Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 21 of the 2025-26 EuroLeague season
Pregame quotes, Round 21: 'We are excited about this opportunity'
Article
8 Mins read
Friday, January 9
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (19:00 CET)
Tomas Masiulis, Zalgiris head coach
"We’re facing an athletic opponent with a lot of talent. They’re not a very favorable matchup for us because they’re physical, have size, and play a lot of switching defense. It will be a very serious challenge. Everyone has ups and downs; over the course of a season that’s normal. Strong teams are starting to find their rhythm now, while maybe we were in better shape at the beginning of the season. We’re not missing much, but in recent games it’s been small details that have been lacking."
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. FC Bayern Munich (20:15 CET)
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos head coach
"Bayern are playing well. They have mainly changed their defensive philosophy under Coach Pesic. They put more pressure on the ball, even with players who are not used to doing that. They are tougher defensively. They have two big men, Gabriel and McCormack, who are good defenders. They are mobile players. In general, they are a team that shows a different image compared to what we are used to from Bayern. Of course, they also have offensive talent. They have good shooters, experienced players, and a very experienced coach at this level. They are coming off a win and have one day less to prepare for the game, but we have all accepted within the team that respecting the opponent—neither underestimating nor overestimating anyone—leads to good results. Not long ago, when we were leaving to play four away games, including the league, everyone said it was a mountain of a schedule. In the end, as it turned out, it wasn’t. However, things are not just as easy now that we are playing at home. It’s a difficult game and we must approach it as such."
Monte Morris, Olympiacos guard
"Bayern are a very good team. They are on a winning streak and are very dangerous. We need to stay focused and play our game. I really like it here. I like the food, the team, and the fans. The coach and my teammates have welcomed me warmly. I try to improve every day and learn the system day by day. I’m adjusting every day. I’ve been learning since the first day and continue to do so every day. I’ve only played a few EuroLeague games. We have many games ahead of us, and I’ll try to keep improving so I can help more."
Svetislav Pesic, Bayern head coach
"The game at Olympiacos doesn’t come at a good time, although a clash with this historic club is always a very big challenge. We’ve now won a few games in the Bundesliga and also in the EuroLeague, but we will be missing some players who are banged up. I hope others will seize their opportunity and give us fresh energy. Despite the problems and the great quality of Piraeus, we want to stay on our path."
FC Barcelona vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (20:30 CET)
Xavi Pascual, Barcelona head coach
"Joan [Penarroya] was our coach, and first of all, I hope the Palau gives him a warm welcome. Beyond the challenges that coaches face — which are huge — sometimes things go well, sometimes they don’t, he’s a person… First, he’s a really good guy, and second, he gave absolutely everything to try to do the best possible with Barça. People may judge his work differently — better or worse — that’s their opinion, but he’s one of ours, and I hope the fans show him a lot of respect tomorrow. He’s also a very good coach, and it will be a very tough game. Partizan is a team that went through a lot of challenges with their coaching change. Slowly, they’re looking more solid — in Valencia they competed very well, in Monaco there was a moment where the game slipped away, but they were still in it. They have a very good team with talented players. There's the signing of [Cam] Payne, they now have two players who were very important at Barça, like [Jabari] Parker and [Nick] Calathes, a player who was key in Madrid, Bruno Fernando, a player who excelled in Malaga and was highly sought after, [Dylan] Osetkowski, a player coming from CSKA, [Tonye] Jekiri, who will bring a lot of experience and is a very good player. They also have players like [Isaac] Bonga, a champion of the last [international] championship, and others like [Sterling] Brown, [Vanja] Marinkovic — an excellent shooter — and [Duane] Washington, who every team in Europe was chasing after when he left the G League. In short, they have an extraordinary roster with a lot of individual talent, and it will be a very difficult game."
Toko Shengelia, Barcelona forward
"Maybe we’ve given people reason to say that, but I’d say our ceiling is still higher. We’ve played those games without Jan [Vesely], without Will [Clyburn], I’m not back at 100% yet, and logically we still have plenty of room to improve. But I’d say we’re on the right path, it’s positive, and we’re getting better every day. That’s the most important thing. It doesn’t matter where Partizan is in the standings, we have to protect our home court. Defense will be key because they have very talented players who can suddenly get hot and take control of the game. And once they gain that confidence, it becomes very difficult here. The key will be to start the game very focused and stay locked in for all 40 minutes. I think, logically, tactically it’s going to be a bit complicated [coming up against Joan Penarroya]. Maybe he knows us very well: our game, our character. But at the same time, that’s something we’ll take into account too, and we’ll definitely prepare the game with Xavi [Pascual], also preparing for him as an opponent. On an emotional level, we’re human. Joan was our coach not long ago, we have a lot of affection for him, and I think he also deserves for the Palau to welcome him with a lot of warmth and applause. From my side, I’ll definitely do that. He did everything he possibly could. We had moments we really enjoyed — not only during my month and a half here, but even before, when he had already been the coach at Barça for years. And from my side, I’ve told him this before and I’ll say it again now: I’m grateful for everything he’s done for this club and for me."
