CRVENA ZVEZDA BELGRADE (SERBIA)

Founded in 1945
Team colors: red and white
Honors: Cup of Cups (1974), ABA League (2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17), Serbian National League (2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17), Serbian National Cup (2004, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017), Yugoslav National League (1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1968-69, 1971-72, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1997-98), Yugoslav National Cup (1971, 1973, 1975)
Arena: Kombank Arena (capacity – 18386), Aleksandar Nikolic Hall (capacity – 8150)
President: Nebojsa Covic
Official website: www.kkcrvenazvezda.rs

Where to watch

LIVE: Match TV (20:55), Match! Arena (20:55), Match! Igra (replay — 00:20; January 17 at 13:25), EuroLeague TV, Sportbox.ru
Text online: EuroLeague website

GAME NOTES

Charles Jenkins played with Crvena Zvezda for three seasons, from 2013 through 2015, and then again last season. A fan-favorite in Belgrade, he helped the team win a series of domestic trophies and was a teammate of current Zvezda players Branko Lazic, Ognjen Dobric, Nemanja Dangubic and Milko Bjelica.

Zvezda big man Pero Antic played under BC Khimki coach Georgios Bartzokas for a season at Olympiacos, and they won the 2013 EuroLeague crown together

Zvezda guard Taylor Rochestie and BC Khimki forward Andrey Zubkov were teammates at Lokomotiv Kuban Kransodar last season.

BC Khimki playmaker Stefan Markovic and Zvezda big man Marko Keselj were teammates at Valencia Basket for the first part of the 2012-13 season. In the past they have also been teammates on the Serbian national team.

PRE-GAME QUOTES

Georgios Bartzokas, BC Khimki head coach:

“There are two aspects in this game. The first one is the quality of the Crvena Zvezda team. The other one is the atmosphere in the gym. We need to overcome both situations. It looks like Crvena Zvezda is in good shape right now; they have chemistry and play with a lot of energy. On the other hand, as I’ve said, the atmosphere is always an important part of the game there”.

Stefan Markovic, BC Khimki guard:

“I’m always happy to have an opportunity of going home and playing in my hometown. Everybody knows that the atmosphere in Belgrade is the best one in Europe. So, I’m looking forward to playing the game and seeing my family and friends. Crvena Zvezda has traditions in terms of supporting; everyone playing there loves the atmosphere. I used to play both against Crvena Zvezda and Partizan and the atmosphere was beautiful. You’ll be motivated to play against this type of fans, so it’ll be interesting. We just need to be calm and play our game, trying to silence the crowd and that’s it. It’s all about basketball. We faced Crvena Zvezda in the beginning of the season and know they brought a new team with a young coach, who is a very promising and has his own philosophy. They had a tough time but now they have caught the rhythm, everyone started knowing each other better and they play much better. After our last losses we need to play with more energy and concentration all forty minutes. They play physical basketball in defense, especially at home. We need to take care of that and pay attention to Pero Antic and Taylor Rochestie, who are very experienced players. It will be a tough matchup but we are going to prepare well and fight over there for a win”.