Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 4 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season
Pre-game quotes hub: 'A very special game'
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The second half of this double-round week is upon us, with Round 4 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season seeing five games on Thursday and four on Friday. Ahead of Round 4, 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.
Thursday, October 17
ALBA Berlin vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (19:30 CEST)
Israel Gonzalez, ALBA Berlin head coach
"After our first win of the season in the EuroLeague, we have to stay hungry. We know from experience that it's all about energy and focus, especially in the second game of a double-header in such a short space of time. Especially against an opponent like Fenerbahce, which has a lot of individual talent, we have to be one step ahead in order to this to get our next EuroLeague win.”
Jonas Mattiseck, ALBA Berlin guard
“That was an important win against ASVEL on Tuesday, especially in that kind of tough Euroleague double week. We want to take the energy and confidence into the game against Fenerbahce.”
Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach
"ALBA is a team always very dangerous to play. Their own style of basketball every game. When you play them, the activity and the fast breaks are always the key. Especially in Berlin, we have to take down their fast-break points and then pay attention to their three-point shooting."
Tarik Biberovic, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul forward
"We didn’t get the result we wanted at home and now we are going to Berlin. We have an opponent who will play both of their games at home during double-week and is especially effective when they play fast basketball. We have to react after the Crvena Zvezda game and play well by concentrating for 40 minutes."
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (20:05 CEST)
Oded Kattash, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv head coach
"We are coming off a big in this first double-round week of the season. Usually the second game in a double week is not a game where you have enough time to recover; you need to recover well. There are some players who played a lot of minutes. We still need to find some time to give Saben [Lee] more confidence with our system, so really challenging. We're facing a really talented, aggressive and athletic team [on Thursday]. They almost built the team from zero, which is something we were familiar with two years ago. But we know Coach Obradovic, he's great at what he's doing, he's really smart, and they play really well according to the circumstances."
Levi Randolph, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv forward
"I think for us, it's just continuing to get better. Coach is going to go over the game plan today. Defensively, we have to be strong; they have a lot of scoring power, a lot of weapons on the offensive side. I think defensively, we have to continue to get stops. Offensively, just keep the flow, play together, and that's the way I think we can get the win. We're stronger together. If we keep playing together and doing things the right way, I think we'll have a chance."
Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade head coach
"We had our only practice before the game at the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall. The good thing is that we didn't have to travel, and all the players are healthy. We watched the game Maccabi played against Efes, an outstanding game with a high number of points. Their point guards maintained a fast pace, which is characteristic of Maccabi’s team, and we’ll have to be mindful of that. We can’t allow them easy and secondary transitions. They take a lot of three-point shots and then go for the rebound, and they also have well-developed set plays after timeouts. I expect an extremely demanding game."
Sterling Brown, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade guard
"It's going to be a good game with high energy and pace. Maccabi is a team that goes up and down, they like to wander on the court. We've got to match that energy, and we've got to try to get back in transition. We need to execute and attack."
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (20:30 CEST)
Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan head coach
"We face a team coming off a convincing road win, while we played a subpar game against a high-level team in Athens. We need to restart from the basics, defense, one on one, defensive helps, concepts we are far from executing the way we need to in order to restore the identity that we built over the course of the years. Starting with a better defensive game, we will have to play a better offensive game too, extending the time we will move the ball quickly and well and reducing the minutes when we don't play that well. Every one of us is called up to play the best game every one can play as of now, hopefully with our people support because the younger guys really need it."
Real Madrid vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (20:45 CEST)
Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach
"We are hosting Panathinaikos tomorrow. As always, it is a very strong team with all of its star players from last season and some new additions that made its roster stronger. We play at home, with our fans' support, and hope to take that step forwards which would allow us to add wins. Panathinaikos is a top-class opponent that will make us give our maximum, 100%, in all aspects of the game, defensively and offensively. We have to be able to find resources against a team that is really good defensively, collecting steals and rebounding very well."
Facu Campazzo, Real Madrid guard
"We face another tough game, but it is also very special, against Panathinaikos. It just comes off a lost and they will play even more focused after a good start to the season. We come off two losses in which on one hand, we did good things and on the other hands, we did bad things which we have to improve on to avoid repeating them against an opponent that does not let you make mistakes. They capitalize on every mistake with a basket as they has really good quality players. It is a demanding game that will make us give 100% and be very focused if we want to win."
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens head coach
"Season is long, we will play a lot of game. Against Paris we did not play well, they played with an amazing tempo, and we didn't answer well. Now, we face a completely different team, Paris and Real are completely different, two different systems on the court. We will try to play our basketball. Against that kind of a roster there is not just one key, there are many keys. Rebounds are very important, especially with Tavares on the court they get a lot of offensive rebounds, and on offense, we have to attack smart with good spacing. Real has great potential. They might have lost two games so far in the EuroLeague, but the reality is that Real is one of the most dangerous and competitive teams, [contender] for the title this season again. I am sure it will be a special game for them to play against Panathinaikos, but we have to understand that every game and every court will be more difficult than last year."
Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens guard
"We take a day to recover, refresh and get ready for a game. I am expecting my guys to be motivated and ready, just because of who they are and the history we had with them. I have no doubt we will be ready."
FC Bayern Munich vs. Paris Basketball (20:45 CEST)
Gordie Herbert, FC Bayern Munich head coach
"They’re playing good basketball, played well in all three games. For us, it’s a bounce-back game after a disappointing first half in Belgrade. Our second half was better, our effort was better. It’s a different type of game, Paris plays at a extremely high tempo, so the key for us is to come out more aggressive on the defensive end.“
Andreas Obst, FC Bayern Munich guard
"We’re coming off a bad game, Paris comes off a very good one. We’re hoping for the support of our fans, which is very important in a double-week, so that they help us to be ready from the beginning. We have to defend better against their quick guards.“
Friday, October 18
AS Monaco vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna (19:00 CEST)
Luca Banchi, Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach
"Monaco has been able to take advantage of its home court in the first two home rounds, registering precious wins against teams of the caliber such as Milan and Maccabi, proving that this team has all the characteristics to play a leading role. We will approach this match with courage, determination and personality preparing for extremely challenging duels both near the basket and on the perimeter, where the recent signing of Loyd has further strengthened Monaco's already great roster."
Mouhamet Diouf, Virtus Segafredo Bologna center
"In Friday's game we will play against a tough team with many scorers and players with points in their hands. It will be necessary to remain as a team and play as a team until the end. We will fight until the end because we need this win."
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Olympiacos Piraeus (19:30 CEST)
Tomislav Mijatovic, Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach
"Our next opponent is a very well coached and very experienced team that has offensive and defensive system in place for several years in a row. Their team is composed of very quality individuals that combine their individual quality into team quality. We have to play a very hard, physical game on both ends of the floor, and together with the help of our wonderful fans we have to do everything in our power to reach a very desired victory."
Rolands Smits, Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward
"Tomorrow the game against Olympiacos will be difficult. It will be a very physical game and we are ready for that. Olympiacos has a lot of talent and all of them can score, we will be ready for tomorrow."
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach
"Efes is a very talented team. They added really good players in their roster. If you notice, they have three good players in each position. Many of them have already won the Euroleague and they are really experienced. They are aware that tomorrow’s game is very important, because they are coming from two losses in a row. But that does not mean much. In my opinion, they are one of the favorites to make it to the Final Four."
Luka Vildoza, Olympiacos Piraeus guard
"How I see it, we should not talk about Efes game, but about our game. We must improve the small details and approach the game better. We must play hard on defense like we did in the last games. Now that Moustapha Fall is back, I think that our defense is stronger. Still, we need to improve ourselves and play better in order to get the win."
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. FC Barcelona (20:00 CEST)
Ioannis Sfairopoulos, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade head coach
"Barcelona is a very good team, they are well covered in all positions, not only on positions one, two and three. Our focus should be on getting the job done, not thinking about anything other than this game. We don't care if our record is 3-0 or 0-3 right now, for us it's important to play our way, because only that game is important."
Nikola Kalinic, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade forward
"We expect a good game as we have been talking about for several weeks, we want to play as well as possible. Let's play together as a team, get a feel for who is doing what and create some good habits that will help us win as many games as possible. I expect a full Belgrade Arena, I think it's a good moment, we're on a good streak, the fans appreciate it. Barcelona is Barcelona, it's a team that wants the Final Four, the title every year. This year, I would say that they made a slightly better team athletically. We have to stop their running and play a good game with support from the stands."
Joan Penarroya, FC Barcelona head coach
"It is a tough game against the only undefeated team left in the competition, which is playing great basketball, most dynamic, with great order and players in very good shape like Nedovic, Kalinic, Bolomboy or Miller-McIntyre. Their court is always a hot place to play. We face this game the same way we faced the previous ones, knowing the opponent we will face but above all, thinking about our own things. There are a fighting team, with players in a very good moment. They are playing with great order and can be versatile in defensive situations, adjusting to their opponents. It looks like they have found the mechanisms they want to stick to for the entire season, and did it before other teams. It is clear that the boost you get from that kind of fans is very important, it is like an energy boost that helps them a lot. We have that at Palau Blaugrana, and I am sure Zvezda will have it tomorrow. We think on doing things well, clear our minds from the game we just played, and focus on the things we have to do well in order to get a good result in Belgrade."
Jan Vesely, FC Barcelona center
"Yesterday was a very important game for us to defend the home court [against Monaco]. Now we are getting ready for tomorrow's game [against Crvena Zvezda]. We know what to expect, it is the only undefeated team right now. We are going to their home court, we know what kind of an atmosphere is going to be there, so we have to be focused for 40 minutes. We cannot get our heads lost in the atmosphere. We have to be focused on our game and follow the game plan until the end of the game. I will be happy to see Nikola Kalinic again, after playing so many years together, and for that it will be a very special game. But the atmosphere will be crazy there. They are the only team without a loss, so they will be very confident."
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (20:30 CEST)
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