Greece and Turkey face off tonight, Friday, September 12, in the EuroBasket semifinals, battling for a place in Sunday’s championship game. It’s the marquee matchup of the evening’s sports broadcasts, with tip-off set for 9:00 pm and live coverage on ERT1 and Novasports Start. Earlier in the day, the other semifinal tips off at 5:00 pm, also airing on the same channels.

Vassilis Spanoulis will have his Greek squad at full strength, while Turkey’s head coach Ergin Ataman is sweating on the fitness of Cedi Osman, who remains questionable until the last moment. This will be the 67th official meeting between the two rivals across all competitions and friendlies.

History on Greece’s side

According to records from the Hellenic Basketball Federation, Greece and Turkey have met 68 times in total, with Greece holding a clear edge: 45 wins to Turkey’s 23. In EuroBasket clashes, the balance is even more one-sided—five games, five Greek victories.

The record so far:
• June 3, 1981 – Greece 72, Turkey 64 (EuroBasket 1981)
• June 25, 1997 – Greece 74, Turkey 52 (EuroBasket 1997)
• September 6, 2003 – Greece 75, Turkey 70 (EuroBasket 2003)
• September 18, 2009 – Greece 76, Turkey 74 (EuroBasket 2009)
• September 7, 2013 – Greece 84, Turkey 61 (EuroBasket 2013)

Spanoulis and his players now aim to extend that streak to six straight wins against Turkey at the tournament level. A victory tonight in Riga would also mark Greece’s 46th triumph overall against their neighbors, sealing a spot in the EuroBasket final and guaranteeing a medal.