Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 23 of the 2025-26 EuroLeague season
Pregame quotes, Round 23: 'Fenerbahce is the favorite to win the EuroLeague'
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Wednesday, January 21
Virtus Bologna vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (20:30 CET)
Dusko Ivanovic, Virtus head coach
"Probably the most difficult game in front of us, because Fenerbahce is a really good team, they play well and especially now with [Nando] De Colo addition they are maybe the favorite to win the EuroLeague. We have to play very tough and very focus to win this type of game."
Momo Diouf, Virtus center
"It will be a tough game mentally and physically: Fenerbahçe is a great team, full of talented players. We will have to maintain the same energy and approach for the full 40 minutes. We are missing a few players, but that should not be an excuse; rather, it should be extra motivation to do better."
Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce head coach
"Virtus is a great home team. Only Olympiacos and Dubai managed to win over there. A great transition basketball team in the half-court. A little bit unusual because of this. Off-pick situations and so much attention on [Carsen] Edwards and [Matt] Morgan."
Mikael Jantunen, Fenerbahce forward
"it's a very tough game. Very tough atmosphere. They played very well at home. So we've got to have one of our best games to be successful on the trip."
Tuesday, January 20
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv (18:15 CET)
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos head coach
"Maccabi is in good momentum. Offensively, they are one of the best teams in the EuroLeague. Defensively, they use a lot of tricks that often confuse the opponent and sometimes even themselves. So our players need to stay committed to the game plan. Offensively, they play in an unusual way, with a lot of short rolls: the centers stay on the perimeter, the power forwards move inside. [Tamir] Blatt’s playmaking is always important. Overall, they are a very distinctive and very dangerous team, especially given the good momentum they have with the way they play."
Donta Hall, Olympiacos center
"We need to keep playing the way we’ve played in the last three games. Against Maccabi, we have to apply pressure on defense for forty minutes, and the offense will take care of itself."
Oded Kattash, Maccabi head coach
“Of course there are professional challenges in a schedule like this. Especially in such a long and demanding season, with many injuries. But the challenges we’re dealing with go beyond the professional aspect. It’s about managing a deep roster with constant changes and injuries. Olympiacos, for example, have had their injured players return and are in a much better situation than we are. Still, it’s a challenge one for the medical staff, for Regev and the physio team. It’s certainly a basketball challenge, but it’s something we have to overcome together as a group.”
Marcio Santos, Maccabi center
“We know this is a tough opponent that has been playing together for a long time. They have plenty of EuroLeague experience, but we’re improving day by day and we’re coming off a win against Zalgiris.”
Will Rayman, Maccabi forward
“A very experienced and high-quality team. They’ve been playing together for a long time and are in good form right now. It will be a tough game, but I think we have a solid game plan and a real chance to win. We all remember the previous game against themת we led by 10 in the fourth quarter and lost. We’ll go there determined to win. Clark is a very good player; he arrived last season and keeps improving from game to game. When he plays well, we play well, and he needs to keep that going.”
Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (18:30 CET)
Dimitris Itoudis, Hapoel head coach
It’s another challenge, and we accept it. We need to find a way to be ready for a game against a very competitive team with a lot of skill. They’ve had several injured players, which has affected them in key moments and influenced their recent results. But it’s not only about results — it’s about the quality they have. We’re approaching this game by respecting every aspect of their team: the guards, the bigs, the forwards, their concepts, their structure, and the experience they bring. Overall, it’s going to be a very, very challenging game for us.”
Ish Wainright, Hapoel forward
“They have great players and a great coaching staff, so anything can happen. It’s going to be a dogfight from the opening tip. Much respect to those guys — and we have two players on our team who are looking forward to facing their former club. It’ll be a battle from start to finish, and we’ll have to keep competing until the final buzzer.”
Pablo Laso, Efes head coach
"It will definitely be a difficult game for us. Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv is currently one of the best teams in the EuroLeague, playing with a lot of quality across their roster. They have a very strong squad, and of course, we all know [Vasilije] Micic from his time at Anadolu Efes – he creates a lot of situations for them with his size, passing and shooting, which helps them on both offense and defense. For us, it’s clear that we can’t just focus on effort. We have to focus on ourselves and on playing good basketball. This is the first message I will give my players: be concerned with how we play as a team. If we don’t play well collectively, we won’t be able to compete against a team with Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv’s quality."
Nick Weiler-Babb, Efes guard
"Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv is in a great shape and is playing good basketball right now. We need to show a response to the past week, and that starts from the beginning of the game. It’s the first game to another double week so we need to set the tone early. The game will be tough, but we are ready!"
AS Monaco vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (18:45 CET)
Vassilis Spanoulis, Monaco head coach
"The team has improved a lot in recent weeks. Our play and our chemistry are helping us make more of a difference. Everyone understands the role they have to play, and we're playing winning basketball. I'm not interested in statistics and streaks; only the next game matters to me. We're not yet at our maximum potential, but the team is getting closer. We'll need to be strong in the ups and downs we still have to face this season. Red Star and Madrid are two very important games, as every week is. We'll need to play with physical impact, commitment, and concentration to execute our game plan."
