• → Game to take place at Spyros Kyprianou Arena, Limassol on Thursday, August 28 at 18:30 EEST (16:30 BST).
• → Hellas Basketball open Group C with Giannis Antetokounmpo back at full throttle under Vassilis Spanoulis.
• → Form line: Greece hammered Latvia in Athens with Giannis posting 25 & 10 in 15 minutes; Italy went 4–0 in friendlies with Simone Fontecchio leading the scoring before dropping games to Latvia and Greece.

Greece vs Italy - Group C Heavyweight Opener

Limassol’s night session gets a rivalry that rarely breathes. Greece roll in with their axis restored—Giannis as the downhill engine, Kostas Sloukas steering closing possessions, Dinos Mitoglou stretching the floor—and the clarity that comes from Spanoulis’ first major tournament in charge. Italy, by contrast, bring August habits you can bottle: tidy possessions, disciplined help, and shot creation by committee around Fontecchio’s star turns.

History gives this an extra charge. Greece’s modern pedigree—gold in 1987 and 2005, bronze in 2009—meets an Italy side chasing its first EuroBasket medal since 2003. Their last tournament clash (before the Acropolis last week) was a grinder in Milan in 2022, won by Greece 85–81; the names have shifted, the tension hasn’t.

Styles that clash (and where the edge lives)

1) Paint math (the big swing).
This game tilts on who owns the restricted area. With Giannis healthy, Greece can live in early hits—empty-corner pick-and-rolls to collapse help, then kickouts to Larentzakis or Papanikolaou. Italy’s counter is layered: Nicolo Melli’s positioning takes away direct lines, Alessandro Pajola digs at the ball without fouling, and Danilo Gallinari absorbs switches to keep five bodies behind the ball. If Greece are +10 in paint points or free-throw attempts by halftime, Italy’s half-court control gets compromised.

2) Shot quality vs. turnover economy.
Italy come in clean: 4–2 in warm-ups and a low live-ball turnover profile, with Darius Thompson and Marco Spissu toggling initiator duties so Fontecchio can catch on the move. Greece will test that poise with length at the nail and quick second efforts from Mitoglou and Kostas Antetokounmpo. Flip side, Greece’s best version keeps giveaways in single digits; when they did against Latvia in Athens, the offense snowballed into 104–86 with Giannis’ 25 & 10 coming in a blur. The first team to cough up two runouts in a row probably blinks first.

3) End-game authorship (secondary, but decisive if close).
If this is a one-possession affair late, it becomes about the cleanest two-man action. Greece can park Giannis at the elbow and let Sloukas play off a handback, forcing a rotation that opens a corner three. Italy’s best answer leans on Fontecchio as a mover—pin-down into a handoff, reject, one dribble and lift—while Melli screens and re-screens to keep the advantage alive. One well-drawn ATO could be worth the night.

How to watch Greece vs Italy

Stream Greece vs Italy live and on-demand on Courtside 1891. Grab a Max Day Pass for the opener or go Max Annual Pass for the full EuroBasket slate from groups to medal night. Regional availability may vary.