Check out what the protagonists are saying ahead of Round 3 of the 2025-26 EuroCup season, and who might be missing in action.
Round 3: Pregame quotes and injury reports
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7 Mins read
Tuesday, October 14
Turk Telekom Ankara vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (18:00 CEST)
Andrej Zakelj, Buducnost head coach
"We are going to play an away game against a team with the highest ambitions in the EuroCup. Even before the season started, it was clear that they aimed to win or were among the favorites. Although they haven’t had the best start to the season, that doesn’t mean they don’t play well or that they are a weak team. They have an excellent squad with top individual players who can decide a game. We, just like in the previous match, must have the right approach. Approach and focus are mandatory; everything else – tactics and details – comes second. In these trainings, we will prepare as much as possible. We must respond with energy, determination, and physicality, because only then can we expect a positive result."
Axel Bouteille, Buducnost forward
"We have a big opportunity to win there, and we need to send a message to all teams in the EuroCup. We played a great game at home just two days ago, and we have to maintain that momentum. We must stay focused on our own game. They are a strong team, no matter what, and even if they have lost some games at home or away, they remain dangerous. We need to stay alert because they have very skilled players, and it will be a tough challenge regardless of past results."
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Aris Thessaloniki Betsson (18:30 CEST)
Zvezdan Mitrovic, Cedevita Olimpija head coach
"On Sunday, we returned from Podgorica via Belgrade, and on Monday we already held a training session in Stozice. Aleksej Nikolic had to leave practice early after receiving a new knock, so he will undergo an additional medical examination this afternoon to determine his condition and whether he will be ready to play. If he’s unable to play, it will be a big handicap for us, as we would be left with only one true point guard, while Aris is strongest precisely in the backcourt positions. In any case, a tough task lies ahead of us. Aris has been showing excellent performances in the EuroCup, while still searching for their first win in the domestic championship. It’s clear that their players are especially motivated for European games – they delivered two very dominant performances against Venice and Hamburg."
Umoja Gibson, Cedevita Olimpija guard
"If we want to come out with a win on Tuesday, we’ll need to stay extremely focused on containing their perimeter players, as they have great quality in those positions. At the same time, it will be crucial for us to control the pace of the game and not allow Aris to dictate the tempo. If we play connected and as a team, as we’ve done so far, we can once again hope for a positive outcome."
DJ Stewart, Cedevita Olimpija guard
"We know we’re facing a strong opponent, as Aris is playing great basketball in the EuroCup right now. They’re a very good team with many players who can step up and score points. We have a clear game plan, and it’s up to us to bring it onto the court and execute it consistently for the full 40 minutes."
Veolia Towers Hamburg vs. Bahcesehir College Istanbul (19:30 CEST)
Benka Barloschky, Hamburg head coach
"The frustration is growing mainly because we are standing in our own way. In every game, we manage to dictate the play and take control of the game, only to throw away what we have worked so hard to achieve. That hurts! We want to turn that pain into anger and aggression. The goal remains to continue the process and constantly push ourselves to our limits. Bahcesehir is one of the top teams in Europe. They have strengthened their squad again this summer and are among the favorites in our group. We are expecting an extremely difficult home game."
Benedikt Turudic, Hamburg center
"We are motivated to win. The positive thing is that we have another chance tomorrow to do much better than we did on Sunday. You could see that in training. Everyone is determined. Now we have to bring that determination onto the court."
Jared Grey, Hamburg forward
"For us, it's all about energy in the game against Istanbul. We have to quickly forget Sunday's game, turn things around, and continue to believe in ourselves. I would say it's good that we have the next game coming up right away. Because we simply don't have time to think about it too much. We've put that shitty game behind us and now we want to move on."
Wednesday, October 15
Lietkabelis Panevezys vs. ratiopharm Ulm (18:00 CEST)
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Panionios Athens vs. Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse (18:30 CEST)
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Besiktas GAIN Istanbul vs. NINERS Chemnitz (19:00 CEST)
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Slask Wroclaw vs. U-BT Cluj-Napoca (19:00 CEST)
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Umana Reyer Venice vs. Neptunas Klaipeda (20:00 CEST)
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BAXI Manresa vs. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (20:45 CEST)
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Thursday, October 16
London Lions vs. Dolomiti Energia Trento (20:30 CEST)
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