Check out what the protagonists are saying ahead of Round 8 of the 2025-26 EuroCup season, and who might be missing in action.
Round 8: Pregame quotes and injury reports
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7 Mins read
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Turk Telekom Ankara vs. Besiktas GAIN Istanbul (17:00 CET)
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Panionios Cosmorama Travel Athens vs. Lietkabelis Panevezys (18:30 CET)
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Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Veolia Towers Hamburg (18:30 CET)
Zvezdan Mitrovic, Cedevita Olimpija head coach
“After the regional league game against Crvena Zvezda, we have very little time for recovery and preparation for the clash with Hamburg. We must enter the duel motivated. Hamburg is an extremely athletic team; against every opponent this season, they have practically been in the game for the win until the very end. Recently, their roster has undergone some changes, and our opponents are coming to Stozice rested, as they had a free round in the German championship. We must be prepared for that.”
Aleksej Nikolic, Cedevita Olimpija guard
“We are certainly facing an extremely important game in Stozice. After the win over Crvena Zvezda, we must stay humble but still confident, play the game we have been showing recently, and build on the chemistry we are displaying on the court. We enjoy playing with each other, and we need to keep that going. Hamburg has made some changes in their roster, and the new energy that comes into a team can always be very dangerous. Our opponents will come to Stozice without pressure, with the desire to record their first win of the season. We must prevent that.”
Benka Barloschky, Hamburg head coach<br> “Cedevita is a team that moves a lot offensively – the ball, the players, with many off-ball screens. Preparing our players for communication and physicality was a key focus. It will be important that we stay united for 40 minutes. The key lies in ‘we,’ not ‘I’ – that’s how team sports have always worked. That’s our focus.”
Devon Daniels, Hamburg guard<br> “I was pleasantly surprised by the team atmosphere after arriving. In my first days, I’ve seen a real unit – everyone wants that first win. I feel well integrated; the players made it easy by talking to me a lot, and the coaches too. I feel I’ve quickly understood the philosophy. I hope to contribute my strengths soon to help turn things around.”
Umana Reyer Venice vs. BAXI Manresa (20:00 CET)
Neven Spahija, Reyer head coach
"Every commitment we face has great significance for us. We are measuring ourselves against a high-level team whose on-court performance does not fully reflect their true potential and the quality of their roster. We are aware that in Spain, in the Liga Endesa, the level of competition is incredibly high. Manresa, in particular, when they manage to impose themselves, they do so with excellent performances. We have analyzed the opponent and prepared the game. We will step onto the court with maximum confidence in our abilities and, thanks to the fundamental support of our fans, we aim to conquer another victory. In EuroCup, the importance of every home match is paramount and decisive for our journey. After the performance in Ljubljana, we gave an excellent response against Reggio Emilia. However, we want to achieve greater completeness and consistency on both ends of the floor. Furthermore, in the last few games, we have started poorly and we must correct this tendency: it is crucial to bring maximum concentration right from the tip-off."
Amedeo Tessitori, Reyer center
"This game is shaping up to be of fundamental importance. We will face a direct opponent with whom we currently share the same position in the standings. It will be a true direct clash for our EuroCup [goals]. We know we are facing an extremely dynamic and aggressive team that favors a high-possession style of basketball. To be successful, we will have to be good at imposing our rhythm and exploiting our physicality on the court. Our main goal is to maintain maximum solidity for all 40 minutes, eliminating the 'down' moments that sometimes characterize our games. Consistency will be the key. We have practiced with great intensity and prepared the match in an extremely detailed manner. We feel ready and determined to face this challenge."
Reyer injury report: All players are available.
London Lions vs. Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse (20:30 CET)
Tautvydas Sabonis, London Lions head coach
"Defense (is what we need to do to get a win). Like always, our physicality, our energy, our aggressiveness are the most important factors. They’re a very tough team, obviously first in our group, a lot of shooting, a lot of running, so we have to be very, very focused and execute the game plan."
Tarik Phillip, London Lions guard
"Bourg is a good team - the number one team in our group. They play fast, they shoot a lot of threes, they play physical and have a lot of athleticism. We have to stick to our game plan, stick to what we do, and come out with a win."
Frederic Fauthoux, Bourg head coach
"We're traveling for a big game: we need to be ready. London is an athletic team with a deep roster, a different style, and a strong focus on the paint. It's up to us to impose our game, adapt, stay focused and aggressive to get the win and keep moving forward."
Both Gach, Bourg forward
"We are going into this game looking to win as we do with every match. The teams mentality is high as we are looking to keeping our win streak in EuroCup going, for us it is to keep playing our game and bringing that defensive intensity that we have been playing with."
