A high-powered matchup awaits at Palau Blaugrana as third-placed Barca (13-6) welcomes fast-rising Olympiacos (11-8).
Roger Grimau, Barcelona: 'We will have to play very well if we have a chance to win'
Seasons
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 20 of 34
Regular Season
FC BarcelonaBAR
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Olympiacos PiraeusOLY
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Jan Vesely was simply unstoppable in Barca's big wins against Real Madrid and Baskonia last week, netting 27 and 23 points, respectively, and his battle with Reds center Moustapha Fall could be pivotal. Olympiacos will be full of confidence after winning four straight games, and it will look to manage the tempo of the game through the all-round leadership skills of Thomas Walkup, who threatened a triple-double with 9 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds in last week's win over Monaco.
Roger Grimau, Barcelona head coach
"There has been something different this last week. We were a bit better, especially against Real. I hope we are gaining an ascending trajectory for good. There are many games ahead, and I hope this change puts us in the right dynamics. Olympiacos is a very complete team, they play great basketball and they pass the ball really well. They have two bigs who can seal the paint and pull the offensive boards. Shooting power forwards... They are also in great shape and, as expected, it will be another EuroLeague game in which we will have to play very well if we have a chance to win."
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos head coach
"Barcelona is a team with big potentials. They play with many line ups, they use Kalinic on 'two', they switch on defense. They have a way to play on offense and defense, but we have set our plan. It is a tough mission, as difficult is every Euroleague game, especially on the road. We believe that we are in better shape than we were on first round, we play better on offense and defense, we have more players and for sure we are healthier."
Joel Parra, Barcelona player
"Olympiacos is a physical team that will make it hard for us. In Piraeus we played really well, but we expect a tough, complicated game that we want to win because we want to stay in this path. They have great inside players but also a great backcourt with names like Walkup or Canaan. We have to match their physicality and surpass that."
Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos player
"Surely it’s about them, it’s about us. We have set a good rhythm right now, we play much better, we are healthy. We got some straight wins in our home court and we want to continue that on the road. Palau Blaugrana is a great gym. Is one of my favorite, cause it’s small and the fans are right on the top."