Efes to meet Partizan in Euroleague battle

Anadolu Efes hosts Partizan in a crucial Group C showdown at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague tonight.

The Istanbul side, which is on a 2-3 winning record, is looking for its first home win and Partizan (3-2) is on a three-game winning streak and wants to keep it going.

Efes downed Partizan 73-84 in Belgrade to open the season, so a 2-0 record against the Serbian powerhouse may be critical in the outcome of this group.

“Partizan is really a tough and a strong team who consecutively won its last three Euroleague games,” Efes coach Ufuk Sarıca was quoted as saying on the official Euroleague website. “They have the capacity to beat every team when they are on their way. We absolutely should play very good basketball night to win. In our complicated group we cannot bear any more losses. We want to win.”

The game at Sinan Erdem Dome, the home of the 2012 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four, starts at 8 p.m. and will be shown live at NTV Spor.