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Olympiacos want vengeance for the convincing defeat in Vitoria

Olympiacos opened Top 16 in a great manner and can now be pretty relaxed about the games to come. The wins in Malaga and Istanbul are particularity valuable, having gotten Olympiacos getting ahead of the Top 16 competition. CSKA and Olypiacos immediately went top table and, as it looks like, will be fighting for the top spot, which is very important because the two top spots in the group give teams the advantage of home court in playoffs QFs.

After a rocky star to the season (a defeat in Cup, championship defeat to Kifisia), Olympiacos have had everything just the way they wanted it. They beat Panaithianikos in Greek league derby match and another one of their rivals had a slip, which got Olympiacos top table, while the commission decided to grant them a spot in Cup semifinals. What is more important is the fact Olympiacos are only doing better as time goes by, being among the top teams in Europe in terms of defense. Scoring 70 points against Olympiacos is mission impossible for almost all European teams.

The Greek side did another championship task Monday to destroy Panelesiniakos away by scoring more than 100 points for the first time in the season. They lost the second quarter 22-18 but dominated the other three, especially the two in the second half in which they scored 57 points. No one at Olympiacos spent more than 25 minutes on the floor, while they recorded impressive 68% of shot efficiency.

- We were serious and focused from start to finish. 33 assists were an important element of our game since we're not always that good in it. It confirms the win was the result of team effort - coach Sferopoulos said. He had every right to be happy, regardless of the fact his team took on a weaker opponent. 

It was Olympiacos' fifth win in 2015. They have not conceded over 68 points in any of those games. Olympiacos played two head-to-head matches with Laboral in Euroleage first stage, winning the first tough game home and losing the one in Spain after being outplayed by Laboral. That second game is more significant for this one because it happened after Laboral sacked the former coach and made some other changes on the team to prove they are not agreeing with Olyimpiacos. The Greek side struggled a lot even in the first head-to-head game of the season and will clearly need to play very good-quality defense in order to extend the winning run.

Injuries struggles are causing Olympiacos additional problems. Other than Agravanis and Papapetrou who have been out for a while, Lafayette and Petway should be on the injury list today as well, even though Petway has better chance of playing today than Lafayette. 

- They changed their team significantly. We were defeated by 20 points the last time and we want a rematch. It's a big game for us. We have to win, no matter the injury struggles - Lojeski said.

Caja Laboral went on to confirm very good form. The team is final complete, with no one leaving or joining at the moment, which gave coach Navarro a chance to get their game organized the way he wants it. After two great games that finished as defeats (Real and CSKA), Laboral tied two wins and are not in great spirits ahead of the game in Greece. They are very well acquainted with Olympiacos' arena Pirej because this will be their 28th clash with Olympiacos since 2010. 

- They're one of top European teams. Us focusing only on Spanoulis or Lojeski would be a massive mistake. They're good because of the attacking, defending space and some less visible things. We need to be smart about it - Navarro said.

 And they were smart in the first round in Spain that was a lesson for Olympiacos. The Greek team were left with no solutions for Laboral's fast-paced game. Rarely does it happen that the opponent score 89 points against Olympiacos like Laboral. It is difficult, though, to expect something like it to happen again. The much more realistic outcome would be the game at 130 points, like the one played at Pirej. 

Interestingly, Laboral's defense wasn't focused on Spanoulis in either games, which he took advantage of but the team in the end didn't have much use of it. 

- When you have a player like Spanoulis on the team, you have to use him. But they have other great players like Printezis and Lojeski who always plays well against us. We need to guard them all the same - Navarro said.

Lojeski didn't score less than 15 points in any of his three games against Laboral. The fast-pace game and not extremely tough defense that Laboral play suits him and allows him to do his best.

Laboral could have the upper hand in rebounding today, which is normally Olympiacos' strong suit. Begic, Iverson, and Tillie are doing a great job in that aspect of the game and that is one of the means to stop Olympiacos - stopping their transition and the second chance when attacking they are used to getting. If Laboral do as they did in Moscow and against Real in Madrid, there is no reason for Olympiacos not to have a hard time at Pirej.

I think Olympiacos are definitely overrated as they face Laboral. They are capable of beating anyone home, there's no doubt about it, just like Laboral are capable of losing to just about anyone away. But, I don't that kind of outcome today. Laboral are physically powerful enough to be able to stand up Olympiacos' game, first and foremost rebounding. They were dominant over Real and CSKA away in that aspect of the game. They played a close game in the first head-to-head in Greece and gave Olympiacos a hard time despite having a lower-quality team compared to this one today. They destroyed Olympiacos in the second head-to-head in Spain to prove their game doesn't agree with the Greek side. Lafayette and Petway are questionable today but even with them on the team, Olympiacos are not as dominant in rebounding as Laboral are. I think this game will be close until the very end and I would not be shocked by Laboral claiming the win in the end.