One already knows what it feels like to win the Eternal Derby. On Thursday, the other will experience Serbian basketball’s biggest rivalry as a head coach for the first time. Joan Peñarroya and Ibon Navarro spent years competing against each other in Spain, developing a mutual respect that endured even as their careers took different paths. Now, for the first time, they will meet as the head coaches of Partizan and Crvena Zvezda, in a game whose significance both understand, although only one has experienced it firsthand.
It will be their 25th meeting, and the circumstances surrounding it are particularly interesting. Peñarroya holds the advantage in their head-to-head record and won four consecutive games against Crvena Zvezda last season. Navarro, however, arrives at Belgrade Arena with a team riding a four-game EuroLeague winning streak, while Partizan is trying to end a run of three straight defeats.
For the first time, both Partizan and Crvena Zvezda are led by Spanish coaches. In a season featuring seven Spanish head coaches among the EuroLeague’s 20 teams, two of them will find themselves on opposite sides of the Eternal Derby on Thursday.
From Andorra and Manresa to Belgrade
Peñarroya and Navarro first faced each other more than a decade ago and have since met 24 times. According to available records, the Partizan coach holds a 15-9 advantage over his Crvena Zvezda counterpart. Their rivalry began during their spells with Andorra and Manresa and continued through different stages of their careers, including the period when they coached Barcelona and Unicaja.
Both built much of their reputations at clubs that lacked the financial resources of Europe’s biggest teams but still managed to compete with them. Peñarroya won back-to-back FIBA Basketball Champions League titles with Burgos in 2020 and 2021 before moving on to Valencia, Baskonia and eventually Barcelona.
Navarro enjoyed his greatest coaching success in Malaga. During four and a half years with Unicaja, he won seven trophies, including two Basketball Champions League titles and two Copa del Rey trophies. He also became the winningest coach in club history, far exceeding the expectations that accompanied his arrival in 2022.
One Game in Malaga Captured Their Mutual Respect
One of their most memorable meetings came in June 2025, when Navarro’s Unicaja and Peñarroya’s Barcelona faced off in the deciding game of the Spanish league quarterfinals. Barcelona appeared to be heading for the semifinals. It held a nine-point lead with 90 seconds remaining, but Unicaja fought back, forced overtime and won 97-95. Peñarroya’s team was eliminated from the playoffs, while Navarro and his players continued their pursuit of the title.
After the game, Navarro publicly defended his colleague, whose Barcelona team had dealt with serious injury problems throughout the season. He emphasized that Peñarroya deserved respect for what he had managed to get out of that roster, particularly the way his team continued to compete despite so many absences.
Peñarroya’s Derby Experience, Navarro’s Winning Streak
The Partizan coach has won his last four meetings with Crvena Zvezda. The streak began on April 2 with an 89-82 EuroLeague victory, continued with an 81-74 win in the ABA League and was extended by two victories in the regional competition’s semifinals. Partizan first won 100-94 before securing an 89-78 road victory to advance to the final.
The last two wins also eliminated Crvena Zvezda from the ABA League. Those victories, however, came against a different Zvezda roster led by another coach, making them an unreliable indicator of the balance of power heading into Thursday.
Navarro quickly became familiar with the importance of basketball in Belgrade. Back in September, shortly after his arrival, he spoke about running into fellow Spanish coaches working in Serbian sports. He revealed that he had met one in a parking lot and another at a shopping mall, joking that perhaps it was better if people didn’t see them together in public.
He was in good spirits again ahead of the derby. Asked whether he had already experienced the unusual atmosphere surrounding the game, he replied:
“I went out on Monday and decided not to go out again until Friday. That’s your answer”.
When the conversation turned to basketball, he praised Partizan’s organization and defensive quality, emphasizing that the team was playing better than its recent results suggested.
Two Coaches Facing Different Problems
Partizan’s biggest problem is on offense. The team averaged 90 points over its first three EuroLeague games, but just 65.3 over the next three. Its three-point shooting dropped from 40 percent to 19.7 percent, accompanied by a significant decline in two-point efficiency.