Joan Penarroya, Partizan head coach
"We’re facing another tough game after the matchup with Monaco. Barcelona is also a big club with a great atmosphere and over the past two months they’ve won a lot of games. Overall, it’s going to be a very demanding matchup, but we need to stay committed to our game plan and believe in ourselves. Even though Barcelona is playing well and has a lot of quality players, I think this is a good moment for us to continue building our character and growing as a team. We also need to perform much better than we did in the previous game, especially compared to how we played in the first half."
Duane Washington, Partizan guard
"We lost the last game against them on Clyburn’s half-court buzzer-beater, and we are well aware of what that game meant. We also know that this team used to be coached by our coach, Penarroya, which makes the matchup even more meaningful for us. Still, we are excited about this opportunity and we will give everything we have, play our game and do our best to win."
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (20:30 CET)
Peppe Poeta, Milan head coach
"It is a very important game for us, as always in the EuroLeague, but it comes on a very special day for our club and, before the eyes of our fans, we intend to play an intense and tough game. However, we fully understand that Efes is a team much better than what the record indicates so we will go there prepared to play a very difficult game."
Pablo Laso, Efes head coach
"To play against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on the road is always difficult. They are very aggressive at home and come in with a lot of confidence after beating Panathinaikos on the road. This game is very important for us and will be a good test to show that we can be competitive against any team. The first thing I ask my team at every game is to be competitive and show what our players can contribute to the team. Every player has to be on the same page, knowing that we are facing a great team with talented players at every position."
PJ Dozier, Efes guard
"Much needed win for us. We are fighting for our season to turn around in the direction we want."
Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (20:30 CET)
--
Thursday, January 8
Dubai Basketball vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (17:00 CET)
Jurica Golemac, Dubai head coach
"We need to play 40 minutes very focused and concentrated. There's not much time to prepare. They're playing great of late, but we're playing at home. We need to get back to our rhythm, to our mindset, and only like this – with continuity of 40 minutes – can we match the team like they are in this moment."
Dwayne Bacon, Dubai forward
"I think we have to play together, move the ball, and play defense for four quarters. Right now we're just known as a first-half team that will fold in the second half, typically the third quarter. If we don't play the same way for 40 minutes, we won't win the game. They're hot right now, so it has to be consistent with us for 40 minutes. We have to be on the same page. Wade Baldwin is playing great, Talen Horton-Tucker is playing great. I saw yesterday Brandon Boston played great. He hasn't played in a while. Can't forget Bonzie Colson, Devon Hall. The list goes on. They have a full team. It's the reason why they won the championship last year. They took out a guy [in Nigel Hayes-Davis], but they probably added a guy that is right around the same talent but way younger. In their last 11, they're like 10-1 in the competition, so there's a reason why these guys are top of the league. A lot of these guys are veteran players, they know how to win in tough environments, and if we don't play for 40 minutes we don't have a chance."
Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce head coach
"Dubai is a very physical team that they beat us in Istanbul. The size of the team is really impressive, the front line. The three positions are all extremely tall and physical. So this is the first thing we need to do. Prepare our offenses and know, understand how we can attack them."
Talen Horton-Tucker, Fenerbahce guard
"Tomorrow we know that we're playing against a physically bigger team, and they're pretty organized with having a good guard. There are a lot of assists. Being able to try to limit them as much as we can. Not fouled them and keep them off the line. Their easy attempts are something that we need to focus on and just continue to come out, play hard, rebound. Play physical. Just impose our will is the most important thing for us."