Nemanja Nedovic, Monaco guard
"Playing against Red Star is always special for me. But I'm focused on us, our game, on continuing our winning streak. The whole team sticks together, everyone plays for each other. That's what makes the group work, a collective game centered on sharing the ball. There's still room for improvement, but when we manage to play physically, with a lot of fighting spirit, it's not easy to beat us."
Sasa Obradovic, Crvena Zvezda head coach
"They are now playing at a much higher level. They’re very aggressive, they know exactly what they’re doing, and they read each other well on the court—which may partly be my influence, because they run a system similar to ours. They have top-level quality at every position. That first game can serve as a partial reference for us, but the situation is different now. Their aggressiveness comes from confidence, and in that small arena they really feed off the atmosphere.
"As for us, it’s important to maintain what we showed throughout the entire game before—great desire, regardless of the score. We need to believe in ourselves and see what we can take away from the opponent. A lot depends on the start of the game; they usually open games very well. James is looking for his rhythm—I believe he’s the best EuroLeague player at his position. No matter who you put in front of him, if he shows up mentally ready—and sometimes he doesn’t, but in the EuroLeague you can always expect a great Mike James."
Donatas Motiejunas, Crvena Zvezda center
"The coach and I talked about how Monaco plays at home. From personal experience, I know they play much better in their own arena than on the road. They play much more physically and are far more aggressive. If you let them find their rhythm, they’re very hard to beat. We can’t allow that—we have to fight. Coach did a great job in the last game. He came into the locker room at halftime when we were down by 13 and helped us calm down and feel better. We have to fight from the first to the last minute. That fight paid off in the second half. Not every game will be pretty, but the most important thing is the win. We might make mistakes, but we must compete in every game."
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (20:00 CET)
Tomas Masiulis, Zalgiris head coach
"This is a completely different team than the one we faced in the first game. They have new players, some guys have returned from injuries, and they’re very dangerous at home—they’ve won 6 of 11 games there. They compete evenly with everyone, they’re a very dangerous and athletic team. It’s extremely important to stop their transition game and physicality. As I mentioned, when we played them earlier, they had a lot of injured players. Nando De Colo (now of Fenerbahce) was out, Thomas Heurtel wasn’t there. Now they’ve added depth in the frontcourt, the guards are back, they have a full roster and are truly competitive."
Dustin Sleva, Zalgiris forward
"I remember in the first game, defensively we were very solid. If we're solid defensively, the offense will come. I think it's important to get stops, play fast after stops, and set up our offense. They have a bunch of good players. They're a team towards the bottom of the rankings, but they play hard. They're not a team that gives up. They're coming in with nothing to lose."
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (20:15 CET)
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos head coach
"Baskonia is a dangerous team. Also yesterday in the ACB League, they scored 130 points in the game against Manresa. So we need to make a good defense, especially in [Trent] Forrest and [Timothe] Luwawu-Cabarrot, they are very active. They are very aggressive in offense, and also we play home court game. We need fast break points, we need to play an aggressive game. So we are ready to fight and of course we need the support all of our fans, to give us the home court advantage and we will fight to win the game."
Cedi Osman, Panathinaikos forward
"They are playing well offensively right now, they are a good team. Obviously, defense will be the key to getting the win. We need to be consistent for 40 minutes. It’s always good to return to our home court. They are a team that never gives up. The important thing is to stay calm and stick to the game plan."
FC Bayern Munich vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (20:30 CET)
Svetislav Pesic, Bayern head coach
"We’re heading into another intense week with many big games. The good thing is that we’re staying at home, which helps us recover better. But Partizan are always a dangerous opponent, and lately they’ve been playing significantly better away than at home. In terms of personnel, we still have injured players and won’t know until game day who can go."
Justinian Jessup, Bayern guard
"It’s great for us that we’re playing twice at home at SAP Garden in front of our fans this wee. We can feel the momentum on our side right now, and our home crowd has had a big part in that lately. These two games are a big opportunity to build even more confidence as a team and hopefully improve our position in the standings."
Joan Penarroya, Partizan head coach
"We’re facing another tough week, with two road games ahead of us. Bayern has been playing very well over the past two or three weeks, especially at home, where they’re a very dangerous team. They have several strong three-point shooters, which makes the preparation even more challenging. Obst and Jessup have been in excellent form over the past month, particularly in the final quarters, where they’ve been knocking down a lot of open shots. Bayern is a team that’s improving in different situations, and under their new coach they’re playing much more aggressively. It’s going to be a very difficult game for us, and we’ll need to compete at a higher level than we did in our previous games in Germany."
