Evan Fournier is pencilled in for Olympiacos’ EuroLeague meeting with Crvena Zvezda on Friday, 6 November. That is a welcome development for a backcourt suddenly short of bodies, but coach Georgios Bartzokas’ expectation is not yet the same thing as a confirmed match-day clearance.
Speaking after Sunday’s Greek league win over Peristeri, Bartzokas said the plan was for Fournier to play on Friday and pointed to encouraging signs in training, according to BasketNews’ report of his comments. The French guard has missed three consecutive EuroLeague games with shoulder and knee problems. Olympiacos’ official fixture list places the Crvena Zvezda game at the Sunel Arena on 6 November.
The timing matters because Olympiacos have just lost Jean Montero for an extended spell. The club confirmed on 30 October that Montero faces approximately six months out following surgery to repair the lateral meniscus in his left knee. There is no tidy one-for-one replacement for a guard who had been averaging 15.5 points and 4.5 assists across six EuroLeague appearances. Fournier’s return would restore a proven scorer and another ball-handler, not erase that loss.
Olympiacos have already shown they can cope for a night. Without Montero, Fournier or Tyler Dorsey against Milan on 30 October, they won 84–78. The club’s match report credits Codi Miller-McIntyre with 24 points and four assists, Sasha Vezenkov with 23 points and Tyson Ward with 14. That was a useful display of depth. It was also a reminder of how much creation Miller-McIntyre has been asked to supply while the guard rotation has been thin.
Fournier’s own six-game EuroLeague averages stand at 11.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in roughly 24 minutes, as reported by BasketNews. Those numbers are a sensible starting point for fantasy managers; they are not a promise that he will immediately resume the same workload. A player returning from two injury concerns may be eased back, and a productive Miller-McIntyre stretch gives Bartzokas options rather than forcing a single distribution of minutes.
Friday’s opponent adds some bite. Crvena Zvezda enter Round 10 at 6–3, while Olympiacos have climbed into the leading group. For Olympiacos, getting Fournier back would mean more ways to attack a strong opponent without asking one guard to solve every possession. For EuroLeague fantasy managers, the useful sequence is straightforward: check the final squad, then watch Fournier’s actual minutes and Miller-McIntyre’s on-ball role. The first game back will say more than any confident projection made on Tuesday.
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