Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 20 of the 2025-26 EuroLeague season
Pregame quotes, Round 20: 'Baskonia plays some of the most attractive basketball in the EuroLeague'
Article
8 Mins read
Wednesday, January 7
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Paris Basketball (18:30 CET)
Pablo Laso, Efes head coach
"Paris Basketball is a team that is difficult to match up with because they play at a very fast pace. Nadir Hifi and Justin Robinson are both dangerous outside shooters -both left-handed- and they aggressively look for their shots and one-on-one opportunities. The rest of the team understands this approach and need that. They have excellent shooters, spread the floor effectively, and are always a tough matchup. I think we have to impose our rhythm on the game and control the rebounds to ensure a good number of possessions. I hope we can play our best, recover our players from this tough schedule, and be ready for a challenging game, especially knowing we have a long week ahead."
Saben Lee, Efes guard
"Paris Basketball is an aggressive team, both offensively and defensively. We just need to stick to the game plan our coach has set for us and everything else will take care of itself. I’m looking forward to this game."
FC Bayern Munich vs. Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (20:30 CET)
Svetislav Pesic, Bayern head coach
"This is our sixth game in 13 days, which is really a lot. And Baskonia have found their rhythm, after needing some time at the beginning with a new coach. Now they play some of the most attractive basketball in the EuroLeague. They focus on transition and have very high quality on offense. We need to be well organized again in transition defense, because their big men are very athletic and fast. That’s why, with almost a 70 percent two-point rate, they are one of the best teams in Europe."
Johannes Voigtmann, Bayern center
"In Vítoria, we started well but then completely lost control. We need to make up for that game. We’ve now won a few in a row and want to keep it going, especially at home. But Baskonia play very fast, have good shooters, and are also strong at the rim."
Tuesday, January 6
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. Olympiacos Piraeus (18:45 CET)
Saras Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce head coach
"We expect it to be a very tough game. Olympiacos is one of the mentally and physically toughest teams in the EuroLeague. We need to be passionate on both ends of the court and continue playing our own game."
Tarik Biberovic, Fenerbahce forward
"We started 2026 with two great victories — one in the EuroLeague and one in the Turkish League. We want to carry our rising form and winning habit into the new year as well. Of course, it will be a tough game, but with the support of our fans, we want to play our own game and secure the win."
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos head coach
"Fenerbahçe generally makes the opponent’s game difficult; it’s not something specific to us. They are a team that plays switching defense about 90% of the time, with mobile big men and guards who defend high. In general, they try to isolate ball-handlers and force them to go to the side they don’t like. Tactically, they are a very good team. They also have great depth on their roster and that’s how they play overall. They allow fewer assists than any other team in the league. We have to adjust to that, but since they are a physical team and play with a lot of contact, the game will go there — into toughness. We have to respond in that area, and I hope we’ll be in good physical condition, in terms of energy. The games have been many and difficult, and matches against Panathinaikos always bring a certain level of exhaustion."
Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos guard
"We have high energy levels! After Panathinaikos, we played Aris inside less than 48 hours and it wasn’t an easy game. It was a demanding match in front of a packed arena. I think we’ve already given our answer. The game against Fenerbahçe is a tough one, and they are a physical team —we have to show character."
AS Monaco vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (19:30 CET)
Terry Tarpey, Monaco guard
"It's the restart, the important thing is to focus on ourselves. We need to keep improving in the areas that are our strengths and have brought us this far: sharing the ball, playing intense defense, moving quickly in transition, fighting for rebounds... That's our identity, which we successfully displayed against Real and Barça, two EuroLeague heavyweights."
Joan Penarroya, Partizan head coach
"We’re facing a very demanding week with three tough away games ahead of us. First comes Monaco, then Barcelona, and finally SC Derby. We’ll be playing against two very important EuroLeague teams, one of them being Monaco, who reached the Final Four last season. Monaco is a strong team with excellent players and an experienced coach, so we know we’re in for a challenging game. Even though there have been some changes within our squad, I’m happy with the way we’re continuing to play as a team and build our character."
Aleksej Pokusevski, Partizan forward
"I think we’re facing some very tough away games, so it will be important for us to stay solid and play the way we did for most of the game against Valencia. I believe we can put in a good performance, especially compared to some of our previous games."