London Lions' injury report: Ovie Soko, Mo Soluade and Shavar Reynolds are all ruled out.
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
U-BT Cluj-Napoca vs. Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem (18:00 CET)
Mihai Silvasan, Cluj head coach
"A very important game for us, because we’re facing one of the top teams in this competition. They have big ambitions, they’ve made major investments, and they have quality players. They are ahead of us in the standings, they are 5–2, we are 4–3, so it is a very important match for us if we want to fight for the top two, three places at the end of the regular season. They have point guards who are extremely capable of scoring from tough situations, but we also have our own weapons. We want to play good defense. I believe this will be the key to success. The last week has been difficult, after the game with BAXI Manresa we had to leave directly for Podgorica, but this is the situation, and we’re trying to be physically ready at game time. I hope the arena will be full or almost full, we really need the fans at this game. It’s probably the most important game of this EuroCup season until now and surely the fans’ support can push us toward victory."
Dusan Miletic, Cluj center
"We will definitely play against a very good team; they are in second place in the group. I believe we can win, but we need to be very aggressive. They have a good roster, especially their guards, who are very aggressive, and I think most of the team’s points come from them. Their big men also have an important role; they execute well, they run well, but I think that if we stick to the plan and follow the rules, we will win."
Neptunas Kleipeda vs. Aris Thessaloniki Betsson (18:00 CET)
Igor Milicic, Aris head coach
“After two very tough games we are having just one day between the games and a tough trip. But we are going there with clear mind and we are very focused on what we have to do. We have clear minds that we have to be concentrated on their shooters. They play a tough offense, we have to use a lot of energy in order to win the game.”
Georgios Gkiouzelis, Aris forward
“We are playing a difficult away game against a good, quality team. We understand the demands of the game and we respect our opponent, but at the same time we have prepared properly. We have worked on our game plan, we know what we need to do on the court, and we believe in our abilities.<br> For us, this game is very important, both in terms of standings and for the rest of the season. We want to show character, stay focused for 40 minutes, and fight for the win.”
Buducnost VOLI Podgorica vs. ratiopharm ulm (19:00 CET)
Andrej Zakelj, Buducnost head coach
"I think this is a very important game for both teams. For us, it’s an opportunity to maintain a good rhythm in the EuroCup, because a win would put us where we want to be. I believe Ulm has the same ambitions. We are currently dealing with some injury problems, but whoever is on the roster will have to leave their heart on the court in order for us to get the win in front of our home crowd. Ulm plays very good basketball — fast and athletic. If we are not tough enough, aggressive enough, and fully focused, we could have problems, just like most teams that have played against them. I hope for strong support from our fans."
Zoran Nikolic, Buducnost center
"We are expecting a tough game against a very talented team that plays with a lot of contact and at a very fast pace. We need to adapt to that and try to establish our own rhythm. A good thing is that we recently played against Chemnitz, a team with some similarities in style to our next opponent, so we can prepare even better. I believe we have a good chance to win in front of our fans, and that is our goal. It will be a very physical game, with a lot of contact, and we will need to respond the right way, because they will come out aggressively from the first minute."
Slask Wroclaw vs. Bahcesehir College Istanbul (19:00 CET)
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Dolomiti Energia Trento vs. NINERS Chemnitz (20:00 CET)
Davide Dusmet, Trento assistant coach
“Chemnitz is an athletic team that plays at a high pace and takes a huge number of shots, creating many situations for perimeter attempts: in fact, they are the team that takes the most three-point shots in the entire EuroCup. They have very dangerous one-on-one guards, such as Corey Davis and Sibande, as well as athletic and versatile big men who can both roll to the rim and stretch the floor. We come from a game where we had some good moments, but also many mistakes on both ends of the court that prevented us from bringing home the win yesterday in Sassari. We need to be more solid for all 40 minutes and focus on the aspects of the game that must allow us to win. We will certainly need strong defensive transition, solid open-court situations, and individual responsibility in one-on-one situations, and we will also all need to be very attentive on rebounds.”
Selom Mawugbe, Trento center
“We want to make the playoffs, so this game will be very important to take a step in that direction. It will also be fundamental for us to bounce back: it’s true that we are going through a difficult period with many injuries, but that’s part of a season and we don’t want to look for excuses. We need to find the way back to winning. Chemnitz is a very good team, as all the teams in the EuroCup are, so we will need to be very focused on respecting our game plan. It will take a great effort from everyone to win, and we will have to do whatever it takes to make that happen.”