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Pre-game quotes hub: 'His influence on the team's play is evident'

Pre-game quotes hub: 'His influence on the team's play is evident'

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14 October 202413 Mins read

Euroleague.net Staff

Pre-game quotes hub: 'His influence on the team's play is evident'

Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 3 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season

The first double-round week of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season is here, with Round 3 seeing eight games on Tuesday and one on Wednesday. Ahead of Round 3, we bring you the pre-game quotes from all the teams in one place. This page will be updated with the thoughts of the players and head coaches of all 18 teams.

Tuesday, October 15

ALBA Berlin vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (19:30 CEST)

Israel Gonzalez, ALBA Berlin head coach

“ASVEL has a very experienced team and is currently in good shape. They've won all their games in the French League and have also done well in the EuroLeague so far. They are very stable – offensively and defensively. Experienced players like [Nando] De Colo and [Joffrey] Lauvergne are performing well at the start of the season. That's a difficult task, especially in this EuroLeague double-game week, but we're building on our home-game energy.”

Matteo Spagnolo, ALBA Berlin guard

"This will definitely be a difficult match. ASVEL is coming to Berlin with a lot of confidence because of the EuroLeague win last week. We have to be ready for a high-intensity game – even though it's our third game in five days. But that can't be an excuse. We have to find the energy and focus to get the win.”

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (19:45 CEST)

Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach

"We are facing an opponent that started the season really good [with] two wins. The team has high expectations this year with a lot of veteran players who know how to play. They beat us here last year on our court. Very physical team, well coached and organized. So we need to expect a tough game."

Sertac Sanli, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul center

"We had a good start to the new season in the EuroLeague and now we have the first double-week game ahead of us. Crvena Zvezda also started the season like us and got two important wins. It will definitely be a tough one. We have some missing players in our roster, but we will fight well as a team and close our gaps. Of course, playing in front of our fans will also give us great strength. We want to win this game and make a good start to the double-week."

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (20:05 CEST)

Oded Kattash, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv head coach

“They are a team with a lot of quality. A lot of abilities and size. Very athletic team and we have to be very concentrated defensively. Boxing out will be critical. We are facing the first double week and our situation isn't optimal, with a new player who just came in [Saben Lee], Jordan [Loyd] who left and Rokas [Jokubaitis] who got injured. We are short on the guards, but we hope to continue with our process and play better and better".

Jaylen Hoard, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv forward

“It’s going to be a battle. They’ve got a lot of size, they crash the offensive rebounds very hard. I feel like number one it’s going to be a battle, and then just executing what we have on offense and play hard on defense. I feel like if we do those things, we’ll give ourselves a chance.”

Tomislav Mijatovic, Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach

"We are facing a very dangerous and a very well-prepared team that has equally balanced inside and outside offensive threats. And we need to be fully aggressive and concentrated for 40 minutes in order to reach our goal, which is winning the game."

Ercan Osmani, Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward

"We are starting the first double-game week of the EuroLeague season by playing against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv on the road. Our opponent is having many experienced players and is one of the strongest teams in the EuroLeague. In accordance with our goal, we want to win this game. If we put our maximum effort in offense and defense for 40 minutes, I think we will get the victory."

Olympiacos Piraeus vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (20:15 CEST)

Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach

“There is no doubt, we need time. Every training and every fight are for our benefit. Of course, as you understand, [Moustapha] Fall’s contribution, who re-entered the team [after injury], is very important. He creates another facet to how we play. He passes well, is a good receiver of the ball and understands the game both defensively and aggressively. Through this event, and through the effort of everyone, against Aris we became very team-orientated. We had 27 assists. Now as far as it concerns the game against Milan, they are a very experienced team with a very good coach, and we hope that it will be a game that the fans will enjoy. I hope we offer them our best."

Kostas Papanikolaou, Olympiacos Piraeus forward

“It is still very early in the season, so we can’t tell how ready we are. For sure, game by game, we have the opportunity to improve ourselves not only physically but mentally as well. For sure we all full of energy and we are focused, but we should not forget that this will be our third game in six days. Milan is a new team, and by saying this I mean that they added many new players in their roster. Still, they have a quality team, they fight hard in every game and we have to be very focused."

Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan head coach

"We face one of the biggest favorites to win it all, an Olympiacos team as always well organized by Coach Bartzokas, and very deep roster, despite some injury problems that they are overcoming, like all the EuroLeague teams are trying to do. Controlling the boards and protecting the paint is always crucial to try to win a EuroLeague game, especially on the road. For us it is even more important, as a team with many newcomers and many rookies, to step into the Peace and Friendship arena and play the game with the personality of a team confident of what it can achieve and in its future."

