The two teams face off this Wednesday night
Rivalry Series: Predicting the winner of Partizan vs. Barcelona
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Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2-6) and FC Barcelona (6-2) go head to head at Belgrade Arena in Round 9's Rivalry Series game on Wednesday night, but 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, but you can submit your vote via the poll at the bottom of the page.
Geoff: The form book should make this one an easy result to call. Barcelona has won six of its last seven games and is joint top of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings, while Partizan is on a four-game losing skid. Simple, right? Well, not quite. Partizan can count on some of the best fans in the world and I think that will make the difference as they spur their team on to a surprise victory. Much of the attention, particularly pre-game, will be on Kevin Punter, but it will be Partizan's new stars – Carlik Jones, Iffe Lundberg and Tyrique Jones – who are the topic of conversation afterward.
Geoff's prediction: Partizan to win by 5 points or fewer.
Javier: It is going to be a special game for Kevin Punter and I really think this game has been marked in red in his calendar since July. Partizan has been playing better and some of its new players are now fully adjusted to the team – Carlik Jones in particular. The fact that Barcelona stars Jan Vesely and Punter played for coach Zeljko Obradovic for several seasons certainly helps the hosts. But, that said, Punter is in great form right now, creating shots in one-on-one situations and making most of them. He is more than used to the fervent atmosphere at Belgrade Arena and will lead Barcelona to a road win.
Javier's prediction: Barcelona to win by more than 5, Punter gets 20+ points.
Igor: Partizan has struggled a lot on offense, averaging just 71.5 points during its four-game losing streak. It has not scored more than 74 points in any of those four losses, while shooting just 32.3% from behind the arc. Barcelona, on the other hand, is averaging 86.4 points this season, second best in the league. The hosts will need their offense to start clicking because I don't think the lift Partizan fans get from its fans will be enough to overcome the gap. The welcome that Punter (and Vesely) will receive will surely be memorable, but the two have also been Barcelona's best players and I think they will deliver at Belgrade Arena, disappointing the fans that love them so much.
Igor's prediction: Barcelona to win by 8.
Frankie: I would love to see Partizan put it all together on Wednesday. Almost every chance I have had, I’ve said that I think the talent on Partizan’s roster is super exciting. I have a hunch that if this game was a month from now, I would give Partizan a shot. But the game is not in December and Partizan is riding a four-game losing streak, including two at home – against teams below Barcelona in the standings. Barcelona has won two of its last three road games and, as has been mentioned in all previews, has players who know the Serbian capital well as former Partizan players. The visitors’ combined experience should help neutralize Partizan’s home-court advantage and see them come out on top come the final buzzer.
Frankie's prediction: Barcelona to win by multiple possessions.