By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The new head coach of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet, Giannis Sfairopoulos, will miss both Nemanja Nedovic and Branko Lazic in his return to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
Nedovic, 32, picked up a hamstring injury at the bottom end of the first double-game week of the 2023-24 installment of the EuroLeague. After being scratched for Round 4 of the AdmiralBet ABA League Regular Season, he will sit out Round 5 of the Regular Season at the continental level and the Eternal derby opposite Partizan Mozzart Bet on Thursday.
Lazic, 34, suffered a rib injury against FMP Soccerbet on Monday. The team captain was limited to 17 minutes of action in FMP Arena before his early exit.
Apart from being ruled out from the upcoming matchup in Europe’s premier club continental competition, both players are questionable for the ABA League Round 5 meeting of the Belgrade giants in Stark Arena next Monday.
All remaining players are available for Sfairopoulos. On the opposite end, Mateusz Ponitka (shoulder) is out for the team coached by Zeljko Obradovic.
The experienced shooting guard started the young season with 9.5 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 rebounds per EuroLeague contest, and 12.3 points, 2.7 assists, and 1.3 rebounds per appearance in the regional league.
Dealing with a second injury setback over recent weeks, Lazic has been cleared to play in five of the eight outings across continental and regional levels. He logged 5.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per EuroLeague game, and 4.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per ABA contest.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net