Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 19 of the 2025-26 EuroLeague season
Pregame quotes, Round 19: 'We need the Palau to help us a lot'
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Tuesday, December 30, 2025
Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (20:05 CET)
Dimitris Itoudis, Hapoel head coach
“Zalgiris is a very competitive team. They play at a high tempo and base a lot of their game on transition, which is generated by their strong defense. They have size and can play both big and small lineups, often averaging lineups of over two meters. They have very creative guards, but at the same time their bigs and forwards contribute a lot to their game.”
Dan Oturu, Hapoel center
“Every game presents a different challenge. Zalgiris is a great team, well coached, with talented players, competing hard for all 40 minutes. It’s going to be a real challenge , and we’ll have to rise to the occasion.”
Tomas Masiulis, Zalgiris head coach
“We’re facing the best team in the EuroLeague at the moment, one that has a lot of experienced players, good coaches, and a disciplined group. Their defense and physicality are at a very high level. It’s going to be a tough game.”
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Paris Basketball (20:15 CET)
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Valencia Basket vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (20:30 CET)
Pedro Martinez, Valencia head coach
"The EuroLeague is an extremely demanding competition. We're doing well, but we're struggling to win every game, and I don't think tomorrow will be any different. Partizan is a team with an impressive roster. The names of the players they have, how good they are, obviously they're not having a good season at the moment, but I'm absolutely sure that with Joan Peñarroya they're going to change the dynamic and improve. And let's hope it's not tomorrow when they start, but if it's not tomorrow, it will be soon because they have a lot of quality and I'm sure Joan will pull the right strings to make them change. All the alarm bells are ringing, partly because of the difficulties we had in winning yesterday's game and partly because Partizan has some of the best players in the EuroLeague. This roster started the season with the goal of being a Final Four contender, and obviously things aren't going well for them, but they are taking the right steps to change the dynamic, and we have to be prepared for all the difficulties. Yesterday showed that we are a very good team, but that to win games we need to be at 100%. Eighty percent isn't good enough, nor is 90%, but when we are at 100% we are very competitive against everyone, and that's kind of the goal we need to achieve."
Joan Penarroya, Partizan head coach
"Valencia is a strong team with an excellent coach, so it’s no surprise they’ve been getting these results so far. They play at a high pace, create a lot of possessions, and take a lot of shots from beyond the arc. On top of that, they have talented players who can attack off the dribble, knock down threes, or make the right pass at the right time. For us, the most important thing will be trying to control their transition game and limit their fast breaks."
Cam Payne, Partizan guard
"We need to look at the video and see how we can stop them. The most important thing is to keep playing together, which will give us a good chance in tomorrow’s game."
FC Barcelona vs. AS Monaco (20:30 CET)
Xavi Pascual, Barcelona head coach
"First of all, we know we’re playing against one of the best teams in the league, a team that has taken part in the Final Four the last two seasons, a team that is extremely well built at every position, with a lot of perimeter talent, a lot of physicality, and one that will make it very, very hard for us to compete against them. Not only because we’re shorthanded, and that shows, but also because their quality is extremely high and they’re very well balanced across the board. Yes, the four guards – Mike [James], the all-time leading scorer in the competition and an incredible player; then there’s [Elie] Okobo, [Matthew] Strazel, and [Nemanja] Nedovic, who bring a tremendous amount of creation. And then, of course, you look at the physical presence at the 3 and 4 positions with [Jaron] Blossomgame and [Alpha] Diallo, who are very dominant at both spots, plus Miro [Nikola Mirotic]. And then you go inside, with [Kevarrius] Hayes and [Daniel] Theis. Honestly, it’s a very, very good team. We need the Palau to help us a lot, like it did against Baskonia, because the difficulties in winning this game will be incredibly great. This is a big game, one of the biggest you can see in Europe. It’s an extremely difficult game in every aspect, and only with a full Palau really pushing us can we achieve victory – otherwise it will be practically impossible."
Miles Cale, Barcelona forward
"The team is in a really good place right now, with a positive mindset. Even though we’re missing some key players, we’re all coming together and fighting as a group to keep finding ways to win. We were on the road yesterday and came away with a solid win – a great team victory. Today we’re focused on preparing the right way for tomorrow’s game, and hopefully we can come out with another good win. They’re a very experienced team, top to bottom, so we’re going to have to rely on each other, lean on our veteran guys, and bring energy from the opening tip. Defense is going to be key. Even though they have a lot of offensive weapons, we’re going to have to dig in, dig deep, and get stops. If we can do that, I think we’ll put ourselves in a good position to win the game. Hopefully we get a great crowd in here for the last game, bring some good energy, and come away with a win for our fans. Our fans have been incredible lately, and we want to finish it off with a strong win for them."
Friday, January 2, 2026
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (18:00 CET)
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Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (20:00 CET)
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Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. Olympiacos Piraeus (20:15 CET)
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Virtus Bologna vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (20:30 CET)
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Real Madrid vs. Dubai Basketball (20:45 CET)
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FC Bayern Munich vs. Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv (21:00 CET)
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