Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 18 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.
Pregame quotes hub: 'It's more about us'
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Friday, December 27
Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (20:30 CET)
Dusko Ivanovic, Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach
"In my opinion, ASVEL is probably one of the best teams. They play very well, with great confidence, great athleticism and can rely on very good defense. Maledon and De Colo are very important players and leaders who can create and drag their teammates. We will have to play a very good defensive game to try to contain them.”
Achille Polonara, Virtus Segafredo Bologna forward
"We are expecting a complicated game, ASVEL played a very good first leg in the EuroLeague. They are a tough, young, very explosive and athletic team. We will have to be very careful with their one-on-one and their counterattacks while on offense simply playing our basketball, as we know how to do."
FC Bayern Munich vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (20:30 CET)
Gordon Herbert, FC Bayern Munich head coach
"Panathinaikos has assembled a very intriguing team. Coach Ataman is an excellent trainer and a prominent personality. With a healthy Lessort and Nunn, they had the best combination in the EuroLeague up to now. They’ll make adjustments but still have an incredible amount of talent. We need to show that our defense continues to improve, as it has looked lately. I’m excited that we’ll play again in the SAP Garden in front of our amazing fans."
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens head coach
"Especially at their home court, FC Bayern Munich runs the floor very effectively. Offensively, they attempt many three-pointers in fast breaks and coast-to-coast plays. Therefore, we must be cautious on transition defense and offensively control the game by focusing more on five-on-five play. This will be the key."
Wenyen Gabriel, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens center
"I’m very excited about this opportunity. Sometimes you’re blessed to get chances like this, and I’m thrilled to be here wearing the colors of Panathinaikos AKTOR. I’m adjusting well. We had a practice yesterday where we mostly played five-on-five, so I got the chance to work with many of my teammates and get a feel for the system. I’ve started learning some plays and the defensive philosophy. The coach has been clear about what he expects from me. I’m looking forward to getting started."
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. Paris Basketball (20:30 CET)
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (20:30 CET)
Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade head coach
"We’re facing a team we’ve already played against. I told the players that was the only game where we had no chance of winning – all the others were decided by a single possession. Some games we won easily, that one we lost easily, but in every other match, we were competitive. Now, we need to find a way and the motivation to compete with them. Our current record is far from satisfactory, but we must draw strength and believe in our abilities to perform much better in the second half of the EuroLeague."
Balsa Koprivica, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade center
"We are halfway through the season. I think the most important thing for us is how we start the year. Two seasons ago, in this period, we had more wins and a very good finish. We still have a long way to go and there is little difference in the standings between the teams. I think we can achieve a lot depending on how we start the second part of the EuroLeague."
Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach
"We are facing an opponent that is playing really well. The atmosphere there is possibly one of the best in the world. We need to have really good guard play to control the team. We need to have concentration for 40 minutes and especially control their guards."
Bonzie Colson, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul forward
"Partizan is a very talented team. They are playing really well right now. But it's more about us. We are focusing on our principles, our offense and defense, and just getting better. We had a couple days to prepare for them. Things are moving well, so we just got to prove it on the court."
FC Barcelona vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (20:30 CET)
Joan Penarroya, FC Barcelona head coach
"A difficult match, as they have already shown us [in Belgrade]. It's a team that plays well, that is getting victories, with a long roster full of experienced and quality players. We expect difficult match like all those in this EuroLeague, a game in which we will have to do things well. What we would like is to always be at home and give joy to our fans. And it is also evident that it seems that it is easier to win at home than away. There are many [unexpected] results in this first round of the EuroLeague, but it is clear that we have to turn games at Palau into those in which the rivals do not come out happy."
