Check out what the protagonists are saying ahead of Round 3 of the 2025-26 EuroCup season, and who might be missing in action.
Round 3: Pregame quotes and injury reports
Article
7 Mins read
Wednesday, October 15
Lietkabelis Panevezys vs. ratiopharm Ulm (18:00 CEST)
--
Panionios Athens vs. Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse (18:30 CEST)
Luka Pavicevic, Panionios head coach
The third round of BKT EuroCup is bringing another strong team in Glyfada. We have already been playing some very strong counters at the beginning, like Chemnitz and now Bourg. With the split that we had in the first two games, we are hoping for a strong performance as a reaction to our Greek League game against AΕΚ Athens, which was not good. But also, as a statement of ambition as α ‘new-old member’ of the EuroCup. So, we hope to have a strong game and bring a win to our fans!.
Tyler Wahl, Panionios center
We have another tough game ahead of us in the BKT EuroCup against Bourg. We want to put on a good performance and bounce back after the game against Ulm in Germany. We need to play hard and give our best in order to win.
Frederic Fauthoux, Bourg head coach
"Playing in Greece will be difficult: it's a buzzing arena. Panionios has big scorers and quality shooters. The goal will be to manage and control their offense while putting in the necessary energy and staying focused throughout the game."
Kevin Kokila, Bourg center
"This is going to be a tough game against a talented offensive team. The key will be to stop them and lower their three-point percentage to have a chance of winning in a tough arena."
Injury report: JT Shumate is out for Bourg's Round 3 game.
Besiktas GAIN Istanbul vs. NINERS Chemnitz (19:00 CEST)
Rodrigo Pastore, Chemnitz head coach
"Besiktas is probably one of the most talented teams in the EuroCup. A serious candidate to go all the way. Very deep roster built around two big centers and a lot of shooting around them. The key of the game for us will be tempo of the game."
Yordan Minchev, Chemnitz forward
"Coming into this game, we look forward to extending our winning streak. Besiktas has a team that plays a different game than ours, it’s gonna be a battle of tactics, physicality and whoever fights better and puts more effort I believe will get the W."
Slask Wroclaw vs. U-BT Cluj-Napoca (19:00 CEST)
Mihai Silvașan, Cluj head coach
"We’re going through a busy period, with four away games, but that’s part of the competition, part of a team’s life. We have to find solutions every time and try to be the best version of ourselves, regardless of the circumstances. We want to be a winning team, which is why I told the players that we have to bring out the best in ourselves again, especially from a mental standpoint. Even though Slask has only one win so far, it’s still a game against a very physical team that plays at a high pace. We have to maintain the right mindset, take things step by step, and play quality basketball in every game."
Mitchell Creek, Cluj forward
"Any time you get to challenge yourself on the road, it’s always a great opportunity to get tighter as a group, a little sharper, and to rely on each other even more as a team. I think that’s what we did against Krka, in ABA League, but now we’re back on the road against Slask, once again on a short turnaround and facing a great team. It’s going to be a big challenge and a great test for us, but one that I believe will put us in a great position if we can get the win."
Umana Reyer Venice vs. Neptunas Klaipeda (20:00 CEST)
Neven Spahija, Reyer head coach
"Despite the loss, we took a big step forward in [the Italian League game in] Trapani, compared to the game against Bahcesehir. I have to give credit to our players for that, and I've encouraged them to approach the game against Neptunas with the same mentality. They are a very good and versatile team, especially on offense, and they shoot the three-pointer a lot. Therefore, we need to play better on defense and continue our growth process, improving in every aspect of the game, especially on the defensive rebound to have more opportunities to run in the open court. We are playing at home, and the support of our fans will be fundamental."
Denzel Valentine, Reyer guard
"We have the opportunity to get our first win in the EuroCup, and we want to seize it. We're fired up and we will be ready. We need to step on the court with great intensity right from the start, playing with defensive solidity and for each other. I believe we are one of the most talented teams in the competition, and we want to prove it. We are growing; unfortunately, we lost at the end in Trapani, but we showed improvement. Our goal is to keep getting better every day, game by game."
Injury report: Reyer confirmed they do not have injuries ahead of the game against Neptunas.
