Olympiakos the outsider in Euroleague Final Four

European club basketball heavyweight Real Madrid will be hard pressed to win its first Euroleague title since 1995 when it hosts the competition's Final Four this weekend.

The showpiece tournament also features dark horses Fenerbahce Istanbul, who clashes with Real on Friday for a berth in Sunday's final, as well as CSKA Moscow and Olympiakos Piraeus who meet in the other semi.

Touted as strong favourites to win its ninth overall title, Real faces a banana skin against Fenerbahce who romped into the Final Four under the helm of the Spanish club's former coach Zeljko Obradovic, who steered it to its last Euroleague trophy two decades ago.

The 55-year old Serb, who has won a record eight titles in the premier club competition with four different clubs, also mentored Real's present coach Pablo Laso when the Spanish giants won the second-tier Saporta Cup in 1997.

Known for nurturing a free-flowing attacking game relying on flair and talent, Laso pointed out he had no qualms about applying a different strategy after last year's shock defeat by Maccabi Tel Aviv in the final.

"If we win the Euroleague in an ugly game, I would be as happy as if we won it in a great match,» the 47-year old from the Basque city of Vitoria told the competition's official website (www.euroleague.net).

"Fenerbahce is a talented team, hard to match up against and able to change their rhythm. I have a lot of respect for (Obradovic), I learnt a lot from him in the two years that I spent with him."

Heavy investment by Fenerbahce's owners paid off in the club's second season under the iron-fisted Obradovic, who brushed aside Maccabi 3-0 in their best-of-five quarter-final. Having won five of his eight Euroleague titles with Panathinaikos, the former...