Whose start is better?

PRE-GAME BREAKDOWN

Olympiacos is the only foreign Euroleague team that CSKA met in the preseason. At the tournament in Cyprus, the Red-Blues took a landslide victory - 85-68.

The team from Piraeus has a great start to the season and is now playing with the optimal lineup. For Muscovites, the situation remains unchanged: Nikola Milutinov (knee), Toko Shengelia (shoulder) and Marius Grigonis (back) are not playing. Newcomer Kenneth Faried is added to the Euroleague roster.

PRE-GAME QUOTES

Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA head coach:

It's a Euroleague game, every game here [in the tournament] is special. Even when you play last team in standings. We still have our problems, we still have players sidelined and they are working hard to come back. We are motivated. We understand that we are the underdogs right now. Now Olympiacos is playing good basketball, they are having good chemistry but we are here to give a fight.

Daniel Hackett, CSKA guard:

Olympiacos is known to collect an excellent team every year, this is a club with great history and a lot of good players. It will be a battle. As we know CSKA and Olympiacos clashed many times, the teams gave EuroLeague [fans] many memorable battles, so I don't expect nothing other than that. We gotta be focused and ready to play solid game and keep pushing forward.

“RELATIVITY” CONNECTIONS

Nikola Milutinov joined CSKA in 2020 after spending five seasons with Olympiacos. He played a total of 135 EuroLeague games with the Reds and helped the team reach the championship game in 2017. He played under Coach Georgios Bartzokas and was a teammate of many current Olympiacos players.

Daniel Hackett played with Olympiacos for two seasons, from 2015 to 2017. He was a teammate of Kostas Papanikolaou and Georgios Printezis.

Thomas Walkup of Olympiacos and Marius Grigonis of CSKA were backcourt mates at Zalgiris Kaunas the last three seasons.

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

Tornike Shengelia is the league leader this season in average PIR with 24.3 per game and scoring with 21.0 points per game.

Johannes Voigtmann has made at least 1 three-point shot in 16 of his last 17 games.

Marius Grigonis made at least 1 three-point shot in eight of his last nine games.

Alexey Shved has made at least 1 three-pointer in 20 of his last 21 appearances.

Shved ranks eighth all-time with 422 three-point shots made for his career. Jaycee Carroll is seventh with 437.

Shved ranks 11th all-time in scoring with 2,785 points. Kyle Hines of AX Armani Exchange Milan is 10th with 2,788 and counting.

Shved ranks 10th all-time with 583 free throws made for his career. Kostas Sloukas of Olympiacos Piraeus is ninth with 595 and counting.

Shved needs 8 assists to reach 800 for his career.

Nikola Milutinov ranks eighth on the all-time list with 464 offensive rebounds. Bryant Dunston of Anadolu Efes Istanbul is seventh with 472 and counting.

Marius Grigonis is ranked second all-time in free throw accuracy at 92.5%. 

