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Round 1: Pregame quotes and injury reports

Round 1: Pregame quotes and injury reports

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Euroleague.net Staff

Round 1: Pregame quotes and injury reports

Check out what the protagonists are saying ahead of Round 1 of the 2025-26 EuroCup season, and who might be missing in action.

Tuesday, September 30

Turk Telekom Ankara vs. ratiopharm Ulm (18:00 CEST)

Slask Wroclaw vs. Neptunas Klaipeda (19:00 CEST)

Veolia Towers Hamburg vs. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (19:30 CEST)

Benka Barloschky, Hamburg head coach

"For the game, I'm expecting my team to respond again. We've had two defeats recently. We're going through an important phase that can take us forward – and will take us forward if we put the defeats into perspective and take the right steps. Of course, we're facing a strong opponent in Jerusalem, who are clearly among the favorites to win the EuroCup. They have a lot of continuity in their team and, surprisingly, they've also managed to keep their MVP – I would have thought he would move to the EuroLeague. Every position is very strongly covered by two players. I'm very excited to see how we'll fare against this great opponent."

JP Tokoto, Hamburg forward

"I'm really looking forward to the start of the EuroCup, especially with this group. It will be a huge challenge; Jerusalem is a very good team. I saw their last games against Maccabi, and they looked really strong. It will be a tough test, but we won't shy away from it. Over the last two years, the team has gotten better and better. You can see that they are very well coached and play with a lot of discipline. And they also have players who can bring a high level of play to the court. We have to perform at our best, otherwise Jerusalem will punish every little mistake."

Zsombor Maronka, Hamburg forward

"I'm really excited that the EuroCup is starting again. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to play too many games last season, so it's all the more wonderful that I'm back now. I think it will be a very physical game. They have a lot of experienced players on their team. It will be important for us to find our energy very quickly and take them out of their comfort zone. If we can do that, we'll have a lot of fun."

Umana Reyer Venice vs. Aris Thessaloniki Betsson (20:00 CEST)

Neven Spahija, Reyer head coach

"We're happy that the season is finally starting officially. We're happy to be able to make our debut in front of our home crowd, which is always a great advantage for us. The team is well-prepared and focused; we've worked very well over the last few weeks. We are facing a talented team in Aris, even though they have seven new players. We have analyzed their preseason and we are convinced that their results don't reflect their real quality: they are a dangerous team, but we are ready. Our goal is to continue on the path we started in the preseason. We definitely need to be better and more consistent on defense, but we can continue to improve in all aspects of the game."

RJ Cole, Reyer guard

"To beat Aris, we'll have to communicate well, especially on defense. The most important thing will be getting defensive stops and taking pride and confidence from our defense to fuel our offense. I know a couple of their players, like Enoch, who played with me. They are a good team, and we'll have to do a great job to beat them. Our home crowd will help us, I'm sure of it!"

Bogdan Karaicic, Aris head coach

"After a long and hard preseason, we start our official obligations in Italy. Reyer Venezia is a very strong opponent, with high ambitions in this season’s BKT EuroCup. We faced injury problems in our preparation and we won’t have Arnoldas Kulboka in this game, but we are determined to give our soul in Venezia, to start the season in a positive way. To accomplish that, we have to be consistent, intense and have energy in the defensive part, so that we have a good offensive game."

Stelios Poulianitis, Aris guard

"It’s the first official game of the season and we are excited about it. We have to face a very good team, that strengthened its roster with quality players. From our side, we have to be focused and determined for 40 minutes and follow the coaching staff’s plan, to get the result we want. We know we will have our fans’ support and we want to give our 100% to satisfy them."

All of Reyer's players are available.

Wednesday, October 1

Lietkabelis Panevezys vs. Besiktas GAIN Istanbul (18:00 CEST)

U-BT Cluj-Napoca vs. Bahcesehir College Istanbul (18:00 CEST)

Mihai Silvasan, Cluj head coach

"We are looking forward to the official start of the season. We will face a very strong team, one of the favorites to win the EuroCup this year, but playing at home in front of our fans gives us confidence. We believe we have the quality to challenge them and fight for the win."