Pippo Ricci, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan forward

“We are coming off a week that gave us a lot of confidence and validated the work that we are doing as a team. Now, we face an even more difficult and important week, starting in Athens where the first order of merit is to match their intensity and physicality to give ourselves the chance of being able to compete for 40 minutes"

Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (20:30 CEST)

Luca Banchi, Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach

“We open this first EuroLeague double round against Zalgiris knowing that we have to play a determined and polished game, against an opponent that knows how to excel in transition play and on the back and forth thanks to the versatility of its five-man lineups. We have a great desire to achieve our first European seasonal success that only a high level collective performance can guarantee.”

Achille Polonara, Virtus Segafredo Bologna forward

“It will be a tough game but we are playing at home so we will have to bring even more energy, taking advantage of the support of our fans. In a game like tomorrow's it will be crucial to start well, unlike what we have done in the past few games. Zalgiris has experience and a core of players who know each other and have been playing in Kaunas for a long time.”

Paris Basketball vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (20:30 CEST)

Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens head coach

“Now we have a double week, two games on the road. We need to think first about Paris. It’s the first year they are playing in the EuroLeague, but so far… okay, maybe lost their first two games but they showed great potential. They lost in the last seconds against Crvena Zvezda at home and they played a very good game in Milan against Milan, so they are a dangerous team. They play a running game and they have TJ Shorts, who is the key to their offense. It will be a very important game for us because I believe that during the whole EuroLeague season, playing Paris on the road will be difficult for everybody. It is very important for us to try to get one victory in this road game.

“All games for us are dangerous, and also for the opponents. Of course, all games against Panathinaikos, the last champion, are a special game. It will be a special game for everybody.

“Omer [Yurtseven] is okay. Yesterday (Sunday) he had an individual practice – I talked with him, he told me that he feels good. I think if he does not have any problems in tonight’s practice, he will play.

“[The EuroLeague] is a different motivation. Now we will play two road games in big arenas – in Bercy [Arena] in Paris and at WiZink Center in Madrid in front of 15,000 people – so I believe that all the players will keep the responsibility and motivation [high].”

Jerian Grant, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens guard

“Every game is important. Every game you’ve got to come to play or you can lose – it’s the EuroLeague. They earned the right to be here, so we’ll be ready. From what I’ve seen they play fast, so we’ve got to get back on defense. [As a team] we’re getting there, we’re not where we’re going to be at the end of the season, but we’re getting better every day and every week.”

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. Real Madrid (20:30 CEST)

Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach

“It is not easy to win in Vitoria. Baskonia is a team that plays very well, has lots of talent, players of great quality and will have the support of a packed Buesa Arena. In order to beat them, we will have to work hard at all levels: one-on-one, rebounding... and avoid mistakes. We must be solid on defense and be very close together to not offer any openings. It will also be very important to try to stop their fast breaks because, when they run, Baskonia does it really well, and try not to let players of such quality as [Chima] Moneke, [Markus] Howard, [Timothe] Luwawu-Cabarrot or [Donta] Hall grow during the game."

Gaby Deck, Real Madrid forward

“It will be a tough match on their court, as it always is. We have to work and do things right during the 40 minutes and try to win the game. We have to be intense from the first minute, be focused, try not to make too many mistakes and keep improving in different aspects of the game."

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. FC Bayern Munich (20:45 CEST)

Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade head coach

"We are playing against a team that made the most important change on the bench. [In Gordie Herbert], they have an extremely experienced coach who was a world champion with the German national team. His influence on the team's play is evident; they use every break and timeout to change their defense. Also, after timeouts, they have special offensive plays and set situations for their shooters. They also have tall players capable of shooting three-pointers. We're facing a very challenging game in terms of tactics and staying focused on all these adjustments they are capable of. We've had a good practice, and for the first time since we got together, we've had all 16 players available. Some players still have minor issues, but they were able to train. Our first game in Belgrade is against a team that has shown us exceptional hospitality over the past two years. I hope Partizan's fans understand that and show respect to Bayern in every way."

Frank Ntlikina, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade guard

"We finally have a home game. We are coming off a disappointing loss, so we expect nothing less than a tough game, and it will be even tougher for us to win. We prepared very well today, and we need to get ready for tomorrow and try to win the game. We have home-court advantage, with our fans behind us, so we are all excited to finally be here – and we have a few of these home games coming up. Some of us played here against Partizan, some didn’t, so it’s going to be exciting."

Gordie Herbert, FC Bayern Munich head coach

"They have a new team from last year, but [Zeljko Obradovic is] one of the best all-time coaches in the world, a legend; someone I've tried to study and learn from. Great atmosphere to play. It will my first time playing here as a coach, so I'm looking forward to it. I've watched the games on TV, so personally I'm looking forward to this atmosphere. It's a real good opportunity for our team coming off a big win in Bonn to go into this game [with confidence]."

Yam Madar, FC Bayern Munich guard

"I know how great the atmosphere we will be. It’s their first home game so we're expecting an intense game. We have to match the intensity of Partizan, that’s the key."