After a lackluster performance in Wednesday's home loss to Milan, Monaco (19-11) will look to restore its top-four challenge against a Valencia (14-16) team boosted by a huge win over Bayern the same night.
Sasa Obradovic, Monaco: 'All our minds are focused on winning'
We can expect a low-scoring encounter between two teams who have held their opponents to an average of less than 80 points, and that was the case in Round 1 when Valencia earned a 70-65 victory behind 19 points and 7 rebounds from Semi Ojeleye. The Spanish team enjoyed a strong performance from big man Damien Inglis against Bayern, with 15 points and 6 rebounds, and Monaco's enforcers John Brown, Donatas Motiejunas and Donta Hall will look to provide physical superiority after being dominated by Milan on Wednesday.
Sasa Obradovic, Monaco head coach
"Getting our energy back, getting our act together, reacting as a team... We have a group that wants to rise to this challenge. All our minds are focused on winning this game against Valencia. These are more difficult times than others, and it's all about pulling together."
Alex Mumbru, Valencia head coach
"It will be a complicated road game, we are aware of that. On top of that, they will be paying attention because they come from a loss and they will want to get back on the winning track. They didn't have a great me but, to me, they are the hottest team in the league at the moment with Fenerbahce, they are playing good basketball. There's a lot at stake for us in each game now, and let's see how we get there and how we recover. We'll see what 12 players we have in order to face the game with maximum ambition."
Jordan Loyd, Monaco player
"We want to stay as highly ranked as possible so that we have home advantage in the play-offs. The standings are so tight that nothing's certain and we're not guaranteed to make the play-offs. We have to stick together and come back stronger. Anyone can beat anyone in the Euroleague. Valencia's visit is a crucial moment for us. We're going to do everything we can to bounce back and negotiate this game as well as possible with the help of our fans."