Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 21 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.
Pregame quotes hub: 'The EuroLeague is a marathon'
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Wednesday, January 15
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna (19:00 CET)
Andrea Trinchieri, Zalgiris Kaunas head coach
"Another team that is very hot. Virtus is playing very well with a lot of energy, winning games at home and on the road, and of course we are not in the best moment. We need to think one game at a time, we need to focus on our performance, improving our game offensively and defensively. We just need to regroup, to man up, and to try to find new chemistry with all of these players [who have been dealing with] injuries. To be honest, it's a complicated moment for the team, for the coaches, and having this kind of schedule doesn't help because we are playing all the best teams, or the hottest teams at the moment. I believe that if we are able to match Virtus's energy, it will help us a lot. It will give us a very good opportunity to have a good performance."
Dusko Ivanovic, Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach
"Zalgiris is a really good team, especially when they play at home: they play hard, with very good defense. They need a win, so do we, so we will have to fight until the end."
Matt Morgan, Virtus Segafredo Bologna guard
"Zalgiris is a really good team and plays in a great atmosphere at home. We will have to play together for 40 minutes, with no down moments, being careful to manage the pace of the game to bring home a win."
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (20:00 CET)
Ioannis Sfairopoulos, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade head coach
"Fenerbahce is a team that has quality and is built to go to the Final Four. We have to be very concentrated, to play according to the plan. We want to play with a lot of energy, but be smart at both ends of the court. I expect all the players to be ready to fight, I expect the stands to be full and the fans to support us for the entire 40 minutes."
Ognjen Dobric, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade forward
"They play well, although it varies with ups and downs, but when you look at the table, they are always at the top. We know what Fener is and what quality they have. We cannot underestimate them. The win in Istanbul can be a rep for this one, but we can't go into the match lightly because we beat them there. It will be far from an easy game. It doesn't matter that we play in front of our fans. It will be a big fight, for sure."
Saras Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach
"Zvezda is in great shape. One of the best teams in the EuroLeague. A veteran team that knows how to play. We have to talk about their team play, their guards, a lot of scoring options by [Nemanja] Nedovic and [Isaiah] Canaan. And most importantly, we need to handle the pressure of Belgrade Arena."
Nicolo Melli, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul forward
"It’s a tough game. Very tough environment. I think we have one game less but only one win divides us. A week in the EuroLeague this year can make a huge difference. So we need to try to win there and make the difference with the point difference. This double week is gonna be tough, like every double week. So we need to focus on one game at a time and we will try to do our best like usual."
FC Bayern Munich vs. AS Monaco (20:30 CET)
Gordie Herbert, FC Bayern Munich head coach
"It’s great to be back in our arena and playing in front of our amazing fans. However, Monaco has an incredible amount of individual quality. In the first game at their place, we struggled against their physical defense and athleticism. We’ll only be able to hold our own against them if we focus on our defense and approach the matchups with determination."
Vassilis Spanoulis, AS Monaco head coach
"We're ready for the double week. We've got two road games and we're going to play them trying to play at our true level. The last game wasn't very good against Barcelona, so we're going to show a better image and all our good things on the court during this week, starting in Munich. We're concentrating solely on that game."
Jordan Loyd, AS Monaco guard
"We've got a big week ahead of us. We've got a bitter taste in our mouths after the Barcelona game. Everyone at the club was disappointed. But at the same time, we know that it's only one game and that we can do much better. We've prepared well this week, and I think we're looking forward to bouncing back after a tough defeat. Against two good teams. First Bayern, then Red Star, away from home. And I think the guys are excited. The EuroLeague is a marathon. We know we can't win it all in one game, but we want to take steps in the right direction. So we're very motivated to get back on the floor on the European stage and do everything we can to erase that bad game against Barcelona."
FC Barcelona vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (20:30 CET)
Joan Penarroya, FC Barcelona head coach
"If we have Sunday's game in mind [a Spanish League game that may determine Barcelona's future in the Spanish Cup], we won't do well tomorrow or Friday, because Sunday's game is far away. We have a good chance to win at Palau, in a competition that is very close. There is no Sunday, there is Wednesday. We are focused on Panathinaikos. It is very difficult to say who is the best [player in the EuroLeague], but it is clear that [Kendrick Nunn] has a tremendous impact. He is one of those who has impacted me the most live. We are talking about a super player in a superb level of form. But Panathinaikos is much more than just him."
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens head coach
"We are well aware of the team’s history. My focus is solely on this game; what happened in the past is irrelevant. It will undoubtedly be a tough match. So far, Barcelona had a lot of ups and downs, but last week they secured a significant victory in Monaco. Additionally, playing at home boosts their confidence, and they are likely to play aggressively. We know them as a team. We are in good shape ourselves. We'll aim to play good basketball, maintain an aggressive defense, and secure the win because we understand how important this game is."
Wenyen Gabriel, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens center
"I know we have a very strong team. It may have been twelve years since our last victory there, but I feel we can win anywhere. That’s the goal. We have tremendous talent. This team won the EuroLeague title last year and kept its core intact. Personally, I’m doing whatever it takes to help the team win—whether that means scoring or playing defense. It will be a tough battle."
