Check out what the protagonists are saying ahead of Round 5 in the BKT EuroCup, as well as who might be missing in action.
Round 5: Pre-game quotes and injury reports
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7 Mins read
Tuesday, October 22
7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys vs. Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse
Frederic Fauthoux, Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse head coach
"We know it won't be an easy trip. We are expecting a big game at Panevezys, we will have to put in the energy and intensity for this away game."
Maksim Salash, Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse player
"We know it will be a difficult game, they always play good at home. But we want to continue winning and improve our game."
Injury report:
All of Bourg's players are healthy.
Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul vs. Joventut Badalona
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Trefl Sopot vs. Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius
Robert McGowens, Trefl Sopot guard
"Wolves have a lot of players who can score well. They are really good in transition, good in ISO, one of the best in the EuroCup from percentages and analytics standpoint. We are just going to go out there and compete. We have been putting together really good days and getting better. Hopefully, it will finally pay off. We have to stick to our principles and do the little things, and keep competing at a high level."
Injury report: All of Trefl's players are available.
Umana Reyer Venice vs. Veolia Towers Hamburg
Neven Spahija, Umana Reyer Venice head coach
"We are recovering players, and it's a key factor for our game. Unfortunately, the schedule doesn't help us because we play again just 48 hours [after Italian League game]. Hamburg is a tough team, they haven't won yet, but we know them and their coach from last year, and they will come here to compete. We want to win another game, together with our fans. The constant must be the defense we showed in Pistoia."
Kyle Wiltjer, Umana Reyer Venice forward
"We are excited to play in front of our fans again, we want to show our value now that we are getting several players back. I believe it's the start of a new chapter for us, the season starts now. We need to play our basketball, defend hard, and gain more confidence. We want to deliver a great game for our fans."
Injury Report:
Reyer's Xavier Munford has a cartilage injury to his right knee, he is OUT for the game.
Reyer's Jordan Parks: experienced a muscle strain in his right thigh. OUT for the game.
Hamburg's Niklas Wimberg is out with a broken leg.<br> Hamburg's Zsombor Maronka is out as he recovers from an ankle injury.<br> Hamburg's Benedikt Turudic is out with back problems.
Dreamland Gran Canaria vs. ratiopharm Ulm
Ty Harrelson, ratiopham Ulm head coach
"It's been a rapid journey. I hope that the night in our own beds from Sunday to Monday helped us to recover a little for the game in Gran Canaria. We know the quality of this team and what a great job Jaka is doing on the sidelines. We want to play more concentrated from the start tomorrow and show a reaction."
Marcio Santos, ratiopham Ulm center
"The game against Gran Canaria will be a real challenge. They are a strong team and have the home advantage on their side. We will go out with full energy to control the game from the start and give everything to win."
Wednesday, October 23
Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem vs. U-BT Cluj-Napoca
Yonatan Alon, Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem head coach
"Cluj is an excellent team with experienced players and a very deep, high-quality roster. It will be a tough game, but we are ready. We are happy to face two of our former players – Mareks Mejeris and Zach Hankins. Zach gave a lot to Hapoel Jerusalem, and it's always good to play against players you know and can prepare for better."
Chris Johnson, Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem forward
"We need to be locked in for 40 minutes and stay together. It's very important that we execute our game plan that our coach has for us and play as hard as we can."<br> Injury report:<br> Jerusalem's Nimrod Levi is out with an ankle injury.
Mihai Silvasan, U-BT Cluj-Napoca coach
"This is an important game for us and we want to show that we are in good shape. We do not have any injuries, everybody is healthy and we made it to Bulgaria, so we are preparing for this game. We are focused on playing well. They have really talented players and I believe that defense will be one of the keys of the game. We need to stop their scorers and then use our own weapons!"
Zach Hankins, U-BT Cluj-Napoca center
"Hapoel Jerusalem is a great team, but we have to keep the same energy level that we had for the last games, playing our style and playing our pace. We have to focus on slowing Harper down and not let him get to the fault line as much as he is used to. It comes down to the style we want to play, being aggressive on the ball and better on the offensive boards. We want to control the game and it will be a really good challenge!"
Turk Telekom Ankara vs. Valencia Basket
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Aris Midea Thessaloniki vs. Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana
Ioannis Kastritis, Aris Midea Thessaloniki head coach
"We have another very important game ahead of us in the EuroCup competition. We are in a situation where we are seeing continuous progress. So, regardless of whether we are talking about a league game or a EuroCup match, our primary focus is on our team. We need to keep improving in the areas of the game where it's necessary, and from there, the key is to show up just as hungry and highly motivated to achieve a winning result."
Vasilis Toliopoulos, Aris Midea Thessaloniki guard
"We know we have a very difficult game ahead. Cedevita's team is at 3-1, while we are at 1-3. We absolutely need to win in order to keep our chances of advancing to the next round. We will give it our all and hope for a positive result."
Đorđe Adžić, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana assistant coach
"We are eagerly looking forward to the game against Aris. I think that playing in Thessaloniki is one of the toughest away games in all competitions, especially in the EuroCup. This will be a new experience for us this season. Aris is a well-constructed team, though they had some difficulties at the beginning of the season. Our opponents have a very strong backcourt, and their big men are extremely athletic. Defensively, our primary focus should be on covering their guard duo, Vassilis Toliopoulos and David DeJulius, both complemented by Eleftherios Bochoridis, who has played at the EuroLeague level for many years. We also need to pay attention to their big men due to their specific playstyle, which involves deep rolls and offensive rebounds. Their defense is very aggressive, something we have already faced this season, but we need to be even more cautious and control our game under pressure."
Rok Radovic, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana forward
"We are expecting a very tough game in Greece. Everyone knows that Aris always plays very well on their home court. With the support of their fans, they are always extremely aggressive on both ends of the floor. We are preparing diligently for our opponents, and we are heading to Thessaloniki with one goal – to win. We are satisfied with our start in the EuroCup, but we are taking it game by game. We cannot be satisfied with the current number of wins; we know we can achieve more, and we approach every game aiming for victory."
Buducnost VOLI Podgorica vs. Bahcesehir College Istanbul
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Dolomiti Energia Trento vs. Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv
Paolo Galbiati, Dolomiti Energia Trento head coach
"For us, playing the EuroCup is a source of pride because being able to play against teams and players of the caliber of Patrick Beverley makes us happy and I think it should be the same for the fans, too. I would like many to come and support us in the cup also to see these players. They are a top-level team but for us playing against them is very stimulating and we will give one hundred percent to win. The club's motto is We Die Hard and we certainly will not give up after a slap."
Jordan Ford, Dolomiti Energia Trento guard
"We are very happy with a [Italian League] victory but we absolutely want to return to winning in the EuroCup too. We know that they are a very strong team and we will have to put the best version of ourselves on the court to counter their talent. The match up with Beverley? In basketball you play five against five, so we will have to face it all together."