By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Only eight players practiced for Partizan Mozzart Bet on Wednesday.
When it rains, it pours. Projecting eight or nine players being available for the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 7, Zeljko Obradovic was restricted to eight players, one day before the meeting with Olympiacos in the Peace and Friendship Stadium, commonly known as SEF. Greek small forward Ioannis Papapetrou missed practice with a fever.
Papapetrou, 28, stayed at the hotel and was treated by the medical staff. But he is expected to put in some work tomorrow before the game. “He feels a little better. Today, he was excused from practice in agreement with Zeljko, but tomorrow he will train as much as he can,” explained team doctor Moma Jakovljevic, relays Mozzart Sport.
Tristan Vukcevic, Zach LeDay, Kevin Punter, Djordjije Jovanovic, James Nunnally, Gregor Glas, Matthias Lessort, and Yam Madar were healthy enough to practice. Barring another setback, Papapetrou will join the undermanned squad upping the available players to nine on gameday.
Aleksa Avramovic (hand), Dante Exum (ankle), Balsa Koprivica (hand), and Alen Smailagic (hamstring) have all been ruled out with injuries. At the top of the week, both Uros Trifunovic and Danilo Andjusic joined the Serbia senior national team and will instead compete in the approaching international window and the next batch of 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.
“The situation is what it is,” said Obradovic, “We are going to fight and play as well as possible under the given circumstances.”
Sitting at 3-3, the Belgrade outfit is tied for seventh in the EuroLeague standings.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net