In Athens, Panathinaikos welcomes Real Madrid in a highly anticipated game for Round 1 of the 2022/23 Euroleague.
The Greek side was active during the summer transfer-wise. Nine players (including Mateusz Ponitka) signed with the six-time Euroleague champions, while six left.
The “Greens” failed to win the Greek Super Cup last Sunday against Olympiacos (52-67). Newly-acquired players, such as Paris Lee (12 points) and Derrick Williams (10 points), contributed a lot for their team. However, Dejan Radonjić’s guys performed really bad offensively, scoring only 18 points in the second half.
For its part, Real Madrid claimed the Spanish Super Cup Final, defeating arch-rivals Barcelona in overtime (83-89). “The Whites” have won twice in the ACB League since then (2-0).
The Spanish side has not changed its last season’s core, therefore team chemistry may not be considered a problem this year. It is remarkable that former Panathinaikos player, Mario Hezonja, is one of the four Real Madrid transfers this summer.
I believe Real has what it takes to win in Greece. Chus Mateo’s team is considered a strong candidate to compete in the Final Four once again. On the other hand, Panathinaikos has to improve a lot on both ends of the court to challenge for a playoff qualification spot.
For the season opener at OAKA, I believe the Spanish side is the clear favorite to win.
My first betting prediction of the season will be Real to cover the handicap of -2.5 (odds at 1.50). Furthermore, I predict that Panathinaikos will not score more than 77 points (odds at 1.60). A combination of both picks boosts the odds at around 1.95, which is my value bet for this game.
Safe bets:
Real win -2.5 (1.50)
Panathinaikos under 77.5 points (1.60)
Value bet:
Real -2.5 and Panathinaikos under 77.5 points (1.95)
