By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Good news for Panathinaikos Aktor heading to Round 31 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. Cleared to resume team practices, Luca Vildoza is set to potentially play against FC Barcelona in OAKA Altion on Friday evening.
Vildoza, 28, trained alongside his teammates without limitations on Thursday. He is expected to resurface in the lineup and play tomorrow. Looking to avoid a potential setback, his role can be limited instead of rushing back into normal playing time. “He practiced once after one month,” noted Turkish head coach Ergin Ataman falling well shy of confirming his player suiting up, “I need players with at least three of four practices to be ready at this level.”
The Argentine combo guard was sidelined over the last five weeks and missed the previous four team outings in Europe’s premier club competition. During his stint on the injury list, the Greens picked up three wins and improved to 19-11. A potential home win against Barcelona would match the Catalonia giant in second place in the standings. Besides Kostas Antetokounmpo (knee) staying on the injury list, all remaining players are available for 58-year-old Ataman.
In his sixth EuroLeague campaign, Vildoza tallied 6.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.8 steals per contest over 21 appearances, including five starts, before being forced to the sidelines in February. At the domestic level, he is up to 7.7 points and 2.7 assists per game over 13 features for the leaders of Greece’s Stoiximan Basket League.