Two teams desperate for a return to winning ways meet in Munich as Bayern (13-18) takes on Barcelona (20-11).
Pablo Laso, Bayern: 'We need our best performance'
Seasons
3 Mins read
A pair of road defeats last week means Barca risks dropping out of the top four with another setback, while Bayern also lost twice in the double-round week to complicate its top 10 chances. Two veteran Spanish stars will attempt to dominate in different ways, with Bayern hoping to control the paint through Serge Ibaka while the visitor looks for orchestration from Ricky Rubio. Barca cruised to victory, 98-59, when the teams met in October behind 15 points from Jabari Parker. Bayern needs to rediscover its offensive identity this week after averaging just 68.8 points in the last three games.
Pablo Laso, Bayern head coach
"Barcelona is undoubtedly one of the best European teams overall, with great players. And with the addition of Ricky Rubio, they have now acquired another creative force. It will certainly be very tough, especially since they are still fighting for the best possible placement themselves. In the first leg, they completely dominated us. So, we need our best performance if we want a chance at victory and also to secure a spot in the play-ins."
Roger Grimau, Barcelona head coach
"Important game. In this final stretch we will probably be saying the same all the time. Tough game on the road. Bayern always plays better at home. We want to play a good game. Bayern is more confident at home and as in all EuroLeague games, you have to give it all to have chances to win. The league is tough and tight. We are focused on this next game: or goal is having a good game in Munich."
Leandro Bolmaro, Bayern player
"It’s a special game for me, I still have friends there. From the current team, I've played alongside Abrines, the rest are new faces. But there are still many acquaintances around the club; the current coach, Roger Grimau, was an assistant coach of the second team back then. It's a special game for me because that's where everything started for me. It feels like home, and my sister has been living and working there for two months now. I love the city and usually spend every summer there to train. Many of my Argentine friends live in Barcelona."
Oscar da Silva, Barcelona player
"A difficult game I think, because both teams play for a good place in the standings. That makes Bayern a dangerous team, especially playing at home. THey need three wins to make the play-in, that's why I expect a tough game. We lack a bit of concistency. When we play well, nobody can stop us, but when we lose focus, we can lose to anybody. We have to fix that right now, because we're at that time when a loss can mean you are out."