Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 25 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.
Pregame quotes hub: 'This year in the EuroLeague, there's no room for error'

Wednesday, February 5
AS Monaco vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (19:00 CET)
Vassilis Spanoulis, AS Monaco head coach
"We're taking it one game at a time. This year in the EuroLeague, there's no room for error, so we can't afford to relax. [Elie Okobo] is almost back, but we'll decide day by day. [The five-game winning streak in all competitions] gives us confidence, but this is the EuroLeague and anything can happen. It's a battle in which you have to find solutions, even when the scenario is not going well."
Donatas Motiejunas, AS Monaco center
"We're at a crucial point in the season, the teams are playing their best basketball, we're on a good trajectory in terms of play and results, and we want to confirm that. Concentration is imperative, Baskonia play very fast basketball, they have very good shooters. We prepare each game as if it were the last of the season. The way we beat a big club like Real is the kind of performance we want to reproduce. From a personal point of view? Last week was complicated for me (he had a sinus infection), but I'm feeling better now."
Pablo Laso, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz head coach
"We're going to have to do a lot of things right if we want to get a good result. Monaco has been EuroLeague favorites for several years now. They've got some very unbalanced one-on-one players like Mike James, Okobo, Loyd, Cornelie and Motiejunas. And at the '1', there's one of my favorite players, Nick Calathes. He's a player who knows how to read games perfectly, he knows how to impose the right rhythm, and he's an excellent defender. That's why they're great candidates to win the EuroLeague title."

Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (20:30 CET)
Dusko Ivanovic, Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach
"Partizan is a combative and athletic team, they have proven it often, especially in the last few games. They play very well defensively, tough, with constant defensive switches, plus they have several players with enough experience to manage the last decisive possessions."
Rayjon Tucker, Virtus Segafredo Bologna guard
"It will be a very tough game because Partizan is a very good team, with many strengths. From our side it will be necessary to make a good impact because on the court there will be a fight, as always in the EuroLeague. The goal is to play as a team, hard and with determination."
Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade head coach
"We have a double round in the EuroLeague ahead of us. Our motivation remains the same, and every game is extremely important for us. The first key thing to note is that Virtus changed their coach a few rounds ago. They are adjusting their roster, but they already have Dusko Ivanovic's recognizable style - lot of aggression, running, and defensive adjustments. We tried to respond with training yesterday, and we will continue preparing today based on what awaits us in tomorrow’s game."
Iffe Lundberg, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade guard
"I expect us to win. We need to approach this game as if it were a final. It’s always nice to see familiar faces, as I’ll be playing against my former club. I have many great memories in that arena, so it will be special. But above all, winning is what matters most, and we have to do whatever it takes to get the job done."

Paris Basketball vs. Olympiacos Piraeus (20:30 CET)
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach
"The truth is that if there was only one match where we should have all the guards available, that match would definitely be the one against Paris because we must defend players who are very creative and good shooters. But Paris is more than that… They are very good at offensive rebounds, on defense transition, and generally are a team with good structure in its game. We have to stick to our game plan and not carry on from their high pace. We have to be very good on offense as well as on defense in order to get the win."
Kostas Papanikolaou, Olympiacos Piraeus forward
"We play against a good team with a special game style. We will miss players, but from time to time all the teams face the same problem. We have to do our best in order to overcome the absences of Thomas Walkup and Luca Vildoza. We also must be focused and dominant on rebounds. We need to stick together and do our best in order to get the win."

FC Barcelona vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (20:30 CET)
Joan Penarroya, FC Barcelona head coach
"[Maccabi] has dangerous players and is a team capable of having big runs. We want to play a good game to get rid of this bad taste and give our fans a reason to be behind the team."
Joel Parra, FC Barcelona forward
"I'm confident that us players can reverse this situation. We hope to reengage our fans and ask for forgiveness in the form of a victory."
Rokas Jokubaitis, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv guard
"We know Barcelona is not in the best moment, so they will approach this game even more serious. It is never easy to play there, I know that from my experience. We don’t have many games left in the EuroLeague regular season, but we need to have the best game possible. I don’t know how it will feel, I spent three years there. I got a very good relationship with the fans and the club. I will be nervous a little bit, but I am excited to go back to Barcelona."

Tuesday, February 4
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Real Madrid (18:30 CET)
Luca Banchi, Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach
"We are starting the double-game week with Real Madrid game. This game will be the first of a cycle of very important games that we want to approach with a great aggressiveness and concentration. Our opponent shows collective effort, starting from the defensive end. They have rhythm and play high-paced basketball, with many individual talents. It is enough to understand what type of challenge we have in front of us, but we are conscious that with general effort in general participation we can have a great game against them. I think we are facing some problems that can probably limit some players, but we have all the options to find alternatives and to respond against one of the most powerful teams in this league."
PJ Dozier, Anadolu Efes Istanbul guard
"We are looking forward to another opportunity to compete at a high level. I think we are taking steps in the right direction and continue to find our identity. We have all the pieces it takes to win."
Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach
"This week we face two teams that come with different dynamics and I think we have options against both of them. I don't trust their recent victories and defeats. We will fight to win both games. Now we are focused on Anadolu Efes and I don't think we should trust their streak going into tomorrow's game. We will try to compete to reach the end with a chance to win and we will try to make up for the defeat we suffered against them at home. We will try to play a serious game, a good game, and pull it off on a complicated court."
Walter Tavares, Real Madrid center
"We know it's very difficult to play away and even more so in Turkiye against Efes, but we have the experience of having won important away games and I hope that will help us and unite us more to add another victory. Efes is going to play with a lot of desire because they are playing at home and against Real Madrid, which is always a source of extra motivation. They will be prepared and will try to do their best to win, just like us. A win would be very important because the standings are very tight, there is a lot of equality and any victory we can get will help us to be at the top."

