Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 28 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.
Pregame quotes hub: 'Victory would be a big step forward'
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9 Mins read
Friday, March 7, 2025
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna (18:30 CET)
Luca Banchi, Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach
"The game against Virtus Segafredo Bologna will represent a tough obstacle for us because of their qualities. They will be in Istanbul in their best version after they recover two very important players like Tornike Shengelia and Ante Zizic, how they proved in a last important home win against the EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in the Italian League. We are preparing seriously for a game which hides many dangers. And that's why I really hope that we are capable to approach with proper consistency and aggressiveness."
Derek Willis, Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward
"Virtus Segafredo Bologna game will be a great challenge for us. As a team we will need to focus on defending them in transition and work for the best opportunities on offense. They will be prepared to fight and we must bring the right attitude if we intend to win and want to make play-in."
Dusko Ivanovic, Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach
"I hope that tomorrow's match can help us improve and give minutes to those players who normally do not play as much. However, as in every game, our target always remains to try to win."
Ante Zizic, Virtus Segafredo Bologna center
"We will approach the match knowing that we will be facing a talented team that wants to play for the postseason until the end. We will have to play our basketball, trying to improve, regardless of the opponent."
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (20:00 CET)
Oded Kattash, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv head coach
"It's going to be another tough game in the EuroLeague. We're playing against a good team that plays with a clear system. They have their way to play with two dominant scorers. We need to control them, we need to box out, and put special attention as a team on [Nando] De Colo and [Theo] Maledon."
Will Rayman, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv forward
"I kind of said this a couple of weeks ago, but every game is going to have its own identity. They're aggressive, they're having a better season this year than last year, and they have some really good players. We're going to prepare the same way we've prepared for all the other games: we're going to play super hard, be aggressive, and we're obviously going for the win."
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (20:15 CET)
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach
"Partizan is a very good team. They are first in steals in the EuroLeague. They put a lot of their hands on the ball and they protect their rim. In general, they play aggressive defense. So, we must do right everything that we did wrong in the last five minutes of the game in the first round. Of course, in that game, we missed Sasha Vezenkov and Evan Fournier was present, but he was sick. It was a special situation. We must play up-tempo, pass the ball more and execute better. Over all, we must play really well against an opponent who fights to make it to the playoffs."
Kostas Papanikolaou, Olympiacos Piraeus forward
"Partizan puts a lot of pressure on their opponents. They like to take you out of your comfort zone. That’s why we must have clear minds in order to make the right decisions. Of course, we must play hard on defense. That will be the key."
Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade head coach
"Olympiacos is a team in exceptional form, currently dominating the EuroLeague. They sit at the top of the standings and have a fantastic roster, but what makes them truly strong is their ability to play as a cohesive unit. They move the ball well, execute different defensive schemes, and always know exactly what they’re doing on the court. We have to fight and give everything we’ve got. It’s going to be a tough and demanding game, but we’re going in with the desire to play at our best."
Aleksej Pokusevski, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade forward
"This is a very important game for us, just like every game ahead. They're a strong team with plenty of offensive options. We need to come in with high energy, execute what we've been working on in the past few days, and do our best to win. Every game matters, but against a team like this, a victory would be a big step forward and a major mental boost for us."
ALBA Berlin vs. FC Barcelona (20:30 CET)
Chimezie Metu, FC Barcelona center
"It is a very important game. The standings are very close, one win could possibly move us up two or three places, so I think it's very important. And they are a good team, but they are last place in the league, so I think it is a game that we can't afford to lose at all. I think we have a good chance to make the playoffs still without having to go to the play-in. I think the last 6-7 games, all of them are favorable for us to win. We just have to go in and be focused. And I think the way the season has gone as far as injuries and everything, I think it's coming to a time where our luck is bound to change at some point. We are going to start getting guys back soon, and I think if you look at the entire season, when we have had our whole team, I think we have been very tough to beat. Like I just said, there are still chances for us to make the playoffs and I think we have kind of bounced back from a bad start. We just have to lock in for these last few weeks and win as many games as possible."
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Paris Basketball vs. AS Monaco
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Thursday, March 6, 2025
FC Bayern Munich vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (20:30 CET)
Gordon Herbert, FC Bayern Munich head coach
"Crvena Zvezda plays very aggressively and physically, and they are also overall very tall. We have to match their physicality and intensity appropriately and take good care of the ball offensively. We have to cope with the fact that we are not at full strength, and we have already managed that very well when Lucic and Giffey were out for a long time."