Ahead of the derby, Peñarroya specifically addressed the struggles of Carlik Jones, whose scoring production has fallen sharply over the past three games. He believes opponents have started directing considerably more attention toward Partizan’s most important player, but he also pointed out that his team has been missing open shots it was previously making.
In his view, Partizan hasn’t completely lost its offensive structure, but poor shooting and increased defensive pressure on its primary creator have significantly reduced its effectiveness. The team hasn’t found enough alternative solutions when Carlik is unable to impose himself on the game.
On top of that, the Partizan coach is dealing with a depleted frontcourt rotation. Tonye Jekiri’s injury has further complicated a situation in which Derek Willis was already unavailable, leaving Kevarrius Hayes, Joffrey Lauvergne and Nikola Tanasković with greater responsibilities.
Zvezda Has Solved Its Problems Through Defense and Rebounding
Although Crvena Zvezda averages just 80.8 points per game and also ranks among the EuroLeague’s least efficient offensive teams, it has become a consistently strong defensive team. After six rounds, Zvezda owns the league’s second-best defensive rating and leads the competition in rebounding with 41.3 per game.
Those results have come during a stretch in which injuries to Johnathan Motley and Ebuka Izundu forced Navarro to rely on smaller lineups. Semi Ojeleye took minutes at center, while Chima Moneke and others had to take on additional responsibilities in the paint.
Navarro has adjusted his rotations accordingly, particularly in the frontcourt. The game against Paris, in which Zvezda nearly squandered a 19-point lead, exposed some of the difficulties that remain. The Spanish coach took responsibility afterward for the lineup he used to open the fourth quarter, when his team lost its rhythm.
Heading into the derby, he can count on a recovered Izundu, while Johnathan Motley has participated in the last two practices and a decision on his availability will be made shortly before the game. The return of his centers gives Navarro more options, but he must now decide how much to change the lineups that have delivered results in recent weeks.
Where Could Their 25th Meeting Be Decided?
Partizan leads the EuroLeague with 10 steals per game, while Crvena Zvezda tops the rebounding charts and holds a substantial advantage in collecting its own misses. Partizan uses aggressive perimeter defense to generate additional possessions, while Zvezda creates theirs on the offensive glass.
Peñarroya will therefore need to find a way for his team to pressure Zvezda’s ball handlers without giving Moneke and his teammates too much room to attack the offensive boards. Protecting the paint without Jekiri presents another challenge, particularly if Navarro has more traditional options available at center.
Zvezda will look to use its physicality and mobility to limit Carlik Jones and Partizan’s offense. Navarro singled out Jones ahead of the game but emphasized that his impact shouldn’t be judged solely by his statistics, as the attention opponents devote to stopping him creates opportunities for his teammates.
Partizan has suffered a major decline in offensive efficiency during its three-game losing streak, while Zvezda currently has one of the EuroLeague’s best defenses. Peñarroya’s team struggled to find solutions against Panathinaikos and Fenerbahçe, and the defensive challenge awaiting it on Thursday is unlikely to be any easier.
Lineup decisions will also matter when the momentum begins to shift. Partizan conceded 34 points in the third quarter against Fenerbahçe after leading at halftime, while Zvezda endured a significant drop-off at the start of the final period against Paris.
Friends Before the Game, Rivals for 40 Minutes
Their relationship ahead of the derby may be best illustrated by their answers when asked whether they had been in contact. Peñarroya said they hadn’t spoken, called Navarro a friend and then promised that he and Partizan’s fans would try to put him under as much pressure as possible. Navarro, smiling, admitted they had spoken relatively recently but declined to say when. He also avoided answering when asked who would pay for lunch after the derby.
The two coaches, who have known each other for more than a decade, will meet for the 25th time on Thursday, but for the first time in the Eternal Derby. Peñarroya already knows what it feels like to beat Crvena Zvezda in front of a Belgrade crowd. For Navarro, it will be his first derby as Zvezda’s head coach.