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Pre-game quotes hub: 'It's never easy to play here'

Pre-game quotes hub: 'It's never easy to play here'

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31 October 20247 Mins read

Andy West

Pre-game quotes hub: 'It's never easy to play here'

Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 7 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Ahead of Round 7, we bring you the pre-game quotes from all the teams in one place. This page will be updated with the thoughts of the players and head coaches of all 18 teams.

Thursday, October 31

ALBA Berlin vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (20:00 CET)

Israel Gonzalez, ALBA Berlin head coach

"Efes has a lot of individual quality in almost all positions. What's more, they're big and physical. Like on Tuesday against Paris, our goal has to be to fight and leave everything on the court, regardless of which players we're missing. We can't ask for anything more than every player pushing themselves to their personal limits."

Tomislav Mijatovic, Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach

"We are playing against a high energy and an up-tempo based team with very good offensive organization, which is very well coached, and they have their own system for the past few seasons. We have to be extremely good individually and team-wise be prepared and present effort and fight for 40 minutes in order to reach our goal, which is to win the game.

Dan Oturu, Anadolu Efes Istanbul center

"It will be a great opportunity to bounce back from our tough loss at home. ALBA Berlin is a dangerous team and they compete very hard. We need to come out with the right energy and focus to help get another important EuroLeague win, especially on the road."

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. Real Madrid (20:05 CET)

Oded Kattash, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv head coach

"We can take something from the game against Fener, which is also a team [like Real Madrid] that has a lot of forwards, size, athleticism. But they play a little bit different. It's not that easy, we have two or three players who played almost 30, maybe over 30 minutes, which in a double week is important. For us, the situation is more mentally than basketball because you have to come ready, you have to believe, we have to keep our heads up and keep fighting."

Levi Randolph, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv forward

"Every day is a growing process for us. Coach tells us that every day. We've just got to keep learning and getting better. I think that's the main thing, just focus on what we have next and not look behind or too far ahead. Just continue to work and stay in the moment."

Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach

"We have to turn the page quickly and think that the calendar only gives you time to focus on the next game. The best thing that can happen to us now is to quickly face an opponent like Maccabi. It is a team that we know less than others because they have new players in the EuroLeague, American players who have come to this competition for the first time. Maccabi is a bit unpredictable in the one-on-one, with players of great individual quality, with good offensive rebounders who run the court... It is a talented team, like all the teams we face in this EuroLeague of such a high level. Winning on the road gives you a boost of confidence. We are looking for that road win without obsessing about it, with a calm attitude, trying to do things well, and we hope to play at a good level in this game to see if we are capable of winning."

Gaby Deck, Real Madrid forward

"We are fully focused on tomorrow's game, working on what we can find, and we hope to be up to the task and pull it off because it would be very important for the team. Maccabi is a very tough opponent and we are convinced that they will do well on their court. We have to correct the mistakes we made in yesterday's game and try to stay focused for 40 minutes to have a chance to win."

Olympiacos Piraeus vs. FC Barcelona (20:15 CET)

Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach

"We had back-to-back games, which means that we will do recovery practice [on Wednesday]. In these kinds of situations, the most important is for the players to get some good rest and prepare themselves mentally. And of course, our job is to show them the game plan. We have to forget the win over Real Madrid and focus on the game against Barcelona. It is going to be very demanding. They are leading in the standings, they have five wins, they are the second most effective on offense team in the league, as well as being second in points in transition. Yesterday we controlled the pace through our offense and we must do the same [on Thursday]."

Alec Peters, Olympiacos Piraeus forward

"Each game gets bigger. The EuroLeague is a league where you have to do your work early. Right now, we haven't done much of that. Every game gets bigger and bigger. We cannot sit here and talk about last night very much. We have to go and think about tomorrow. About the back-to-back games, we are basketball players, that's what we do. Those outside say that players get tired by the schedule and that we have too many games to play... but this is far from the truth. That's why are here: to play games. Whoever wants to complain and say they are tired is in the wrong business."

Jabari Parker, FC Barcelona forward

"I feel like the team is in a good space. Obviously it helps that we won the game previously [in Round 6], but we know that it's a hard matchup here in Greece, especially playing in this atmosphere, so we're kind of looking forward to it. We have to stay together as a group, we have to communicate. It gets very loud here and we can't be distracted. If we stay focused, I think we have a chance. It's not a matter of what we're doing right now, it's about how we end up. I'm not content [with having the league's joint-best record], I'm not satisfied. Every day is going to be a journey, but I'm looking forward to it. That's the beauty of it."

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna (20:30 CET)

Mario Fioretti, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan assistant coach

"First of all, we need to stay consistent throughout the game both defensively and offensively, something we have struggled to achieve since the start of the season. Virtus is a very aggressive team, especially on the perimeter, and they use some strategic adjustments to limit the opponent's main offensive traits. So, the most crucial aspect on offense will be to involve each other consistently. Defensively, we need primarily to protect the paint against the several modes they have to try to get close to the rim."