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. Virtus Bologna (20:15 CET)
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos head coach
"At this moment, we should not focus on creating drama. In the EuroLeague, everything happens. Just as we lost four games at Telekom Center Athens, we achieved big away wins this year in Madrid, against Fenerbahce, and in Kaunas. Yesterday, in the second half, everything fell apart. Everything went wrong, nothing worked. But this happens. That’s how sports are. Sometimes these results occur. It is not time to panic. We did not lose the title. We suffered a bad loss in a game that everyone thought would be easy for us. But this is the EuroLeague. Sometimes it doesn’t work the way you think. The team is the same. The same team that two weeks ago won in Fenerbahce and in Kaunas, and that beat Hapoel with a very good performance. It is not time to panic. All teams go through difficult periods. Now we focus on tomorrow’s game. It will be tough. It is a good team, with good guards. We must be ready for tomorrow. I want to say something more important in this situation. I know that some people lost their trust in the team, I heard it yesterday as well. Maybe they also lost trust in me. That is normal. We are talking about sports; the past belongs to the past, we look to the future. I want to say one thing. I trust my players and my team a lot. I want to put another important challenge on the table. As you know, I have one more guaranteed year on my contract with the team. However, if at the end of the season we have not won the EuroLeague or the Greek championship, I will leave Athens. That’s all."
Cedi Osman, Panathinaikos forward
"Obviously, defense is the key. They played two excellent games against Milan and Zalgiris. It will be a tough game tomorrow. We need to get back to winning and to the basketball we showed one to two weeks ago against Fenerbahce and Zalgiris. Obviously, we need to return to the basketball we know, and everything will be fine. We must stay focused for 40 minutes. In the first half, we played excellently; they scored only 30 points. Then our energy dropped, and we cannot allow that to happen. We are upset by these two losses, and we know how the fans feel."
Dusko Ivanovic, Virtus head coach
"Very difficult game in front of us, because Panathinaikos is a veery good team with a very good players. They lost last games at home so will be more difficult for us. But I think that they are in a good rhythm and we'll try to do our best to play a very serious game."
Saliou Niang, Virtus forward
"Another tough match awaits us. Panathinaikos will certainly be eager to win after a few matches that didn't go their way. Today, we tried to recover as much energy as possible to face tomorrow's challenge in the best possible way against a top-level team that always manages to take advantage of the support of its fans at home."
Valencia Basket vs. AS Monaco (20:30 CET)
Darius Thompson, Valencia guard
"Every game in the EuroLeague really is a tough challenge, but the guys AS Monaco have are some of the best scorers in the league. So we've got to watch them and see what we can do to slow them down. Defense for sure will be key. Trying to do our best to limit their main guys and then for us just trying to play at our rhythm. Try to play as fast as we can. That's basketball in general; basketball is a game of runs. There's gonna be ups and downs, but for us is just staying together fighting as a team and hopefully at the end of the game we stayed together long enough and fought hard enough that we come out with the win. Having the fans with us gives us more energy; even they travel with us to Belgrade. They've been traveling with us everywhere and now we got a full fan base here with us. So we try to use that energy and make the best out of it."
Vassilis Spanoulis, Monaco head coach
"We know what to expect against Valencia, a team that is full of confidence and plays very fast. On our side, we feel that the team is sharing the ball very well, which is key for us. When we play together in this unselfish way, it also has an impact on our defense. We have to be humble and continue to work hard, and keep going in this direction as a team."
Terry Tarpey, Monaco guard
"Valencia play very fast, they have talent, they're not top of the table by chance. The season is still long, but we're also in a good position. Everyone knows their role and we're making progress towards our goals. The key will be to always defend well so we can adjust the transitions."
Real Madrid vs. Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv (20:45 CET)
Sergio Scariolo, Real Madrid head coach
"It's an unusual game in which we have to find all our resources, motivation, energy, and competitiveness within ourselves, because we won't have the support of our fans. We have to face a game against a talented team with scoring ability, great one-on-one play, and atypical players who can get in and out of the paint. They have a great ability to attack the offensive rebound and play at a very fast pace, so defensive transition will be very important. It is important that we are solid in controlling the defensive rebound."
Mario Hezonja, Real Madrid forward
"We're really looking forward to it after losing unexpectedly to them in the first round. The team played well against ASVEL, and we are on the right track, improving our game and racking up wins that we missed out on in the first round. Maccabi, at home, and then the next two games coming up are also very important for us to continue growing as a team and improving our position in the EuroLeague. We are two wins behind the leader, so it is very important to keep winning."
Will Rayman, Maccabi forward
"We've just got to get back to playing better team basketball, playing defense better, starting games better. I think that's the biggest thing: starting games better. We can't be down 15 points in the first quarter. We've got to get back to winning basketball, back to our winning ways and win another game in the EuroLeague."
