Another bout between heavyweights Barca, Panathinaikos

BARCELONA (Euroleague) - Nothing whets the appetite for European basketball like a forthcoming clash between two of the old continent’s giants, Barcelona and Panathinaikos.

On Friday, the teams are going to trade blows in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague, a clash the fans in Spain and Greece circled on their calendar long ago, when both teams wound up in the tough Group C on the day of the draw.

The showdowns between these sides over the years have been some of the best ever in the competition.

The teams have squared off on 30 occasions and one of the most famous was played in 1996, when Panathinaikos edged Barca in the championship game, 67-66, in Paris.

Since that time, the teams have combined to win six more championships, with Barcelona’s last Euroleague title triumph in 2010 and Panathinaikos' in 2011.

On the way to winning that series a few years ago, Panathinaikos stunned Barcelona in their play-off series, 3-1, and then won the Final Four that was held in the Palau Saint Jordi.

Barcelona have prevailed in the last four meetings between the teams.

This year’s Regular Season games should be special, if only because of the tradition and the chance to see Greece’s Dimitris Diamantidis and Spain’s Juan Carlos Navarro go at it again.

The two are among the most famous players in Greece and Spain.

Dusko Savanovic, a long-time coach in Spain’s top flight with Laboral Kutxa who also had a spell in charge of Barcelona, is now at the helm of Panathinaikos.

He knows what he's up against, not only because of games involving Barcelona that he has been a part of, but because of the players now in the Barcelona team.

He coached Marcelinho Huertas, Maciej Lampe, Brad Oleson and Tibor Pleiss while at Laboral Kutxa in Vitoria, Spain.

Likewise, Xavier Pascual, the man who replaced Ivanovic at the helm of Barca, has gone up against Panathinikos and their star players like Diamantidis to know they’re going to be tough opposition.

Ivanovic isn’t concentrating on history. He is only looking at the present, and the game that is to be played in the Palau Blaugrana.

"FC Barcelona is, along with Real Madrid and CSKA Moscow, the strongest team in the 2014-15 Turkish Airlines Euroleague," he said. 

"They are one of the favorite teams to qualify for the Final Four. 

"They are complete as a team. They have experience, good shooters, they are playing great in the transition and also the have great options in their offense. 

"Of course we have chances to win and we must fight for them."

Barcelona are at the top of Group C with four wins and no defeats. They are, heading into Week Five, one of four teams that has yet to lose in the competition.

Panathinaikos have had some hard games but are 3-1 and in good shape themselves.

FIBA