Luca Banchi, Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach

"We face the Milano game determined to produce a performance of great intensity. The derby against Olimpia always has a special pathos, regardless of the event in which these teams face each other, so the injury emergency we are experiencing will have to serve as an additional stimulus to a careful and cynical game. We will take advantage of every opportunity to find resources within a contest that promises to be hard-fought both from a technical and competitive point of view."

Achille Polonara, Virtus Segafredo Bologna forward

"A tough and complicated game awaits us, away on a difficult court. We are excited, it is the derby of Italy and it always has a special importance. Obviously we care a lot, we will go to Milan knowing that to get the victory we will have to play a perfect game, limiting their strengths, deep roster and talented players."

Friday, November 1

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (18:45 CEST)

Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach

"Another difficult game for us. Partizan is playing very good basketball. They have very good guard play. Great opportunity for our fans to meet Coach Obradovic and think about the glory years at Fenerbahçe. At the same time, we need to continue getting better. We have a lot of room to improve. We need to be patient and try to integrate everybody into the team."

Devon Hall, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul swingman

"Partizan is obviously a talented team. They are coming off a loss on their home court and they will come here with a lot of energy and aggression. So, we have to start well. We thank our fans for their support. They give us boost and energy. Hopefully we will have the same atmosphere one more time."

Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade head coach

"Another team with big ambitions and a team that plays well, regardless of some problems with player injuries. They have rebounded and it's never easy to play here. They had one more day off compared to us, and I'm not saying that as an alibi, but in this schedule, a day off is something important. We have to find energy, intelligence and try to play the best possible game. We have experience from these two games where we lost in one-possession matches."

Frank Ntilikina, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade guard

"It will be a tough game, like every EuroLeague game, because they want to win, just as we do. They have talented players, a strong team, and it’s going to be a big game."

Zalgiris Kaunas vs. AS Monaco (19:00 CET)

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. FC Bayern Munich (20:00 CET)

Gordon Herbert, FC Bayern Munich head coach

"We need another strong team performance on the road, especially since our bench was outstanding at Virtus. It only works with that kind of team effort, and the key will be to match their physicality and control the pace. They have two exceptional guards in [Nando] De Colo, one of the all-time greats of the EuroLeague, and the young [Theo] Maledon, both capable of dictating a game. And it’s not just them we need to stop."

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (20:00 CET)

Ioannis Sfairopoulos, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade head coach

"We are playing against the European champions, against Panathinaikos, who have a great roster. Our job is not easy, but we will fight in front of our fans on our court. We will try to do our best. We have to erase the memory of the previous game. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't. We have to continue. Now the focus is only on how to play well against Panathinaikos."

Nemanja Nedovic, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade guard

"The champion is coming, I don't think we need more motivation than that. We play in front of the home crowd here in Pionir, where everything is closer and a good atmosphere is created. We have our chances, we just need to enter the game aggressively on defense and offense. I'm sorry that not everyone will be able to come to the game in Pionir, but there will definitely be a good atmosphere. I really hope that our fans will also recognize the moment."

Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens head coach

“Red Star is a good team. They built a new team this year with experienced players, and they have a very good coach. Of course, it’s a very tough atmosphere in Belgrade. Yesterday’s game [against ASVEL] was not so tough for us. We played good basketball before this game. We played two road games in Istanbul [at Fenerbahce] and Piraeus [at Olympiacos in the Greek League] that we managed well and we won. Tomorrow, we need to play in the same way and be ready for what will be a very aggressive, tough game and try to win. Red Star are playing good basketball. They lost a very important player in [Joel] Bolomboy, but they have very experienced players in the team. When you play on the road in that kind of atmosphere, the most important thing is to move the ball well on offense, to share the ball well to get good shot selection, to not make many turnovers and to not give rhythm to the home team, and that will be the key. We have a lot of good players, but I believe that all the other teams have good players. If you think about the other teams, Real Madrid, Efes, Barcelona, even Red Star, which now has [Milos] Teodosic, [Nemanja] Nedovic, Isaiah Canaan and [Codi] Miller-McIntyre, so everyone has good players. But I think my players have confidence and when we are focused, for me they are the best [group of guards in the EuroLeague].

Ioannis Papapetrou, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens forward

"It will be a very challenging game. Red Star has been very competitive this year, and their home court will obviously create a difficult atmosphere. We must control the tempo because we know they have players with a lot of talent, and the game can get away from us if we allow them to find their rhythm. We need to play with a lot of toughness. Red Star has exceptional playmaking from their guards and tremendous talent at the point guard and shooting guard positions. We must limit their playmaking and scoring in these two positions. If we succeed in doing that, I believe our defense will be largely successful."