Isaac Bonga, Partizan forward
"We need to keep improving and getting better from game to game. Even though we’re not in the best position in the standings right now, we have to stay together as a team, push for the best possible results, and keep looking ahead. "
Valencia Basket vs. Paris Basketball (20:30 CET)
Josep Puerto, Valencia guard
"Paris is a team that has a very similar style to ours, so the difference will be more in the details, in energy, in the basics. We have to focus on that and concentrate on what I've said. Given that both teams have very similar styles, the key will be in the basics, in the intensity, in the details of what we do, in seeing which team is better at those things. And I think that's what's going to make the difference. The EuroLeague is unforgiving, and coming home, having the support of our fans again, will surely give us extra energy and help us a lot. You can't be influenced by the fact that two weeks ago it looked like we were going to finish first in the EuroLeague, or by the defeats now. You have to be balanced. In the end, the team continues to work the same way, with the same mentality, and that's how the EuroLeague is. Sometimes you have good weeks, sometimes you have bad weeks, but of course, since so many games are played in such a short time, sometimes that distorts your perspective a little. In the end, we have to stay normal and keep working."
FC Barcelona vs. Dubai Basketball (20:30 CET)
Xavi Pascual, Barcelona head coach
"Their roster is made up of 17 top-level players, and they’ll choose 12 from that group. They’ve added [Bruno] Caboclo recently as well—so Caboclo, [Mfiondu] Kabengele, [Filip] Petrusev, [Dwayne] Bacon, [Dzanan] Musa, [Davis] Bertans, [McKinley] Wright… the list just goes on. The roster is spectacular, and they’ve shown they can beat anyone, like they did against Fenerbahçe in one of the few rounds of the EuroLeague. So we know we have to play at a very high level to win. Their physicality is a big challenge, especially with Will [Clyburn] out—at some positions they’re extremely physical compared to us. We have to make up for that with intensity, by staying connected as a team, by being very aggressive, and by getting back that confidence we had at certain points earlier in the season."
Tomas Satoransky, Barcelona guard
"It’s going to be a physical battle. I think they have players with a lot of individual talent, so we’ll need to be very solid defensively in one-on-one situations. They have a lot of talent—players like Bacon, Musa, Kabengele—guys who can do many things. So for us, it’s important to play a strong defensive game. It’s true that in the last two games our offense wasn’t very good—we didn’t have a great flow, we were missing ball movement and good decision-making. But in the EuroLeague, defense is something you simply can’t be without if you want to win games."
Jurica Golemac, Dubai head coach
"Barcelona is a tough opponent. Every road game is tough. They are a very experienced team and know how to play. We have to be very physical with them. The most important thing is the basic stuff: defensive and offensive rebounds, trying to stop their easy baskets in transition, and the other way try to push the ball and get some confidence through easy baskets."
Justin Anderson, Dubai forward
"I only had 10 months here [at Barcelona], but it was maybe the best time of my life. Palau has been great. I've been watching the games, I've been keeping up with the team. I have some close friends on the team. I'm really excited to be back in front of these fans. These people are special to me. I had some special moments in front of them from the start, so I'm excited to get back out here."
Real Madrid vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (20:45 CET)
Sergio Scariolo, Real Madrid head coach
"Tomorrow we have an important game, one that we need to approach with great care. Milan is a much stronger opponent than their position in the standings suggests. You only have to look at their roster, with so many talented and experienced players. They are a very well-built team physically, with three-point shooting among the best in the competition. They already beat us in Milan and have been able to defeat almost all of the top teams in the league. We need to be able to rediscover the right emotional balance after two big wins and, in general, during a very positive moment for us, without letting that lead to the risk of giving in to euphoria. We have to maintain humility, while obviously keeping our ambition, but always being aware that everything we are doing is the result of work and effort.
“The level of the opponents we face is so high that the moment you drop your energy or intensity even slightly, they immediately open up a big gap. We have to understand that we can’t always count on coming back from negative runs, even though we have shown that ability, which is a very positive sign for the team. The support we are receiving from our fans will also be very important. We feel not only an increase in attendance, but also in the enthusiasm and warmth they bring us. It’s important that we can count on that tomorrow. It’s something the team notices, benefits from, appreciates, and that really plays a significant role in maintaining such a high level of performance in home games."
Mario Hezonja, Real Madrid forward
"The team has taken several steps forward, but we can’t stop here and we want to keep building on this positive momentum to move up the standings. Our goal tomorrow against EA7 Emporio Armani is to maintain the level of play we’ve shown in recent games. Milan has good players with a lot of experience, but I believe the outcome of the game will depend more on what we do. If we’re able to impose our tempo from the start, control the boards, play solid defense, be efficient and make good decisions on offense, I think we’ll have a chance to earn another home win."
Peppe Poeta, Milan head coach
"We are aware to face a very hot team which is especially tough at home where Real Madrid is showing why they deserve to be considered a top-notch contender. They have talented players and depth at every position and are well coached by Sergio Scariolo, who is somebody I certainly admire. We know it is a tough game we will play with courage, pace and intensity."
