Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 24 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.
Pregame quotes hub: 'The pressure is on Partizan's side'
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Friday, January 31
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna (18:30 CET)
Saras Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach
"Virtus is doing really well since the change of the coach and winning games. One of the things we have to worry about is the defensive pressure. The guards are very big and physical. Offensively, they present a lot of problems with the shooting bigs and with the situations off-picks of [Marco] Belinelli."
Arturs Zagars, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul guard
"Obviously, we had a tough week. So now, we have to refresh our energy and everything. No game in the EuroLeague is easy. So, today and tomorrow, we are going to continue our preparations. For our fans, please keep being consistent like you have been so far. It's amazing to play here. We just got to do a better job to protect our home court."
Dusko Ivanovic, Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach
"I believe that in the last month Fenerbahce has been playing their best, winning 10 wins in a row. They are a great team, attacking very well with excellent shooters, they know how to open the court with many players and they always play with great confidence."
Achille Polonara, Virtus Segafredo Bologna forward
"We face one of the best teams in Europe. A difficult game awaits us in a tough court, but we are also aware that we can compete with anyone if we play our basketball."
AS Monaco vs. Real Madrid (19:00 CET)
Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach
"We are feeling good, confident and eager to face a big game against AS Monaco, which is a great team, as it has shown in recent seasons in which it reached the Final Four, which is doing things very well and has elite players who are capable of winning games on their own. We'll play a game that is important for us and we travel with the goal of being able to get a victory on a difficult court."
Sergio Llull, Real Madrid guard
"The team is good, enthusiastic. We are working hard, trying to get the new signings to adapt as quickly as possible and we are aware that we have a difficult game on a difficult court, but it is very important to take a step forward and climb up the standings. AS Monaco is a team with great individuals, players with a lot of points in their hands. They defend very aggressively, they steal a lot of balls, and that allows them to run on the fast break and score easy points. We have to control this aspect of their game, rebound well, avoid turnovers to not let them run and, on offense, try to play our game to have a chance to win."
Matthew Strazel, AS Monaco guard
"Real Madrid are in great form, they're moving up the standings. A defeat would mean we'd be level with them, and that's not what we want. We want to react, give a different account of ourselves and start a winning streak. We've analyzed Real's game. We've drawn up a game plan that we have to stick to it. We'll miss Jordan [Loyd] and Elie [Okobo] offensively, but that's part of the ups and downs of the season. We're going to give everything we've got to win this game."
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (20:15 CET)
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus
"Efes is a very talented team, with depth on its bench. They have high-level players. In my opinion, Efes is a Final Four team. They had some injuries, and that probably affected them. Recently, they are in good momentum. Against Milano, they scored 110 points, and that did not have to do just with the fact that Nikola Mirotic was out. It was more because they play very well and they have great cooperation on offense and defense. It is going to be a tough game. We will miss Thomas Walkup. There are more players that they are facing some smaller injury issues, but they will play. Luca Vildoza, who yesterday practiced individually, will practice today with the team, and he will play. Also, Moustapha Fall is dealing with an injury in his right-hand small finger, but that’s what it is… It is a game that we must win in order to maintain high in the standings."
Giannoulis Larentzakis, Olympiacos Piraeus
"We have a chance to react after the loss against Fenerbahçe in our home court. We do not want to lose again at Peace and Friendship Stadium. For sure, Efes is a talented team, but they also have weaknesses. We have worked on their weaknesses the whole week, and I believe that tomorrow we will be ready to do what we have to do in order to get back on the winning track."
Luca Banchi, Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach
"We are preparing for a very challenging game. Olympiacos is actually one of the most competitive team in EuroLeague. And especially their court will make them feel very confident. We need to offer a great consistency for 40 minutes long because it's a matter to match their incredible physicality, athleticism and capacity, also to develop the possession for all the 24 seconds. That's why we really wish to have another important performance, collective effort and capacity to keep a high intensity of game for 40 minutes."
Darius Thompson, Anadolu Efes Istanbul guard
"We are going to play against Olympiacos, a great team who has a great home atmosphere. We have to go there and compete, fight as a team and try to do the best as we can."
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (20:30 CET)
Zeljko Obradović, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade
"In the EuroLeague derby, Crvena Zvezda fans will be present in our arena, just as our fans were at the first game [earlier this season]. I see this as something very positive, moving in a direction where fair play ultimately prevails. I hope that Partizan fans will understand the importance of tomorrow’s game, that they will fully support the team, and that there won’t be a single offensive word directed at anyone from Crvena Zvezda. That is my wish, and I once again urge them to focus solely on cheering and supporting our team. As for the game itself, the derby is crucial for both us and Crvena Zvezda. We know each other very well. What’s most important for us is to get four players back as soon as possible: Vanja Marinkovic and Frank Ntilikina are definitely out, while Aleksej Pokusevski and Mitar Bosnjaković are dealing with illnesses. We’ll see if either of them will be able to help the team."
