EuroLeague Final Four 2025, semi-final on Friday, 23.05.2025, 17:00
Can the defending champions repeat last year’s coup in the Basketball EuroLeague? This question is the focus of my Fenerbahce vs Panathinaikos tip.
For the first time since 2004, the Final Four tournament will be held outside Europe. From Friday to Sunday, the new title holder will be decided at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
The first semi-final will be a repeat of last year’s match. Back then, Panathinaikos won 73-57 against Fenerbahce at the Uber Arena in Berlin. This time, it is likely to be a much closer contest.
The Fenerbahce vs Panathinaikos odds favor the defending champions. For a Greek victory, you can get average odds of 1.70 from the bookies.
And the best bookmakers, many of whom also offer sports betting with PayPal, are rewarding a win for the Turkish representative with betting odds between 2.05 and 2.20 for Fenerbahce against Panathinaikos Athens.
With 23 wins and 11 losses, Fenerbahce finished second after the EuroLeague group stage. In the playoffs, the reigning Turkish champions then easily defeated Paris Basketball 3-0.
So far, the club has only won one EuroLeague title, which came in the 2016/17 season. Last year, the men from Istanbul finished fourth in the Final Four.
In the current international competition, Fener has impressed with a top-three defense (81.1 PPG) and a tireless rebounding team (2nd place).
Coach Jasikevicius is 1-4 in the EuroLeague semifinals and is eager to improve that record. At home, the “Sari Kanaryalar” are second behind Anadolu Efes with eleven titles and ten second places.
Two of the last three titles in the Turkish league went to the Canaries. This year, the yellow and navy blues were again number one in the Turkish Basketball Super League (27W, 3L) with a five-point cushion.
The men coached by Jasikevicius are seeded in the BSL playoffs and will face a play-in winner in the quarterfinals.
Panathinaikos Athens had a very difficult start to the new season last fall. In the EuroLeague, the defending champions were in 11th place with eight wins after 15 rounds.
But led by EuroLeague MVP Kendrick Nunn, Juancho Hernangomez, who is having the best season of his career, and Kostas Sloukas, who was there when it mattered most, the “Prassini” secured third place (22W, 12L).
The reigning EuroLeague champions had the best offensive rating in the competition (123.1). In the playoffs, they prevailed 3-2 against Anadolu Efes Istanbul.
The club has won the EuroLeague seven times. This season, the “Greens” are in the Final Four for the 13th time.
The Greens are also the team to beat in their home country. Since the 1997/98 season, Panathinaikos has missed out on only six Greek Basket League (GBL) titles.
With a total of 40 titles, the “Trifylli” are also the record champions in Greece. This year, Athens secured first place at the end of the regular season with 22 wins in 22 games.
In the playoffs, the Shamrocks then prevailed 2-0 against Peristeri and Promitheas and will play their archrivals Olympiacos Piraeus for the title starting on May 30.
Coach Ergin Ataman has won the EuroLeague in three of the last four seasons. The coach will likely be able to count on his French center Mathias Lessort again in the Final Four.
As already mentioned, the two clubs met in the Final Four semifinals last season. And there was also a matchup between them in the current regular season.
Athens won 81-76 away and secured another victory in the Greek capital with an extremely narrow 91-90 win.
Conclusion: This time, I’m expecting a close contest between the two opponents. Fenerbahce has shown the best performance in the playoffs of all the semifinalists.
But when it comes down to it, Panathinaikos can deliver its best performance. The Athens team has had to cope with a lot of handicaps and setbacks this season.
Many regular players were injured or out of form. But in the end, the defending champion secured its ticket to the Final Four again.
And against Anadolu Efes Istanbul, the Shamrocks also put a strong defense on the court. In addition, the head-to-head record favors the Greek record champions.
Therefore, my Fenerbahce Panathinaikos tip for you is: Panathinaikos will advance!