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Real Madrid (20:00 CET)
Sergio Scariolo, Real Madrid head coach
“We have to approach this game with great concentration and a desire to keep improving. If we think back to October and see where we are now, we realize how far we've come, but we have to keep taking many more steps forward. We'd love to start climbing the standings little by little. We're only two wins behind the leader, and we'd like to keep adding wins to grow gradually, as we should. Asvel is in great form right now. They have won two games playing very well against Anadolu Efes and Paris Basketball and are a very athletic team that imposes a very high tempo, with a lot of strength in the paint and excellent ball handlers in Watson and Heurtel. We have to be prepared and know that it's going to be a difficult game and that no one has won here easily.“
Facundo Campazzo, Real Madrid guard
“We're expecting a tough game on a very difficult court, as Asvel really thrives with its fans behind them. We suffered a very tough defeat there last year, so we know what we're up against. It's going to be a physically and mentally demanding game, and I think it will be a long one. If we can control the rebound and the pace by stopping their scoring, we will have opportunities to win. ASVEL is an athletic team in which any of their players can defend any opponent, which is why they change a lot from one to five. They also have a lot of scoring ability. Perhaps with the departure of De Colo, they will lose a reliable source of points, but I am sure that other players will step up in his place. We have to be prepared and not give them any respite, not let them dictate the pace of the game. We have to be generous and pass the ball around, attack from defense because, if we defend well, we will be ourselves in attack. I think controlling the rebound will be key because, if we can do that, we can run, have more possessions, more clear shots... a more fluid attack, in short."
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Valencia Basket (20:00 CET)
Pedro Martinez, Valencia head coach
"We start a physically demanding week at Crvena Zvezda, so it's good to have been able to give some rest to players [over this past weekend] who have been playing a lot of minutes lately. And to continue with the idea that the team is what matters. What the players need to do is rest, relax a little tonight, sleep as many hours as they can. This is normal for us, we're used to it. What we have to do is make the most of the little training time we have. And compete and prepare for the next game. We know it will be very difficult this week. It's one of the most difficult weeks of the year in terms of competition. Playing at Crvena Zvezda, which is an impressive team, and on their home court. Then Monaco at home, a Final Four team from last season. And then Unicaja. It's a great week, in the sense that it's very demanding, and we like things to be demanding and difficult, because that's how we test ourselves. But we also know that it's not going to be easy, and that our opponents are going to give us a lot of trouble."
Neal Sako, Valencia center
"We know that winning at Crvena Zvezda's home court is very difficult. They are a very talented team that plays very physically. We are going to try to give our best to compete and hope to have a chance to win. This pace of games is new for many players on the team. In January, we have twelve games, which is new for everyone, but we have a lot of players and I think we'll be fine."
Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv vs. Dubai Basketball (20:05 CET)
Dimitris Itoudis, Hapoel head coach
"There are many strong teams in this league, and Dubai is certainly one of them. In our first game they were missing some key players. Our focus now is on continuing to improve as a team."
Tyler Ennis, Hapoel guard
"We won them in the first round, but they were missing five players at the time. This time it’s going to be a different game. I expect a good matchup."
Jurica Golemac, Dubai head coach
"For sure, one of the best teams so far. We need to play good basketball for 40 minutes. We need to be consistent, we need to be physical, we need to be patient, not to hurry. On the road, it's very important not to give them any momentum. It's very important that we stay together, and it's very important to keep our heads up and have patience during the 40 minutes."
Aleksa Avramovic, Dubai guard
"We showed a very good first half in the last game against Real Madrid, one of the best teams in the EuroLeague. We'll now face Hapoel Tel Aviv on their court, and I think it will be a crazy atmosphere. What do we need to do better? To play for the full 40 minutes. I think we have the quality to challenge them, to play against them 100%. I think with a good approach, good attitude and good energy on the court, I think we can have a chance to bring the victory to Dubai."
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (20:15 CET)
Peppe Poeta, Milan head coach
“We face a great team, built to win it all and deeply motivated. We played probably our best game of the year against them just a few weeks ago and we will try to get as close as possible to that level again, despite the roster emergency that is still hard to overcome.”
Virtus Bologna vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (20:30 CET)
Dusko Ivanovic, Virtus head coach
"Zalgiris is a really tough team to face, partly because they play just as well at home as they do away. They are strong and solid, and they can count on guards who can shoot three-pointers, such as [Sylvain] Francisco, [Nigel] Williams-Goss and [Maodo] Lo, who are capable of creating and playing basketball. The game we played in Kaunas lacked energy, so I hope we can play better tomorrow."