Isaac Bonga, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade
"I expect us to win. We need to stick to the game plan and repeat the good things we've done in recent games. We're excited because this will be the first derby in front of our fans, and I believe that will be a big advantage for us."
Ioannis Sfairopoulos, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade head coach
"We know each other very well. Partizan has been playing very well of late, they have five wins from the last six games in the EuroLeague. We have to be concentrated and follow the game plan. This is the third time we will play against them this season, but this game will have one difference. As the host in this game, the pressure is on Partizan's side."
Nemanja Nedovic, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade guard
"There are no secrets, we know a lot about each other. We know that Partizan is in good form. We know we have to stop their transition game if we want to beat them. A derby is always a derby."
Thursday, January 30
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. FC Bayern Munich (19:00 CET)
Andrea Trinchieri, Zalgiris Kaunas head coach
"Another game, another opportunity to bounce back. In the last 20 quarters we played, we were amazing for 14 quarters, we were terrible for six. That cost us a 1-4 record in the last five games. Some things we can do better, another thing is to remain objective and keep in mind the quality of the opponents and what they needed to do in order to come back. We know what we have to improve, we are working on it, and the team is aware. Do you change these things by snapping your fingers? No. Do you improve these things in one day, one practice? No. I believe that with the right commitment that we have and a little bit of luck, which we don't have at this moment, I believe that we are going to get back on track."
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. ALBA Berlin (20:05 CET)
Oded Kattash, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv head coach
"ALBA may be ranked last, but since their injured players have returned, they have been playing better, even in their losses. We will be missing Jaylen [Hoard], and everyone understands how important he is to us. It's hard to know what to expect, but we want to win. We feel better in terms of training, but Jaylen's injury has disrupted our rhythm now."
Trevion Williams, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv center
"It should be fun [playing my former team]. It will be good to see the guys again, I'm excited. We always want to build on the good things that we did, and also take the bad things and improve on them. We come into this game with a lot of confidence and we're looking to get the job done and keep it rolling. Obviously Jaylen [Hoard]'s part of the team, but the next guy has to step up, whether it's me, whether it's Will [Rayman], whoever it is."
Levi Randolph, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv forward
"The message this whole season has been to try to continue to get better. We're making strides in that direction, we've been able to get some good wins down the stretch, and we'll look to continue that [against ALBA]. [Jaylen Hoard] is an important piece for us, he's one of our main players, one of our go-to guys. It's going to be different for us to play without him, but we have a lot of depth, we have guys who are ready to step up. We have great big men who are ready to play tomorrow and we're looking forward to getting the job done."
Paris Basketball vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (20:30 CET)
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EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (20:30 CET)
Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan head coach
"The game might look to be prohibitive for us. However, in front of our people, we fully intend to play with courage, keeping out the sadness that afflicted us in Istanbul, and with the healthy players we will have, try to pose to the defending champions of Panathinaikos the best possible challenge."
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens head coach
"Milan always has a lot of experience, a great coach. They are missing some important players like [Nikola] Mirotic, an important player, but on their home court they will play an aggressive game and react after the big loss they had last week in Istanbul. It will be a very tough game, like all games on the road. They have experienced players like [Shavon] Shields, [Nico] Mannion, [Leandro] Bolmaro, [Zach] LeDay is a very important player, so it will be a tough game. We will not make any additions, our roster is big enough. I will give more responsibilities at the center position to Dinos Mitoglou, who is a much better player than the players that are on the market. We hope that [Omer] Yurtseven comes back in three or four weeks, and then we will wait for Mathias [Lessort]."
Cedi Osman, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens forward
"[Milan] had some games where they've lost with a high deficit – one of those games was against us, the other was against Efes last week. But they're on their home court now so I don't think it will be the same. We have to forget the game that we played against them, this is going to be a different game. They're going to come out strong, they're going to come out aggressive, and we know that it's always tough to play on the road. In the Baskonia game, we beat them [at OAKA] by 30 points but then over there it was a different game. We have to be ready."
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. FC Barcelona (20:30 CET)
Joan Penarroya, FC Barcelona head coach
"We know where we are going. We are in a delicate situation at a physical level. I was very happy in Victoria. I was treated very well. It's my first time back and I'm happy to be reunited with a lot of people I haven't seen lately."
Chimezie Metu, FC Barcelona center
"If you give Baskonia confidence, they are a very dangerous team. They have been able to beat great teams and we must be focused on the job at hand. Anyone can beat anyone and we must try to be consistent."
