The two archenemies go head to head in the Serbian capital on Thursday night (20:00 CET)
Rivalry Series: Predicting the winner of Crvena Zvezda vs. Partizan
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Basketball fans are in for a treat this Thursday night as Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (5-5) and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2-8) go to battle in Round 11's Rivalry Series game. Ahead of the Belgrade derby, which team do the Euroleague.net experts think will come out on top?
Geoff Gillingham, Javier Gancedo, Igor Petrinovic and Frankie Sachs have all predicted their winner in this Rivalry Series matchup.
Remember, you can submit your vote via the poll at the bottom of the page.
Geoff: Derbies often throw up strange results. Partizan has lost six straight games in the EuroLeague and pressure is starting to mount on nine-time EuroLeague champion coach Zeljko Obradovic. Zvezda, on the other hand, fell to defeat last time out but is enjoying a much better season than its cross-city neighbors. Still, even though I have been pleasantly surprised by the emergence of Mitar Bosnjakovic and the improvement in Aleksej Pokusevski, I can’t see past Zvezda in this one. This feels like a game where Codi Miller-McIntyre, Filip Petrusev and Nikola Kalinic should shine, so I’m going with the red-and-white half of Belgrade in this one.
Geoff’s prediction: Zvezda to win by 8 points, Miller-McIntyre to get his first double-double of the season.
Igor: Crvena Zvezda and Partizan have treated us to four fantastic games over the past two seasons, and despite Partizan's losing streak coming into this game, I believe we are in for another treat. Zvezda comes in as the favorite for several reasons, the main reason being it will have an overwhelming support of its fans. It has also performed better offensively and defensively than Partizan this season. Its players have more experience in Belgrade derbies, and Zvezda has won seven straight games in all competitions against Partizan. However, no Partizan player available for this contest has been part of those seven straight losses against Zvezda. Also, despite a 2-8 record, Partizan's seven defeats have come by 8 points or fewer. This game can really go any way, and I can see Partizan hitting its long-distance shots and stealing the win from its archrival. Partizan by 4.
Igor's prediction: Partizan by 4.
Javi: It is one of the most unpredictable games of the season, even though Zvezda seems to be in much better form and has three more wins in the standings. Zvezda has been without Joel Bolomboy for a while but has been able to adjust by giving Uros Plavsic and recently signed Filip Petrusev extended playing time. In that sense, Partizan has an advantage in the paint with Tyrique Jones and Brandon Davies. Most Partizan players have never experienced a Serbian derby in the EuroLeague and that gives Zvezda the edge, as players like Milos Teodosic, Nikola Kalinic and Luka Mitrovic know exactly to play in this particular game.
Javi's prediction: Zvezda by double digits.
Frankie: Partizan is just too good to lose seven in a row. The team is too talented to share the worst record in the league. And it’s a team that should only be getting better from week to week. Thus far, Zvezda deserves a ton of respect for the way it has started the season and for how Coach Sfairolpoulos has gotten the most out of his roster. Over time, though, talent should win out. If Frank Ntilikina had made a few clutch shots, we would be looking differently at Partizan. And he is nonetheless shooting well (43.8%) from downtown. Aleksej Pokusevski is on the rise. Teenager Mitar Bosnjakovic is finding his way. Isiaha Mike has joined the rotation. And while all eyes may be on Zvezda’s Codi Miller-McIntyre, I’d keep an eye on Carlik Jones.
Frankie's prediction: Partizan pulls it out in a nailbiter to turn its season around.