Brandon Taylor, Virtus guard
"Zalgiris is a really great team, very well-trained. They are a very disciplined side, but at the same time physical. Tomorrow we will need to be focused, also because we know that it is very rare to find a team that plays so well both at home and away. That's why we will need to play our best tomorrow."
Tomas Masiulis, Zalgiris head coach
"We’re facing a serious opponent that plays very well at home, very physically. They’ve won seven of nine games on their home court. They play with a lot of energy — it’s enjoyable to watch them. This will be a real challenge. We don’t know exactly which players they’ll have available. We have some ideas from that game, but we also see areas we can improve. That said, it was a long time ago — it’s a new story now. They’re more cohesive, especially in recent games when, despite injuries, they played together. It’s difficult to prepare against a team dealing with injuries. In their last game, they won the derby against Milan (97–85). They looked good — they were down 15 points in the second quarter but came back and won. Their energy, pace, and athleticism are much better now than they were two months ago. They actually look more team-oriented. Carsen is the kind of player who plays more for himself and can decide games. Without him, the ball moves more, and it’s harder to predict what they’ll run. We’re preparing as if he’ll play, and we’ll adjust afterward. Also, Matt Morgan plays in a similar way. The plan against both of them is similar. The coach has his own style — a lot of sets for shooters. Morgan has taken on Edwards’s role, and he looked very good in the last game."
Moses Wright, Zalgiris center
"The EuroLeague has a lot of heavy hitters, so we've got to come into every game mentally and physically prepared. The second half of the season is coming up. It's a good chance to solidify our playoff spot, so we've got to come into the second half very strong — no mental lapses or anything, play as a team, and we'll make a lot of people very happy."
FC Barcelona vs. Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv (20:30 CET)
Xavi Pascual, Barcelona head coach
"The team is doing well and happy with the win we just got, but our focus has already shifted to this game against Maccabi. It’s going to be a very tough matchup. They’re in great form right now, and on top of that we have to adjust to this new situation of playing without fans. We also have to reset emotionally after the Real Madrid game [in the Spanish League] — whenever you win a big game like that, it’s always hard to turn the page. We know we have two key games this week — actually three important games — but two of them are EuroLeague games and one in the domestic league. They’re a very athletic team with a lot of individual talent. On any given night, one of their guards can take over the game because they’re extremely talented and can get hot, and then they’re very hard to stop. Their bigs can all shoot, they really space the floor well, which creates more room for the guards to attack off the dribble. They’re a very difficult team to defend. That said, we have to play our game. We need to be solid on both ends of the floor, defensively and offensively, and we’ll need to have a strong performance to win. Without a doubt, our fans will be watching us on TV, and we have to win for them. We always play for them, and we’re going to miss them a lot. It’s a situation where we’re being affected through no fault of our own. Honestly, I really don’t like playing without our fans, but it’s what we have right now. We have to adapt, and we have to win no matter what."
Miles Norris, Barcelona forward
"Feeling good. You know, it was good to get a win yesterday. Just trying to keep the momentum going. So, you know, coming in here, trying to get our bodies right, get our minds right for the game tomorrow. I think mentally we’re pretty good. We come in prepared every game with the right mindset. We come into practice with the right mindset. I feel like we’re in a good flow during the season. We’ve got a lot of guys who have been doing this for a long time, so they’re pretty used to the schedule. For me, it’s been pretty good with the travel — travel, games — but I’m enjoying it. I feel like everyone’s enjoying it as well. It’s going to be a high-intensity game. Obviously, since we beat them a couple of months ago, I think they’re going to come in here really prepared to get a win. But our goal is to play hard and get the win. Yeah, definitely, we love to have the fans here, but unfortunately tomorrow we can’t. We’ve got the same goal, the same mindset, coming into every game — trying to get a win."
Oded Kattash, Maccabi head coach
"We are facing a challenging week, and we will face Barcelona and Real Madrid that are picking up their rhythm. Barcelona changed their coach and got some players back. It's a team that can execute at a high level. They beat Real on the road. Both of those team have many capabilities and we must be concentrated. we are not with our full roster, and it is going to be a challenge for us."
Jimmy Clark, Maccabi guard
"We want to bring the effort and the energy coming in to this week. Play as a collective and try to get these road wins."