Tuesday, January 14
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (20:00 CET)
Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade head coach
"We played against them here almost a month ago. For most of that game, we performed well, but unfortunately, we lost in a close finish. After yesterday's game in Čačak, we had a training session that was more focused on analysis, though we also worked on some adjustments based on our approach in that first game. We’re aware of who their key players are and what needs to be done. The key will be to respond much better than we did in Athens, and I expect the team to show a far better approach compared to the game against Panathinaikos."
Iffe Lundberg, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade guard
"I expect a very intense game, first and foremost. Obviously, both teams are in a situation where every game matters, and from our perspective, this double week is extremely important. We need to be 110% focused on both games, but it’s going to be fun. They are a very physical team, and we have to match their intensity."
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. Olympiacos Piraeus (20:30 CET)
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach
"They try to control the pace, and that defines the game development. That’s why we must know when is the right time to attack and how we must defend. It is going to be a tough game. They have big motivation despite the fact that they are not under pressure, since, in my opinion, it’s difficult to make it to the playoffs. They have talented players, they play fast, they shoot well, and they can hurt anyone, especially if you make the mistake of underestimating them."
Evan Fournier, Olympiacos Piraeus forward
"When playing away, your goal is always to play with physicality, and you want to control the pace. That’s how we will approach the game against Baskonia. We have to make a good first period, and then we just have to stay faithful to ourselves. We must play Olympiacos basketball."
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. ALBA Berlin (20:30 CET)
Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan head coach
"Our record against ALBA Berlin in recent seasons speaks for itself (5-6). ALBA is a team that always puts us in trouble with its energetic play, made up of movement without the ball, cuts, defensive readings, pace and fast-break opportunities. We know that the game requires great attention on both ends of the floor and that to win we cannot limit ourselves to expressing ourselves on just one part of the game."
Paris Basketball vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (20:30 CET)
Luca Banchi, Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach
"One more double week and as we know it is a very difficult schedule. We will have tough games on the road, starting from Paris, which will be one of our contender for the best position in the rankings. After the experience from the previous game, we really wish our team to be more conscious of the level of concentration and effort that we need to beat such a talented team. Let's go game by game and try to take advantage of our quality and our roster to take the maximum possible from this long trip."
Vincent Poirier, Anadolu Efes Istanbul center
"Paris is a team that we know they are really fast and dangerous when they get confidence. So we need to control the tempo of the game and compete at the maximum level. We have to control the rebounds, control the scorers and defend the pick and rolls with TJ Shorts, I think this will be the key of the game. We need to compete and try to win the game. We're getting in a better shape and I think that this week would be important for us to get back to winning mentality."
Real Madrid vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (20:45 CET)
Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach
"We are being helped by the mentality we have adopted, a tough team mentality to overcome adversity in difficult moments when we have not started the games well, and that has allowed us to turn the situation around and everyone is contributing. We have to take care of ourselves physically, we must not load the team too much, because we must give 100% in every game. Regardless of whether we play well or badly, we have to be ready to win. We are doing a good job mentally and we must identify well the strengths of the teams we face. Tomorrow our opponent is Maccabi, a team that physically is extraordinary. One of their biggest threats is rebounding and they are also unpredictable. They do very good things at times and yet their ranking is not at the level of the game they play. We lost at their place by one point in the last second and we would like to make up for that defeat."
Hugo Gonzalez, Real Madrid forward
"We are coming from a week in which we have played four games and we face what is coming with a positive attitude. All EuroLeague games are key and even more so this doubleheader against two teams that defeated us in the first round like Maccabi and Olympiacos. Tomorrow we play against Maccabi and in Belgrade we already saw how difficult it is to play against them. They are an opponent that we respect a lot and that will demand our maximum concentration if we want to beat them. We are getting closer together and all the players are contributing something in one way or another. This is what is allowing us to grow and add victories, and that is the path we have to follow."
Oded Kattash, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv head coach
"We are heading into a very tough week with two strong and home-oriented teams. We need to prove to ourselves, and then everyone will feel that we understand the importance. Proper body language is key. We have objective reasons for how we are performing right now. This is the stage of the season when things usually come together, and teams start playing better. For us, that hasn't been the case this season. In fact, it's the opposite—we are playing worse than we did during the preseason, for various reasons."
Jaylen Hoard, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv forward
"We have to compete really hard [this week]. I feel like the last game, we were not really fighting. It's disappointing because in basketball, making shots and things like that, you can't really control that. But your effort and your energy, you can control those things. We just need to do a better job with that. We've shown it at times during the season, but we just have to put it together for longer stretches to avoid having so many losses. It's going to be more fun for me, for sure (returning to France to play Paris). My family's going to be at the game, so that's going to be fun. I'm going to be able to enjoy that, playing in front of them is always amazing. I feel like it's going to be a good week – Madrid, Paris, two good cities – so we're going to try to enjoy everything and get two wins."