Juan Nunez, FC Barcelona guard
"The game [in Belgrade] was already very complicated, we won in the last few plays and I think it is important to start this second round [of the regular season] well, a game at home with our fans, and to win the game. In this second round it is key to win all the games possible at home and to scratch something away. Yes, of course, I think we are Barça, we have to go with the conviction of going to win all the games, whether at home or away, so it is important to protect the home court advantage, but well, we will try to win as many games as possible. Zvezda is a physical team like many in the EuroLeague, with talent too. A team that mixes talent with physicality, with experienced players and a team that is doing well this year. It is playing good basketball and it will surely be a difficult game tomorrow."
Thursday, December 26
ALBA Berlin vs. Real Madrid (19:00 CET)
Israel Gonzalez, ALBA Berlin head coach
"Real Madrid also had to deal with injury problems and starting difficulties at the beginning of the season. But for the second half of the season match against us, it looks as if they will be able to draw on the full depth of their squad again. In the past matches, you could already see that they are gradually finding their rhythm again. Campazzo, Hezonja, Musa, Tavares and Deck are all in good shape and want to show that they have champion potential. That's why it won't be an easy task for us on Thursday."
Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach
"We know that ALBA is a team that plays without fear, it is a team that makes many quick shots, at the beginning of the possession, and against which we will have to be attentive to the pace of play that they try to impose. We have to continue with the defensive intensity that we have had in recent games, which allows us to run and have a balance in our game, have good ball circulation and be consistent on the rebounds."
Usman Garuba, Real Madrid center
"We are eager to continue adding victories in the EuroLeague and to do so we have to play as a team, with intensity and with great defense, without relaxing at any time. We are playing against a different ALBA Berlin from the one we faced in the first round, which plays at a great pace and will be very motivated against us."
AS Monaco vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (19:00 CET)
Tomislav Mijatovic, Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach<br> "We are entering the first game of the second phase of the regular season with a very demanding and challenging road game. Our opponent is a high-scoring potential team with several players who have high scoring capacity. We are ready to face the challenge. We have to play the complete Anadolu Efes game both offensively and defensively and put our maximum effort individually and as a team in order to reach our goal, which is to win the game."<br> Jordan Nwora, Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward<br> "We are going to Monaco to play against a very good team. If we continue to build good habits and grow as a team we can extend our winning streak."
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (20:05 CET)
Oded Kattash, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv head coach
"Zalgiris doesn’t score a lot of points, but that’s due to their pace, so first and foremost, defense is key. We have weaknesses on defense, and as a team, we’ll need to compensate for them against very dominant scorers. Every time one of their players has the ball, we’ll need five players focused on him, and that’s something we didn’t do well in the [Israeli League] game against Jerusalem. We need to do that much better. Of course, as always against Lithuanian teams, we need to box out well for rebounds."
Jake Cohen, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv forward
"We are in the middle of a process and trying to improve. I think the results haven’t been good, but we know what we need to work on and believe in ourselves. [Coach] Oded [Kattash] will get us there, and the roster is capable. We know what needs to be done to reach the highest levels possible. We were very close in several games. We just need to execute."
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. Olympiacos Piraeus (20:30 CET)
Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan head coach
"We face one of the most consistent team in the EuroLeague, a very aggressive team defensively, who will use its quality of passing to free up shooters on offense. We really intend to play a good game, get back on track, and give our fans a game to be proud of, because they have remained very close to us, especially lately, and will our arena one more time."
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach
"It's going to be a tough game. Before the two losses in the previous two EuroLeague games, Milan was on a big winning streak. Also, they played very well against Trapani in the Italian league. As I said, we expect a very difficult game. We will have to fight hard, give our best, and be totally focused in order to get the win. We will miss Nikola Milutinov, and that's a big problem for us. Mensah did travel with us by bus, but as anyone can imagine, he is not ready to help us."
Nigel Williams-Goss, Olympiacos Piraeus guard
"Milan is a very good team. Offense is their strength. It is always tough to play away, especially against a talented team like Milan. It is a big challenge for us. We will miss Milutinov, and that means that we all must give our best effort to overcome his absence and get the win. We should stick together and play harder on defense."