Zalgiris Kaunas vs. ALBA Berlin (19:00 CET)
Israel Gonzalez, ALBA Berlin head coach
"With Sylvain Francisco and Lonnie Walker, Zalgiris has two players in its team who are exceptionally strong one-on-one. We have to be wide awake in these matchups and also work against them in team defense. In addition, they have a lot of basketball IQ in their team with [Edgaras] Ulanovas and the other Lithuanian players. Also, the fans in Kaunas give them a real home-court advantage. We must push our energy and focus to the limit to give ourselves the chance to win."
Matteo Spagnolo, ALBA Berlin guard
"Zalgiris is a really good and well-prepared team. We need to match their energy and prevent them from building up their confidence. Besides that, we’ll have to be able to respond to their runs. Especially Francisco and Walker can get hot quickly with their drives to the baskets or three-pointers. The rebounding duel is another factor that will be crucial."

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (20:00 CET)
Ioannis Sfairopoulos, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade head coach
"An important game for us. ASVEL is quite an athletic team, they play very well. They have three wins in the last five rounds. We expect a tough game. They have a wide roster. It is extremely important for us to stay focused on our plan, I want to play the game in our rhythm. Control of the rebounds will be important. They have two or three players who control the ball, organize the offense, such as Theo Maledon, Nando De Colo and Paris Lee. They are the main creators and scorers. They have more ways to attack, but we are ready and we know what to do defensively. On offense, we have to be smart and find the right solutions."
Dejan Davidovac, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade forward
"We expect a difficult game, ASVEL is known as a team that plays with a lot in contact, they can be tricky, they are still fighting for the play-in spots. They changed the roster, now Ben Bentil is here, some players are coming back from injuries. They have a pretty strong roster, it will be difficult, for sure. We are trying to understand each other as well as possible, we have now played together a lot, it is time we all connect. We look good now, especially on defense."
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (20:15 CET)
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens head coach
"We must win all our remaining home games. That is the reality for us. If we fail to do so, we can forget about the Final Four or even the playoffs. Winning is our only option. That is one reality. The other is that our opponent is in excellent form. They have won their last six EuroLeague games. Just last week, they came here and convincingly defeated Olympiacos, the team currently leading the standings. So, it will be a very challenging game. We must be highly aggressive and prepared for a game that feels like a derby – similar to our game against Olympiacos two weeks ago. Our situation in the EuroLeague is quite critical at the moment, and we need to start the game with intensity."
Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens guard
"We lost the last game in Italy, a game we should have won, especially considering that EA7 Emporio Armani Milan was missing several key players. I agree with the coach that we cannot afford to lose another home game, starting with the ones coming up this week. We need to be ready. We have prepared well, we feel good. These are two must-win games for us."
Saras Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach
"Panathinaikos is in real need of the win, so they're gonna come out with a great intensity. OAKA will try to push them ahead. So first of all, we have to match their intensity, then we need to understand the defensive coverage that they throw at us, prepare our good offenses, and try to understand where we can hurt them. Also defensively, their guards present really big difficulties with their talent, their pick-and-roll creation and their isolation creation."
Devon Hall, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul guard
"We're going into a tough environment. Obviously, they are a very good team. So we just gotta be solid, stick to our plan and rules. Today, we'll try to work on it."

FC Bayern Munich vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (20:45 CET)
Gordie Herbert, FC Bayern Munich head coach
"We hope that Devin [Booker] will avoid the worst-case scenario. Until then, others have to step up, and we all need to stick together. We've been through this situation before when Vlado [Lucic] and Niels [Giffey] were missing. That brought us together, and it's always a moment when the guys from the bench have to step up. Milan is a tough challenge either way because they are a high-level team with outstandingly talented players like [Zach] LeDay and [Shavon] Shields. Coach Messina is one of my favorite coaches, but it's also clear: This is a very important game for both teams."
Oscar da Silva, FC Bayern Munich forward
"We are in a good position when it comes to big men and now have to compensate for Book's injury as a team. Milan and Villeurbanne are roughly on par with us based on the current standings. Two wins would be perfect, but Milan is already a really strong team. I hope our fans will support us as incredibly as they have all season."
Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan head coach
"It is obviously a very important game, but at this point, with 10 games remaining in the schedule, every single game is going to be crucial. Bayern is capable to play up-tempo especially on its home court, they are aggressive defensively and can use multiple solutions offensively with the many shooters they have. For, a good transition defense, rebounding control and a good shooting selection will go a long way in determining the outcome."
