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Round 12: Pregame quotes

Round 12: Pregame quotes

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Euroleague.net Staff

Check out what the protagonists are saying ahead of Round 12 of the 2025-26 EuroCup season

Tuesday, December 30

Bahcesehir College Istanbul vs. Veolia Towers Hamburg (17:00 CET)

Benka Barloschky, Hamburg head coach

"We are currently going through a difficult phase. Niklas twisted his ankle in the final quarter of the game against Oldenburg and won't be traveling with us. On top of that, we are unfortunately affected by a flu epidemic, like so many people at the moment. At the level we have to perform at in every game, it's all about the details and the last two or three percent. When several players are affected at the same time, it can only be compensated for in the short term. We already felt that against Oldenburg. Now it's about pulling together and getting through this phase together. The game against Istanbul is a challenge – they have a lot of quality at the top and in the depth of their squad – but we want to turn it into something positive."

Zacharie Perrin, Hamburg center

"The fact that we are fighting against relegation in the BBL is a completely different situation than we imagined at the start of the season. But we are facing up to reality. And that means we are facing the best teams in Europe during the week. I remember that Istanbul plays very fast. They have very strong teamwork between their point guard and their center. They also play very physically, which makes them a very difficult opponent."

U-BT Cluj-Napoca vs. Slask Wroclaw (18:00 CET)

Mihai Silvasan, Cluj head coach

"This winning streak means a lot to us, because we are winning our home games. Of course, we want to have this kind of streak not only at home, but also on the road. I’m happy that we’ve managed to win the last four games and we keep moving forward, because we don’t want to stop here. Every game is important, especially in the EuroCup, where the battle for the top six spots is extremely tough. The next game is against Slask Wroclaw and we really want to get our revenge and win this game, because I believe we should have beaten them on their home court and have one more win by now. We have been very focused on this game and I think we are prepared. We are waiting for our fans to come in large numbers to support us and be with us, because this is an extremely important game and we want to add another win."

Fatts Russell, Cluj guard

"We know they are a tough team, they have more size, especially at the point guard position. We have to be ready to fight, protect our home court and execute our game plan. In the last game they used a lot of different defenses that kind of slowed us down. We had a 16-point lead, but we gave it away, so this time we have to make sure we stay focused for 40 minutes. Looking at Group A, all the teams are very close to each other, so we are trying to create some separation and place ourselves in the top three."

Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse vs. Panionios Cosmorama Travel Athens (18:15 CET)

Frederic Fauthoux, Bourg head coach

"We're in a great run of form and we want to keep it that way, but we'll have to be careful against this Athens team: even with changes to the squad and the coach, they have quality and can be dangerous. We need to stay focused on our team, because this home game is a real opportunity to pull ahead of a direct rival."

Darius McGhee, Bourg guard

"We have to be ready for this game! Making sure we are playing our basketball and protecting our home floor. We need to be focus from the start to the end!"

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica vs. Turk Telekom Ankara (19:00 CET)

Andrej Zakelj, Buducnost head coach

"We know how important this game is for both teams. In these two practices, we need to get the most out of our preparation and focus more on our own game, because we know what to expect. Turk Telekom is a very strong team — they recently beat Efes in the domestic league, which says a lot about their quality and ambitions in the EuroCup. Still, we are playing at home. We need to show more aggressiveness, intensity, and toughness than in the previous games. Hopefully, with the support of our fans, we can get a win."

Fletcher Magee, Buducnost guard

"We know this is a big game — one of the most talented teams in our EuroCup group. I expect a high level of basketball, and we know we will be ready for the fight. It’s going to be a fast and physical game. They have a lot of talented players, especially strong one-on-one players, so we expect an intense and close matchup."

Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem vs. BAXI Manresa (19:00 CET)

Aris Thessaloniki Betsson vs. Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (19:30 CET)

Zvezdan Mitrovic, Cedevita Olimpija head coach

"Another in a series of very demanding EuroCup games is ahead of us. Compared to our first head-to-head meeting in Ljubljana, the Aris team has further strengthened its roster with two EuroLeague-caliber players – Danilo Anđušić and Amin Noua – which clearly shows the seriousness and high ambitions of our opponents. I expect a very demanding game in a hot atmosphere, the kind that home fans know how to create. Aris is certainly at a higher level today than it was at the beginning of the season. Not all of our players have fully recovered from illness and injuries yet, but on Tuesday we will give everything we have to try to surprise the home team and fight for the win."

Miha Cerkvenik, Cedevita Olimpija forward

"An extremely demanding game awaits us. We know that a hellish atmosphere will prevail in the arena and that it will be extremely difficult to play. We will focus on what we can do on the court. We will give everything we have to return to Ljubljana with a win. Every game is important, and every win means a lot for the continuation of the season. We approach every game as if we are playing in the EuroCup final, and with that mentality we must step onto the court."

Dolomiti Energia Trento vs. London Lions (20:00 CET)

Davide Dusmet, Trento assistant coach

"After the game in Udine, another match comes right away, giving us the opportunity to get back on the court immediately, reset, and analyze what didn’t work on Saturday. It’s a chance to bring renewed energy and greater focus ahead of the EuroCup game. In the first leg against London we delivered an underwhelming performance, so we start again with a strong desire to show that over these months we’ve grown and that we can be much better than the version seen in London. It will be crucial to defend well in transition, control the rebounds, and manage the pace of the game. We need to start again from the willingness to help each other on defense and to be solid for all forty minutes, following our principles, which allow us to be aligned both offensively and defensively and to compete together within the game."

Khalif Battle, Trento guard

"It will be a very important game for us against the London Lions. London are coming off a good run of form winning against Besiktas and we lost the first meeting, so we have a strong desire to show what we are capable of. We will need to bring a lot of energy onto the court: we feel that game was within our reach, and not being able to win it gives us even more motivation to get back to winning ways. The Lions are a team with excellent players, well coached and full of confidence, qualities that make them very dangerous. We are preparing in the right way and we want to put on a great performance."

Tautvydas Sabonis, London head coach

"Tough game, away. Always hard to play away in EuroCup against a team coming off beating Venezia, Buducnost, Bourg, had couple of tough losses now, but in very good shape we gotta be prepared. I feel like my gentlemen are ready for the task at hand and we’ll see on Tuesday night. We have to be disciplined defensively, but when we’re in the right mindset for the game on the defensive end, our offence comes."

Deane Williams, London forward

"We know they’re gonna come out and play hard. Given the last result they’re not gonna be happy about that. We’ve gotta play hard, stay focused, make sure we play for 40 minutes, because in the last game we played for about 30 and in the fourth quarter they changed up their defence and gave us some problems and managed to close the gap so we have to stay focused for 40 minutes."

London Lions injury report: Four players are out: Morayo Soluade (knee), Joel Scott (hamstring), Kameron McGusty (hand) and Ovie Soko (hand).