Nikola Milutinov explains why Serbian EuroLeague derby has an advantage over Greek one

Crvena Zvezda against Partizan Belgrade or Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Panathinaikos? Nikola Milutinov drops his thoughts.

By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net

Olympiacos Piraeus center Nikola Milutinov wouldn’t leave the locker room of his team to talk to reporters following the win of his team over Anadolu Efes before finishing a task of the utmost importance.

Milutinov was watching the finale of the EuroLeague Serbian clash between archrivals Partizan Belgrade and Crvena Zvezda on his phone, a thrilling affair decided in the last second.

Having played in both that historic contest and also in the Greek rivalry game between his team and Panathinaikos Athens, Milutinov is definitely the right person to answer the burning question: Which is the best EuroLeague derby?

“I didn’t have the chance to watch the [entire] last derby now. Both derbies are good,” Milutinov told Eurohoops. “But the atmosphere with the Serbian teams that they are making… it’s chaos over there. Maybe it’s a little bit better over there. Because they also allow some fans from the away team to come, so it’s even bigger chaos with everything happening.”

Before signing with Olympiacos for the first time in 2015, Milutinov played with Partizan from three years and was participant in several games of his team vs. Crvena Zvezda.

Once he moved to Greece, Milutinov became a regular of what is widely known as “Derby of the Eternal Rivals” between the Reds and the Greens.

“Both derbies are great and it’s very nice playing in front of those fans. It’s tough to decide,” Milutinov added.

While some fans of the visiting side are allowed to attend the Serbian derby in both EuroLeague and domestic competitions, unfortunately that’s not the case in the Greek rivalry game for safety reasons.

“If everything went OK, then good,” Milutinov said when asked if he’d like to see that happen. “Maybe for the safety of everyone it’s better how it is right now.”