Vladimir Lucic, FC Bayern Munich forward
"They have a very deep roster with a lot of experience, as well as players and a coach who have already won at the highest level. This year, they are particularly motivated to make it back to the playoffs after some time. They are having a pretty good season and have already won the Serbian Cup. They will have strong support from their fans again in Munich, and I am looking forward to the atmosphere."
Ioannis Sfairopoulos, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade head coach
"We are playing against a very good team, which is offensively oriented with players who score points easily. We have to be focused and ready to play defense. If they find any opportunity, they can destroy any team. They have only two losses this season at home. We have to fight and play good defense, which we need, as well as play smart in attack. This is a very important game for us and we have to be ready for a tough fight."
Ognjen Dobric, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade forward
"The ambitions are always the highest, to play for the win and to play a good game. We had a good match against them in the first part of the season, it wasn't easy, we won, nothing is easy in the Euroleague. I expect a tough and demanding game there. I hope we will be focused for the whole 40 minutes to do the job as best we can and try to get the win."
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (20:30 CET)
Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan head coach
"We are facing a team of the highest level and enormous depth. We will have to attack the physicality that they bring at the defensive end of the floor by moving the ball quickly and executing the correct spacing, as well as being ready when it will be necessary to make some adjustments. Defensively, we know their potential, so we are aware that we will need to show great sacrifice and focus."
Fabien Causeur, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan guard
"For us, being consistent will be the most important aspect of a tough game against the second-placed team in the EuroLeague, team which is coming off a big road win in Paris. We need to avoid the ups and downs that sometimes are an issue for us, and stay solid for 40 minutes in general, but especially on defense and rebounding."
Stefano Tonut, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan guard
"The goal is to repeat last week's game with Monaco against a very strong and motivated opponent like Fenerbahce, with its talented players such as Wade Baldwin and Marko Guduric at my position. Now, given the standings, every game is a Game 5, and must be interpreted as such, especially playing at home in front of the crowd who will be our sixth man."
Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach
"Milan is playing very good basketball since they went to the small lineup. It is extremely difficult to guard them, extremely difficult to play against five players who can open up, and can shoot three-pointers. I think this is probably one of the biggest keys to guard the three-point line, especially with four, five great shooters that they have. But probably the game will be decided with the easy points, fast break points and rebounding, fouls after bonus. There is a huge job in front of us."
Marko Guduric, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul guard
"It’s a second game of the double-week for us. It is obviously a very important game. We want to win, especially because they beat us badly in Istanbul. So, we just have to try to get prepared as best as we can. For this game, defense will be the key to get the win."
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (20:30 CET)
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Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. Real Madrid (20:45 CET)
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens head coach
"Real Madrid has one of the best rosters in the EuroLeague. And even though it is not in the best position in the standings, it is one of the candidates for the EuroLeague title. Always, in the big games they play different than in other games. So, it will be a tough game for us, it is very important to protect our home court and not to lose this game at home. Real Madrid has many high-potential players, Campazzo, Hezonja, Musa, Tavares…it will be a tough game. These players, with such career, with such potential, here against 20,000 people against a team which beat them in the final last season, they will give their best. We also have a very good roster. We won our last nine games [in all competitions], and we have to be ready to fight. This is not an exhibition game. Throughout the history, Panathinaikos and Real Madrid was always a big game, and this is also a big game that we need to win."
Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach
"We will have to play a good game to win in Athens. It has been a long time since we played against them earlier this season. At some point in that game we managed to lead by 22 points and ended up winning by 4, but what matters the most in this season's momentum and how we feel right here, right now. Panathinaikos is ahead of us in the standings but they know we also dangerous and know how to play against them. I wish we play a good game in Athens, in a difficult court [OAKA Altion] in which only two teams won so far in this EuroLeague season. We know we have to do things well in there if we want to have the chance to get the win."
Walter Tavares, Real Madrid center
"We face the game with a lot of motivation, knowing that this month is key for us. Panathinaikos is going to be a very demanding opponent, playing against them is always difficult and for that reason, we need to play together in each play, in every season. It is obvious that in order to win at OAKA, we must really stay together as a team. Defense is our strongest point, an aspect of the game that gives us confidence on offense. Above all, we have to think that each game is like a final and play with a lot of ambition, a lot of energy and without relaxing for even a second."