA experience should play a key role and they will win.

Prediction: Panionios 68 - 76 CSKA

Recommended TV-pick: Under 150.5 @ 1.80 Unibet

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