Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 9 of the 2025-26 EuroLeague season
Pregame quotes, Round 9: 'I'm taking our guys over everyone'
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8 Mins read
Wednesday, November 5
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (20:00 CET)
Sasa Obradovic, Crvena Zvezda head coach
"We have plenty of space for training, and we’re still in the process of getting the team back into shape. The preparations are currently underway, and the main focus is the EuroLeague. The upcoming period will definitely be used to give some players a bit of rest, and in the middle of all that, we also have to integrate a new player. That can’t be done perfectly right away — no matter how smart of a player he (Jared Butler) is, he still needs time to connect with the team. You can’t fix that in one practice, especially when your mind is already on the next opponent. The good thing is that we have a group that’s helping him with information and making him feel welcome. We’ve analyzed the loss in Subotica a bit, but those last five minutes — that can happen sometimes, and I have no complaints. There’s nothing in particular that needs to be discussed. We have a game against Panathinaikos coming up, and that one is very important. Nwora is day-to-day, he hasn’t practiced with the team. It’s always an open question — when a player isn’t training, the chances of him playing are small. The others took some hard knocks, but they’ve recovered now and are ready for the game."
Nikola Kalinic, Crvena Zvezda forward
"It's a nice opportunity to match that record (Crvena Zvezda, currently on a six-game winning streak, last had a seven-game winning streak back in the 2015–2016 season), but to be honest, I didn’t even know about it. I think that’s something for journalists and statisticians to keep track of — we just want to keep playing good basketball in the EuroLeague. We lost two days ago in Subotica and want to make up for that impression. I think it’s going to be a great atmosphere, a great game, and we’re going for the win."
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos head coach
"Red Star is a very good team, and in fact, currently in excellent form. In particular, since the arrival of Coach Obradović, they have been playing exceptionally well and have secured important victories that have brought them to the top of the standings. As for us, we are facing several issues in the center position. In any case, we will fight for the win on a difficult court."
Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos guard
"We've got enough players. Five at a time. We're fully confident in the players we have, so we're going to try to get the job done for sure. We're confident. It'll be a tough game, but we're ready for it. It'll be tough (with three centers out injured), but we've got to figure it out. It's a 40-minute game and we'll figure out a way to win. Hopefully we come out with a victory. They're a fast-tempo team, we're familiar with the players, and we prepared all week for it so we're going there to get the victory. I like our guys. I'm taking our guys over everyone."
Thursday, November 6
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (18:45 CET)
Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce head coach
"We need to have a better performance against ASVEL than what we've been doing. More importantly, after losses, we need to get back on the winning track. ASVEL is a very athletic team, one of the best rebounding teams in the competition, it has very good size. So, it will be important to have ball movements against their size and, in general, individual and team improvement."
Armando Bacot, Fenerbahce center
"It is a super-important game, a must-win game, playing in front of our fans. So, it'll be good to just be back here and be able to play in front of the fans."
Dubai Basketball vs. Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv (19:00 CET)
Dimitris Itoudis, Hapoel head coach
"We’re facing a new team with experienced players in each position. Dubai is also in the process of building a very strong team and a cohesive unit. We need to bounce back from our last game against Olympiacos, regain our rhythm, and rediscover our offensive flow. At the same time, we must stay solid defensively, as they have multiple ways to score - both in transition and in set plays. They have some exceptional scorers, and it’s clear from their continued signings that their expectations are high and their ambition is to strengthen even further. Overall, it’s going to be a very difficult task - but we’re ready to embrace this new challenge as a team."
Collin Malcolm, Hapoel forward
"Dubai is a very serious team that has a lot of talent. Like Hapoel, they have something to prove being the first year in the league, so I expect a 40-minute battle. Obviously for us it’s important that we get back on the winning track after a tough loss. The great thing about EuroLeague is that it moves so fast you don’t have any time to dwell on the past, you must get ready for the next one."
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. Virtus Bologna (20:30 CET)
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Paris Basketball vs. FC Bayern Munich (21:00 CET)
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Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv vs. AS Monaco (21:00 CET)
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Friday, November 7
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (18:30 CET)
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Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Valencia Basket (19:00 CET)
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Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (20:15 CET)
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FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid (20:30 CET)
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