Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 9 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.
Pre-game quotes hub: 'We are in the washing machine'
Статьи
8 Минутное чтение
Wednesday, November 13
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. FC Barcelona (18:00 CET)
Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade head coach
"We know very well who Barcelona is, the team that always has the highest ambitions. They have enormous quality, they are very well led from the bench. It doesn't matter at all who is the starter and who is on the bench – everyone makes a big contribution. They are currently the second most efficient team in the Euroleague. We have to play a good game defensively to have any chance. They have many players who are capable of solving the game."
Carlik Jones, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade guard
"Barcelona is currently at the top of the standings. We have a double round coming up after several lost matches in the Euroleague. We lost most of them in an uncertain ending, except for the game against Fenerbahçe. We are excited to play in front of our fans again."
Kevin Punter, FC Barcelona guard
"Everyone knows my relation with Partizan and the people there. I played there for three years, so it's going to be crazy tomorrow. I built a real relationship with these people for three years – I went through ups and downs with these people – so I have a real, real relationship off the court with a lot of the people there. That's what makes it really special, not just for me but for the majority of the players that have played there. I know we have to win, we have to win tomorrow. We'll be good tomorrow, for sure."
Paris Basketball vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (20:30 CET)
Andrea Trinchieri, Zalgiris Kaunas head coach
"They are a very hot team playing with great energy, confidence, hitting shots. The schedule has no mercy, no mercy for our injuries, no mercy for trying to have the time to prepare for any time of game. We are in the washing machine and the washing machine is running. We will try to squeeze the juice out of our players and build a very consistent game because Paris is able to stress you on many aspects of the game: energy, rebounding, running. They have great up-tempo and they are playing with a lot of number of possessions. We are a defensive team and we don't like a lot to have more possessions, but we need to embrace this challenge."
Matt Mitchell, Zalgiris Kaunas forward
"We've had a couple of double weeks already, so just continuing to stay confident and stay locked in and focused throughout the week. We know it's going to be a long, tough week. We've got two tough teams coming up, and two teams that are playing well with good talent. Just got to be focused and locked in on the games."
Tuesday, November 12
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. FC Bayern Munich (18:45 CET)
Saras Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach
"Bayern is playing fantastic basketball. Offensively, they have a great guard play with Edwards, Napier, Obst and Weiler-Babb. Also, the big guys understanding their role. The fact is Voigtmann and Booker can open up and shoot the ball which makes it really difficult to guard. So we need to focus on defense and try to understand what we can give up and what we cannot give up."
Arturs Zagars, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul guard
"Definitely it's a difficult situation because we had a game just yesterday [in the Turkish League] so maybe we couldn't prepare as well as we wanted to. They are a good team. Five wins in a row. Great guard backups. Great guard duo. A lot of good numbers on isolations and on transition. A lot of shots after dribbling. So we just got to try to execute our game plan. To our fans, just stay the way you are. Bring the energy they always bring. It will help us, for sure."
Gordon Herbert, FC Bayern Munich head coach
"This will be an interesting game and a real benchmark for us against one of the best European teams. I have great respect for Coach Jasikevicius; I enjoyed watching him as a player and I appreciate him just as much as a coach. The game will be a good test for us, but also a great challenge."
Devin Booker, FC Bayern Munich center
"It’s going to be a tough game against a challenging opponent. They have a great group with many scorers, so we’ll need to be very focused. It’s going to be a big game.“
AS Monaco vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (19:00 CET)
Sasa Obradovic, AS Monaco head coach
"Preparation for this match against Crvena Zvezda is short. Anyone familiar with the EuroLeague knows who we'll be playing against: we're talking about players like Nedovic, Teodosic, Yago Dos Santos, Miller McIntyre, Bolomboy, Kalinic and so on. We know what we have to do, and we'll be very focused. Crvena Zvezda is a strong team this season, and we'll have to do everything we can to make sure we win at home."
Ioannis Sfairopoulos, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade head coach
"Monaco is a very good team that is built to go to the Final Four. An athletic team with the same coach, who has the main group of the team together for some time. It is important for us to fight in Monte Carlo with all the forces at our disposal. Because we know, when we play like that, we have a chance to make a good result. We cannot focus on one player, Mike James is one of the best in the EuroLeague, but we have to worry about everyone, because everyone in the Monaco team is capable of creating a problem for the opposing team. That's why we have to play high-quality individual and team defense. Offensively, it's important to play our way and to read the game."
Nemanja Nedovic, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade guard
"There is not much time for preparation. We had a game on Sunday. Today we will go over some important details related to the game tomorrow. The most important thing is to recover and be ready for two difficult away games. Both teams are playing hard, I hope we will record victories. A triumph against Monaco would give us extra energy for the duel with ASVEL. Games are like on 'tape'. It's hard, but when you win it's easier. Individual defense is required. Monaco is the strongest team in terms of individual quality. If I had to choose a recipe, I would choose the second half against Zalgiris. That's how we should look, if we want to do something."
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (20:00 CET)
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach
"The last 10 days, we have played really well. Before, we did not play that well, at least not on both ends. We have the game against ASVEL ahead of us, and it’s going to be a tough one. And I am not saying this as a matter of form but in all sincerity. ASVEL is a good team, very athletic, with good and experienced players. Some may believe that because we won the three previous games, we will easily get this one. But that’s false. We analyzed our opponent; we have explained to our players what they need to do, and if we follow the game plan, I am optimistic that we will get the win. A win is a win in the EuroLeague and, it’s equally important whether you beat Real or Panathinaikos, or ASVEL on your home court. To me, the importance of tomorrow’s game is the same, and maybe more."
