Check out what the protagonists are saying ahead of Round 9 of the 2025-26 EuroCup season, and who might be missing in action.
Round 9: Pregame quotes and injury reports
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7 Mins read
Thursday, December 4
Bahcesehir College Istanbul vs. Neptunas Kleipeda (17:00 CET)
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Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Slask Wroclaw (18:30 CET)
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ratiopharm ulm vs. Dolomiti Energia Trento (19:00 CET)
Fabio Bongi, Trento assistant coach
"We return to action after the national-team break with the first of three consecutive road games, starting on Ulm’s court. It will be a difficult game, in a hot environment where the fans are able to transmit a lot of energy to their team. Ulm plays with great pace, runs the floor well, and has a very cohesive group in the way they interpret their brand of basketball: it will be a challenge we must face with great focus. We have all our players back, and we’ve finally been able to practice with a full roster — something that hadn’t happened since the start of the year. Being able to work together consistently will help us grow over time and be ready for every challenge that lies ahead."
DeVante' Jones, Trento guard
"We’re happy to get back on the court after the break. On Thursday we’ll face a tough game against Ulm, but we’ve finally recovered from the small injuries we picked up in the first part of the season. I believe this pause helped us recharge our energy, and spending some time with our families was good for us as well. Ulm is a high-level team: aggressive, fast, and able to play with a lot of energy, especially at home. We’ll need to play a great game for the full 40 minutes. We want to get back to winning in the EuroCup as well."
NINERS Chemnitz vs. Turk Telekom Ankara (19:00 CET)
Rodrigo Pastore, Chemnitz head coach
"Turk Telekom is a team built with a solid roster, expected to go all the way in this competition. They have been extremely efficient on the offensive end the last five games. Our main Goal is to be able to disrupt their offensive flow through a disciplined defense and to be able to create open court opportunities that will allow us to score in the early seconds of the possession."
Yordan Minchev, Chemnitz forward
"We are heading into a game against a very tough and experienced team, both the players and the coach. They lost their battle versus Besiktas and definitely took their lessons and will come and try to get the win at our home. After the break we are looking to play better basketball and show better face in the EuroCup games and start us a winning streak after the last win in Trento. Hopefully we will stay solid, play as physical as we can, be focused during 40 minutes and give our fans a good win."
Lietkabelis Panevezys vs. London Lions (19:00 CET)
Tautvydas Sabonis, London Lions head coach
"Like always… Nothing changes. Physicality, energy, toughness, just playing our basketball, preparing for the next stretch of games that we have, which is going to be interesting. [Lietkabelis is a] very unorthodox team. Play a very specific style of basketball. We are going to have to be very mentally tough and physical, because they are very well coached, and I know the coach very well… We have to be ready to play a very tough, physical game. Like always game confidence, showing what we do every single day matters for what we want to do for every game…for every practice. At the end of the day, it’s confidence and just producing for the game what we do in practice."
Amin Adamu, London Lions guard
"They are a bit unorthodox. There are a lot of things we need to learn, be prepared and come out and set the tone as always. They're not to be taken lightly, like every team in EuroCup. As long as we stick to our plan and play our game, we'll be alright."
Aris Thessaloniki Betsson vs. U-BT Cluj-Napoca (19:00 CET)
Igor Milicic, Aris head coach
"Obviously, we have a very tough game ahead of us. Cluj plays at a fast pace, their roster is made up mostly of foreign players, and the fact that they don’t compete in their domestic league gives them that advantage. We are dealing with some injuries now and we still have a few question marks regarding who will be available to play tomorrow. The key for us to get a positive result is to have good defensive transition and not allow them to play a free, high-tempo style — especially offensively. We know how to combine tough, physical defense with quick offense when needed."
Elijah Mitrou-Long, Aris guard
"I believe that the key to every game is our defense. We want to rely on our defensive identity; Cluj has very good players, but so do we, especially now with the new guys who have joined the team. In order to get the win tomorrow, as well as in the games that follow, we need to be the best version of ourselves, bring defensive energy, and play tough. If we do these things, I believe we will win the majority of the games ahead of us."
Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem vs. Umana Reyer Venice (20:00 CET)
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Friday, December 5
Besiktas GAIN Istanbul vs. Panionios Cosmorama Travel Athens (18:00 CET)
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Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (19:30 CET)
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BAXI Manresa vs. Veolia Towers Hamburg (20:45 CET)
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