Patrick Richard, Cluj guard

"We are excited to begin a new EuroCup season, with the goal of improving every year. Starting at home against a strong Turkish team, we want to open with a victory in front of our fans. With many new players, we are ready to grow together week by week and build momentum."

Panionios Athens vs. NINERS Chemnitz (18:30 CEST)

Luka Pavicevic, Panionios Athens head coach

"After six weeks of meeting each other, the new team of Panionios BC is starting the 2025-2026 BKT EuroCup season against Chemnitz. This game brings excitement to us, as a team, on many different levels. Chemnitz is a team with established culture and it is a very difficult first opponent, but we are looking forward to accepting this challenge! Together with our fans, we are happy to compete in Europe again, in this competition and at this level."

Nikos Gkikas, Panionios Athens guard

"We are very pleased because an exciting season in the BKT EuroCup is about to begin. A very strong competition with quality, historic teams and intense rivalry! It is a challenge for all of us. This year, Panionios BC celebrates 50 years since its first participation in a European competition, returning after an absence of eight years. It is very important for us to take part in this new beginning. Niners Chemnitz are a very good team, with recent successes and a coach who has been working with them for a decade, instilling principles and philosophy. We respect them, and we look forward to seeing the arena filled with fans so that they can help us start the BKT EuroCup with a victory."

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs. BAXI Manresa (18:30 CEST)

Zvezdan Mitrovic, Cedevita Olimpija head coach

"One of the most attractive teams of last season’s Spanish league is coming to us. They are the fastest team in the league, executing the most fast breaks per game. Most of their plays are built out of transition, which is a big challenge for us. Their system requires players who enjoy playing fast basketball – and they have found them. We analyzed some of their preseason games, and they were outstanding in the Catalan Cup. For us, this will be a very demanding game, especially because of the high tempo that Manresa maintains for the full 40 minutes. Defensively, we will need to respond firmly, particularly on the center line, since they have several big men who like to run. They use all 12 players in their rotation. Our guys are working very well, but none of the newcomers have experience playing at the EuroCup level."

Aleksej Nikolic, Cedevita Olimpija guard

"This is a classic Spanish team that likes to play fast basketball and finish their possessions as quickly as possible. Defensively, they are very aggressive and try to force the opponent into as many mistakes and turnovers as possible, which they turn into their transition game. Our task will be to slow down the tempo and play smart. I’m excited about the new season. We have quite a few fresh faces who came to Ljubljana with the goal of taking their careers to a higher level, so they are eager to prove themselves. In practices, I can see they are very diligent, hardworking, and motivated to show themselves through good performances and results. Of course, they will need some time to adapt to coach Mitrović’s way of working, so we must take it game by game and prove ourselves each time with the right approach and energy. We can’t wait to step onto the court in front of our fans. On this occasion, I invite everyone to join us in Stožice. We need you, we need your energy, so that together we can achieve as many wins as possible."

Dolomiti Energia Trento vs. Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse (20:00 CEST)

Fabio Bongi, Trento assistant coach

"On Wednesday, we'll face Bourg, a physical and very aggressive team on both sides of the court. Their point guard, Darius McGhee, is a great leader and a high scorer, and they can count on big players such as Mokoka, Lindo, Gach, and Kokila. They also bring energy and players with great European experience off the bench. It will be a tough game for us, one that will teach us a lot: we need to gain experience and continue playing together to cement this group and become a solid and reliable team as quickly as possible."

DJ Steward, Trento guard

"We've finished the preseason and now we finally have the regular season ahead of us. I can't wait to play our first home game in front of our fans: I'm sure they'll give us a lot of energy! We'll be facing Bourg, a really strong team with great players, and I'm happy to be making our EuroCup debut this season. We're preparing well for Wednesday's game and we're ready to give it our all on the court, playing to the best of our ability to try and get our first win in front of our fans."

Frederic Fauthoux, Bourg head coach

“Trento is a completely rebuilt team with pace and a lot of speed in their game, they can be very dangerous. It's up to us to stay in control and master the pace of the game while remaining focused on the main thing: winning this game.”

Darius McGhee, Bourg guard

“We are excited about this game! There has been a ton of focus on how we can get better collectively and we are very motivated!"