Jasikevicius keeping an eye on injuries before Olympiacos challenge 0

Zalgiris left for another do-or-die EuroLeague match-up on Thursday morning, as they get ready to face off against Olympiacos. The Greek side, currently holding the ninth position in the standings, is one of Zalgiris’ main competitors for a spot in the Quarter-Finals.

A loss in Piraeus would call the end of a terrific run of form and officially rule out any chances of making the EuroLeague Quarter-Finals. Sarunas Jasikevicius stressed the importance of Olympiacos’ guard tandem of Vassilis Spanoulis and Janis Strelnieks, who will most likely miss the game against Zalgiris.

“They’ve lost their creativity and scoring. Perhaps they’re a bit better off on defense, but losing two important players who’ve got large roles on offense, both scoring wise, and creating for others. Overall, they’re very important to them. We’ll have to wait and see if they can play.”

Zalgiris can also count their losses, as it is known that team captain Paulius Jankunas will be unavailable and it is still unclear when he will be back in action.

The coach pointed out the threat of Olympiacos’ front court duo of Georgios Printezis and Nikola Milutinov, who combine for an average of 22.1 points and 13.1 rebounds.

“One of the priorities for us will be stopping Georgios Printezis and Nikola Milutinov, who are usually the biggest trouble-makers for opponents.”

The match-up between Zalgiris and Olympiacos is set to tip off on Friday, 9:30 PM GMT+2.