Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 19 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.
Pregame quotes hub: 'We would like to start the year on a good note'
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Friday, December 27
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (18:45 CET)
Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach
"We are facing one of the teams that are in form right now. Efes is very organized as a team. They have clear roles, there’s a lot of decision-making by the guards with Larkin being at the center of everything and then a lot of dirty work; rebounding and setting screens by the bigs. Obviously, it is a team that has been playing together for a long time now and they know each other, especially the main guys. It’s again another important game for us and we would like to start the year on a good note."
Tarık Biberovic, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul forward
"We are about to play a very important and challenging game in the EuroLeague. For a while, we haven't been able to display the level of performance we expect, and we have been falling short of the results we hoped for. Anadolu Efes is a very strong team. They have highly talented players in every position. We will especially try to be more aggressive on defense, and we will aim to reflect that performance in our offense as well. We want to enter the new year with a victory and start a new streak in the EuroLeague."
Tomislav Mijatovic, Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach
"We are getting ready for the innercity EuroLeague derby which we know it will be extremely physical and competitive game. We are looking forward to the challenge and with the full intensity and 40 minutes participation in all aspects of the game. We fully believe that we can bring joy to our fans and reach our goal which is to win the game."
Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes Istanbul guard
"Fenerbahce is obviously a very talented team and it is a derby game which always creates more intensity and competitiveness. The key to winning a game like this is to play with more aggressiveness and execute the details. If we do that I believe we have a great chance to win the game."
Paris Basketball vs. FC Barcelona (20:15 CET)
Jabari Parker, FC Barcelona forward
"I think it’s gonna be a good game. I am confident going into it. I am expecting to have a real good game and help my team. As far as my energy goes, to start the game the right way. Paris is a hot team for sure, but we have to remember who we are. We have been doing it for a long time, we have some experience and we have to remember that."
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna (20:15 CET)
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens head coach
"Bologna is not the team like at the beginning of the season. With Coach Ivanovic, they have won many important games on the road and at home. Now they play more aggressive, especially on offense they use Clyburn and Cordinier more. Polonara is very active. We need to be careful, to be aggressive on defense and find fastbreak points."
Cedi Osman, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens forward
"They have a new coach and I think that they are playing better, but we finished 2024 in a good mood. We played a lot of games and won all of them. So we are in a good spot and we need to keep playing the same way we were in the last couple of games."
Dusko Ivanovic, Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach
"We face one of the best teams in the EuroLeague, which plays very well, especially at home. They prefer aggressive basketball and with Nunn, Sloukas, Grant and Brown, they have a lot of solutions in terms of points scored and assists."
Alessandro Pajola, Virtus Segafredo Bologna guard
"Tough game against a team full of talent and with many offensive solutions. In the last home games they have scored more than 100 points, also taking advantage of the boost of their fans. We will need attention and concentration in every possession."
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (20:30 CET)
Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade head coach
"First of all, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year. The first game of this year awaits us and the second in this part of the EuroLeague. We trained both yesterday and today, we made an analysis. Maccabi is a very specific team, they changed some players compared to the previous game we played against them. Regardless of the fact that the final result of that game gives the impression that we won easily, it was extremely demanding, as it will be tomorrow. They have great quality in their team, they cultivate a specific way of basketball with Coach Katash, who has been there for the third year. We have to be ready for their zone pressing and change of defense. Of course, concentration during all 40 minutes is also necessary."
Sterling Brown, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade guard
"We should do what we normally do. We have to get the winning streak back. We need to play hard and get the win. We expect nothing less than a tough and demanding game."
Oded Kattash, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv head coach
"There will be many similarities to the game against Zalgiris, especially the two dominant scorers. A team that mainly plays simple things but executes them the way most top teams do, so it needs to start with our defense."
Levi Randolph, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv head coach
"I think as a team it's good, to refresh, clear your mind, get some practice days in, to really go over things and try to correct some of the mistakes that you don't have the time to do when you have a lot of games in a row so, I think it’s important."
Real Madrid vs. FC Bayern Munich (20:30 CET)
Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach
"It would be great to get one more win in the EuroLeague, but first we have to play the game against an opponent like Bayern, which is playing very well, especially on offense, with several players scoring well, and which have had a sensational first half of the season. We had the chance to win in Germany until the last minute, even though we ended up losing by eight points. It was the first appearance in the EuroLeague of a new team. Now I think we are a little better defensively than we were there and, in that sense, we have to prove that we can defend as we have been doing lately, which I think is what is giving us the possibility of stringing together some victories. We are facing an opponent full of confidence, but I think we are in a good moment to face this challenge."
Alberto Abalde, Real Madrid forward
"We are doing well. Victories get you into a good dynamic and give everyone confidence to keep working. We have room for improvement, work to do and now we will try to be strong at home against Bayern, a very solid team that knows what they play and penalizes the opponent's mistakes a lot. We will need to play a consistent game, in line with what we want to be. We will have to do a good job because Bayern has been doing very well and we want another victory, although we know it is a difficult challenge."
Gordon Herbert, FC Bayern Munich head coach
"Real is one of the best teams in Europe year after year, and that hasn't changed. Especially away, this will be a real test for us. We need to take care of the ball on offense, and the rebounds will undoubtedly be a key factor."
Thursday, January 2
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Olympiacos Piraeus (19:00 CET)
Andrea Trinchieri, Zalgiris Kaunas head coach
"We need to know that we are going to play against one of the best teams. A very deep roster, very good players, and a very refined system. They've been doing the same thing for a lot of years. Then we have to go and play, looking more at ourselves, how we can bounce back and what we can do to put together a very good performance. We need to focus only on playing the best possible performance, and the result of the game is a consequence of our performance."
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach
"We have to be serious for 40 minutes. We understand that everyone wanted to party those days and spend time with their families and their beloved ones, but we need to get in game mode. Zalgiris is a very good team. They play hard on defense; that’s why we must protect the ball. Still, if we stay focused and follow our game plan, we have chances to get the win."
Nikola Milutinov, Olympiacos Piraeus center
"It is going to be a tough game. We all know that Zalgiris is a very good team. And when they play in their home court in front of their fans, they play even better. They play hard on defense and we must match their energy in order to get the win."
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (19:00 CET)
Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan head coach
"We face an extremely athletic team with three guards excellent at creating play. Transition defense, containing their one on one plays, ball movement will be the keys in order to have the chance to win on a traditionally tough court."
ALBA Berlin vs. AS Monaco (20:00 CET)
Vassilis Spanoulis, AS Monaco head coach
This will be the first game of the new year. We have to be serious. We have to focus on executing our game plan. And we want to improve in every game. This is a very important game for us. And in every game, we want to go on the court with the same concentration and we always look to win."
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (20:30 CET)
Ioannis Sfairopoulos, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade head coach
"We play away from home, and every away game is difficult. Moreover, we are playing against Baskonia, which is an excellent team at home, it is very difficult to play with them. They have players with exceptional speed and confidence. If they find the right rhythm, they are hard to stop. That happened against Paris. Two or three players pushed the team to victory. That's why we have to stay focused for 40 minutes, not lose focus and follow the plan. To do everything possible to fight for victory."
Dejan Davidovac, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade forward
"We have a tough away game ahead of us, the key will be to play defense for 40 minutes and stop some of their key players. Howard got into a rhythm in the last few games, Moneke play his game and do lots of things for the team. We manage to stopp them pretty well in the first game, so somehow we should play this game according to that pattern.