BAXI Manresa vs. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (20:45 CEST)
--
Thursday, October 16
London Lions vs. Dolomiti Energia Trento (20:30 CEST)
Matas Jogela, Trento forward
"In our next game we’ll face the London Lions in what will be a tough matchup. If we want to come away with a win, we’ll need to give everything we have, because the EuroCup is a very demanding competition where every team fights to win. We lost an important game in the domestic league against Brescia, and we know we need to improve on some details - be more focused, share the ball better. That’s normal at this stage of the season, considering it’s only our fourth official game. We’re working hard every day and keep improving, playing better basketball each time. We’re still learning how to play together and build our chemistry, but I’m confident we’ll get better and do everything we can to win this game in London."
Tuesday, October 14
Turk Telekom Ankara vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (18:00 CEST)
Andrej Zakelj, Buducnost head coach
"We are going to play an away game against a team with the highest ambitions in the EuroCup. Even before the season started, it was clear that they aimed to win or were among the favorites. Although they haven’t had the best start to the season, that doesn’t mean they don’t play well or that they are a weak team. They have an excellent squad with top individual players who can decide a game. We, just like in the previous match, must have the right approach. Approach and focus are mandatory; everything else – tactics and details – comes second. In these trainings, we will prepare as much as possible. We must respond with energy, determination, and physicality, because only then can we expect a positive result."
Axel Bouteille, Buducnost forward
"We have a big opportunity to win there, and we need to send a message to all teams in the EuroCup. We played a great game at home just two days ago, and we have to maintain that momentum. We must stay focused on our own game. They are a strong team, no matter what, and even if they have lost some games at home or away, they remain dangerous. We need to stay alert because they have very skilled players, and it will be a tough challenge regardless of past results."
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Aris Thessaloniki Betsson (18:30 CEST)
Zvezdan Mitrovic, Cedevita Olimpija head coach
"On Sunday, we returned from Podgorica via Belgrade, and on Monday we already held a training session in Stozice. Aleksej Nikolic had to leave practice early after receiving a new knock, so he will undergo an additional medical examination this afternoon to determine his condition and whether he will be ready to play. If he’s unable to play, it will be a big handicap for us, as we would be left with only one true point guard, while Aris is strongest precisely in the backcourt positions. In any case, a tough task lies ahead of us. Aris has been showing excellent performances in the EuroCup, while still searching for their first win in the domestic championship. It’s clear that their players are especially motivated for European games – they delivered two very dominant performances against Venice and Hamburg."
Umoja Gibson, Cedevita Olimpija guard
"If we want to come out with a win on Tuesday, we’ll need to stay extremely focused on containing their perimeter players, as they have great quality in those positions. At the same time, it will be crucial for us to control the pace of the game and not allow Aris to dictate the tempo. If we play connected and as a team, as we’ve done so far, we can once again hope for a positive outcome."
DJ Stewart, Cedevita Olimpija guard
"We know we’re facing a strong opponent, as Aris is playing great basketball in the EuroCup right now. They’re a very good team with many players who can step up and score points. We have a clear game plan, and it’s up to us to bring it onto the court and execute it consistently for the full 40 minutes."
Veolia Towers Hamburg vs. Bahcesehir College Istanbul (19:30 CEST)
Benka Barloschky, Hamburg head coach
"The frustration is growing mainly because we are standing in our own way. In every game, we manage to dictate the play and take control of the game, only to throw away what we have worked so hard to achieve. That hurts! We want to turn that pain into anger and aggression. The goal remains to continue the process and constantly push ourselves to our limits. Bahcesehir is one of the top teams in Europe. They have strengthened their squad again this summer and are among the favorites in our group. We are expecting an extremely difficult home game."
Benedikt Turudic, Hamburg center
"We are motivated to win. The positive thing is that we have another chance tomorrow to do much better than we did on Sunday. You could see that in training. Everyone is determined. Now we have to bring that determination onto the court."
Jared Grey, Hamburg forward
"For us, it's all about energy in the game against Istanbul. We have to quickly forget Sunday's game, turn things around, and continue to believe in ourselves. I would say it's good that we have the next game coming up right away. Because we simply don't have time to think about it too much. We've put that shitty game behind us and now we want to move on."