Nikola Milutinov, Olympiacos Piraeus center
"They have a very good quality and athletic roster. They have the ability to play aggressive, and that’s exactly what we must do – match their aggressiveness. That will be the key. The importance of this game is huge because our goal is to extend our winning streak. We must be focused and play as we did against Panathinaikos. If we do that, we will manage to get the win."
ALBA Berlin vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (20:00 CET)
Israel Gonzalez, ALBA Berlin head coach
"Milano also had to contend with injury problems, but they have an extremely deep roster and beat Real Madrid last week. In Nikola Mirotic, in particular, they have a player who has a lot of individual quality and can be decisive in games."
Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan head coach
"For us, an obviously very important and also difficult week begins. We want to try to follow up the good performance produced against Real Madrid, starting with the Berlin game. To do so, we will have to build our game as always on defense and rebounding, as well as maintain concentration and willingness to help each other both on defense and offense."
Leandro Bolmaro, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan guard
"In Berlin, it will be important for us, above all, to play with continuity for all 40 minutes, both on offense and defense, and to avoid the slumps that have created problems for us in recent games. ALBA is a superb team, which especially on its court manages to have a lot of energy and physicality, so we will have to pay attention to details and play as a team."
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (20:15 CET)
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens head coach
“I have been sick the last 2-3 days, I had this problem but I wasn’t hospitalized. Just after the game yesterday, the doctor told me that it is good to check if there is something – if it is serious and I need to stay in the hospital. We went there, we did tests. It is an influenza virus. Okay, I am sick but I am alive and I am with my team. I hope that tomorrow I will be on the bench. Grigonis and Antetokounmpo will not be on the roster, they need more time. But Sloukas did practice with the team and I think 90% he will be on the court to play tomorrow. Maccabi changed a lot in their roster, but they are a very athletic, very energetic team. I watched them last week live when they beat Real Madrid. They run, they play very aggressively, and in preseason we played two games against Maccabi and we lost. Tomorrow will be a very important game on our home court. We need to play aggressively, we need to play with confidence, and we need to get the victory, but for sure it will be a very tough game because Maccabi is a very dangerous team. I heard that Tamir Blatt will play tomorrow. They have a lot of shooters, they know how to play in transition, in the pick and roll. In the last game against Olympiacos, we played terribly defensively. We let them score 94 points, so we need to play better defense on the pick and roll and in transition. They beat us mentally, they beat us tactically, and they beat us with their very good individual performance. All of them played better than us. But we had a chance in the two minutes, we also went one point ahead, but then Fournier made a great shot and they took control of the game – they beat me, they beat the players, they beat all of us.”
Jerian Grant, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens guard
“Both teams are a little bit different, but they still kind of run the same offense – we do, too. It’s going to be a difficult game. We know it’s not easy, they play good basketball, so we’ve got to come ready to play. Every game is important, so we’ve go out there and do what we need to do to get the win.”
Oded Kattash, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv head coach
"We are facing one of the most challenging weeks the EuroLeague calendar can offer. We are about to play against two opponents that could easily be at the Final Four this season. We don't have much time to recover. We will do our best despite the tough matchup."
Levi Randolph, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv forward
"We will have to try to recover as best as possible. There is nothing else we can do but recover and get ready for another fight."
Will Rayman, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv forward
"PAO are a really good team with a really good roster. We played against them twice in the preseason. We have to forget about our last game, and go out there, play hard, play together and play smart – and I think we will be happy with the result."
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (20:30 CET)
Tomislav Mijatovic, Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach
"We are entering the new great challenge and a new great week, a double week in EuroLeague. Our first step is, of course, a very talented, extremely well put together and a very well coached team of Baskonia, who has a high tempo, high energy, type of offensive sets that we have to be fully adjusted and fully ready for. Most importantly, we have to add value for our overall basketball performance, compete and keep moving in the right direction. We need to play 40 minutes of very concentrated basketball, 40 minutes of very tough basketball, both offensively and defensively. The whole team effort has to be great for us to reach our final goal, which is to get a very important road victory."
Darius Thompson, Anadolu Efes Istanbul guard
"This game is gonna be a very important game because we are in similar positions in the standings with the same number of wins and losses. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz is always a team that plays really good at home with a good crowd, I think we have to come out there and play the best of our ability and see how good we can do and hopefully come back with a win."
Real Madrid vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna (20:45 CET)
Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach
"We must make a big effort to get back to winning ways in the EuroLeague, but we are facing an opponent that has been playing better lately and has players of extraordinary quality like Clyburn, Shengelia, Cordinier, Zizic, Hackett, Polonara, who are some of the best you can find in the Euroleague. We are facing a team with a lot of resources and I expect a long, difficult game that will demand a lot from us and we have to go out with our best mentality."
Alberto Abalde, Real Madrid forward
“We are facing an important week as we are coming from several defeats and we want to be strong at home. We are not managing to be consistent on the road, the opposite happens at the WiZink Center and that is what we cannot lose. The first step is tomorrow's game against Virtus and we must be solid for as many minutes as possible, not having ups and downs, which is where we are failing the most. We will try to get into rhythm from our defense, which is the way to play with more fluency in attack, and make a good shot selection. We feel very good with our fans because we have a special connection with them and we will try to do a good job to keep it."
Luca Banchi, Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach
“The game against Real Madrid always has a special appeal, having to face a team capable, in the last three years, of reaching as many EuroLeague finals. Despite the initial difficulties, mainly the result of injuries, they have a home performance of the highest level that makes them still undefeated and that will oblige us to a game of great depth to be able to compete against an opponent of such quality. We will try to prepare carefully to be able to stem their main sources of play and take full advantage of transition play and ball circulation."
Alessandro Pajola, Virtus Segafredo Bologna guard
"Real Madrid is a team built to compete at a high level in the EuroLeague, with experienced players who know each other very well. We will have to face the game with attention and concentration until the end."