PAST MATCHUPS

Wins/losses: 26-16

1994-95 – European Championship for Men’s Clubs. Quarterfinals. CSKA – Olympiacos: 95-65 (+30)
1994-95 – European Championship for Men’s Clubs. Quarterfinals. Olympiacos – CSKA: 86-77 (-9)
1994-95 – European Championship for Men’s Clubs. Quarterfinals. Olympiacos – CSKA: 79-54 (-25)
1995-96 – European Championship for Men’s Clubs. Semifinal Round. CSKA – Olympiacos: 96-91 (+5)
1995-96 – European Championship for Men’s Clubs. Semifinal Round. Olympiacos – CSKA: 72-78 (+6)
1996-97 – Euroleague. Qualification Round. Olympiacos – CSKA: 82-51 (-31)
1996-97 – Euroleague. Qualification Round. CSKA – Olympiacos: 70-79 (-9)
1997-98 – Euroleague. Preliminary Round. Olympiacos – CSKA: 86-74 (-12)
1997-98 – Euroleague. Preliminary Round. CSKA – Olympiacos: 77-58 (+19)
1998-99 – Euroleague. Preliminary Round. CSKA – Olympiacos: 75-81 (-6)
1998-99 – Euroleague. Preliminary Round. Olympiacos – CSKA: 74-76 (+2)
2002-03 – Euroleague. Regular Season. CSKA – Olympiacos: 74-67 (+7)
2002-03 – Euroleague. Regular Season. Olympiacos – CSKA: 77-79 (+2)
2003-04 – Euroleague. Top 16. CSKA – Olympiacos: 80-66 (+14)
2003-04 – Euroleague. Top 16. Olympiacos – CSKA: 69-93 (+24)
2006-07 – Euroleague. Top 16. Olympiacos – CSKA: 64-85 (+21)
2006-07 – Euroleague. Top 16. CSKA – Olympiacos: 83-79 (+4)
2007-08 – Euroleague. Regular Season. CSKA – Olympiacos: 88-79 (+9)
2007-08 – Euroleague. Regular Season. Olympiacos – CSKA: 71-67 (-4)
2007-08 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals. CSKA – Olympiacos: 74-76 (-2)
2007-08 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals. Olympiacos – CSKA: 73-83 (+10)
2007-08 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals. CSKA – Olympiacos: 81-56 (+25)
2011-12 – Euroleague. Top 16. Olympiacos – CSKA: 78-86 (+8)
2011-12 – Euroleague. Top 16. CSKA – Olympiacos: 96-64 (+32)
2011-12 – Euroleague. Final. CSKA – Olympiacos: 61-62 (-1)
2012-13 – Euroleague. Semifinal. Olympiacos – CSKA: 69-52 (-17)
2014-15 – Euroleague. Top 16. Olympiacos – CSKA: 84-76 (-8)
2014-15 – Euroleague. Top 16. CSKA – Olympiacos: 76-70 (+6)
2014-15 – Euroleague. Semifinal. Olympiacos – CSKA: 70-68 (-2)
2015-16 – Euroleague. Top 16. CSKA – Olympiacos: 92-85 (+7)
2015-16 – Euroleague. Top 16. Olympiacos – CSKA: 96-99 (+3)
2016-17 – Euroleague. Regular Season. Olympiacos – CSKA: 75-81 (+6)
2016-17 – Euroleague. Regular Season. CSKA – Olympiacos: 90-86 (+4)
2016-17 – Euroleague. Semifinal. CSKA – Olympiacos: 78-82 (-4)
2017-18 – Euroleague. Regular Season. Olympiacos – CSKA: 88-86 (-2)
2017-18 – Euroleague. Regular Season. CSKA – Olympiacos: 89-81 (+4)
2018-19 – Euroleague. Regular Season. CSKA – Olympiacos: 69-65 (+4)
2018-19 – Euroleague. Regular Season. Olympiacos – CSKA: 81-97 (+16)
2019-20 – Euroleague. Regular Season. CSKA – Olympiacos: 79-84 (-5)
2019-20 – Euroleague. Regular Season. Olympiacos – CSKA: 72-59 (-13)
2020-21 – Euroleague. Regular Season. CSKA – Olympiacos: 80-61 (+19)
2020-21 – Euroleague. Regular Season. Olympiacos – CSKA: 74-75 (+1)

SHORT DOSSIER

Olympiacos Piraeus, Greece

Founded: 1925 (1938 – basketball section)
Colors: white, red
Homecourt: Peace and Friendship Stadium (10.845)
Presidents: Panagiotis and Giorgios Angelopoulos
Head Coach: Giorgios Bartzokas
Website: www.olympiacosbc.gr
Trophy case:
- 3-time Euroleague champions (1997, 2012, 13);
- Intercontinental Cup winners (2013);
- 11-time Greek champions (1949, 1960, 1976, 1978, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2012, 2015);
- 9-time Greek Cup winner (1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1994, 1997, 2002, 2010, 2011)