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Pregame quotes, Round 5: 'We need to put two good halves together'

Pregame quotes, Round 5: 'We need to put two good halves together'

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Euroleague.net Staff

Pregame quotes, Round 5: 'We need to put two good halves together'

Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 5 of the 2025-26 EuroLeague season

Thursday, October 16

Dubai Basketball vs. FC Barcelona (18:00 CEST)

Zalgiris Kaunas vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (19:00 CEST)

Ettore Messina, Milan head coach

"We face a Zalgiris team that has been doing very well so far in the competition and on a basketball arena where the home crowd is playing a role. We are coming off a game plagued by very low shooting percentages that eventually doomed our chances. The defensive effort was there, and we need to restart from here. It will be crucial to move the ball better. We are also waiting to know what Lorenzo Brown’s condition will be, since he came out of the Munich game with some problems."

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. FC Bayern Munich (19:45 CEST)

Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce head coach

"Bayern is a very physical team that puts a lot of pressure on our players. We need to match that; we need to play in our spots. Basically, we need to fight more, try to take more ball pressure on the other team, more offensive rebounds, and show reaction after a bad performance."

Devon Hall, Fenerbahce guard

"I mean obviously we want to come out and play well. We lost a tough one last night, so we will prepare well and come out to play much better."

Gordie Herbert, Bayern head coach

"The fact that Fener lost on Tuesday is certainly not good for us. It's still early in the season for many teams that had players at the European Championships. Sometimes it takes many weeks. But they are the EuroLeague champions and will be motivated. Just like us after our great team performance against Milan."

Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv vs. Olympiacos Piraeus (21:00 CEST)

Oded Kattash, Maccabi head coach

"Olympiacos is another high-level team, well-coached, they got their system. A lot of players that play together for a long time, so they know what they do. We have to come ready, especially after the tough loss that we had [on Tuesday]. We have to match their aggressiveness and their size. I mean, we have to cover it with a lot of concentration and aggressiveness. Also, Olympiacos, we know it’s a second game on a double-week, they're coming after a loss, so it's going to be a battle."

TJ Leaf, Maccabi forward

"We just need more energy, more fight. It kind of got away from us early [against Barcelona]. We know that can't happen again. We just have to come with more urgency, more sense of urgency on both ends of the court. At the end of the day, we just got to fight. X's and O's aside, we just got to have more pride out there. So that's really all there is to it. Obviously, they have a lot of talent. I mean, one of the best players in the EuroLeague. I think it all comes down to, like I said, forget the X's and O's for a minute. And we just have to play with pride, play with heart, play with a lot of fight. And if we do that, I think we'll be fine."

Jimmy Clark, Maccabi guard

"Just building team chemistry, camaraderie, and just playing hard together. That's the only thing I think we need to focus on, just come with some enthusiasm, heart, and integrity for the next game. So as long as we do that, I feel like we'll get the outcome we want. I feel like if we play together, nobody can stop us. Just play together, play hard, and just go out there and leave it all on the court. So I feel like if we can do that for the club, for the team, for each other, will be great."

Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos head coach

"There’s some fatigue from the consecutive games, but that’s the case for every team. The game against Maccabi won’t be easy, because as you know, the conditions in Belgrade are always a bit special, playing without fans. We hope to be more consistent than we were yesterday, for longer stretches of the game."

Tyler Dorsey, Olympiacos guard

"We need to put two good halves together. My teammates and I have to play consistently throughout the whole game. We start well, but in the second half we can’t sustain it. We have to watch the film, see what needs to be corrected for the game against Maccabi, and finish games better. I also need to be better in the next one."

Friday, October 17

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Real Madrid (19:00 CEST)

Sasa Obradovic, Crvena Zvezda head coach

"Coach Scariolo is known as someone who can change defenses and we need to get ready for the zone defense – we saw that against Partizan. Especially since we have a shortened rotation, we need to take care of focus and energy. The first idea is not to start the game badly. We had some games where Real won all the first quarters, they start strong, they have a distinctive style, with fives playing a different type of game. We have to talk about not allow easy points and rebounds in the attack. Real is definitely a Final Four team, they are organized as a team, they have three or four top players and they can be constant throughout the season."

Nikola Kalinic, Crvena Zvezda forward

"We expect a difficult game, they play hard, quite physically demanding... We want to transfer the energy from the last game, to be in rhythm. More or less, these are the things that have been true for Real for the last 15 years. Lots of pick and rolls with Tavares, extremely awkward. Hezonja is playing great, all the guys who came are shooting great, they allow Tavares and the other to play from the paint."

Sergio Scariolo, Real Madrid head coach

"Red Star's court is one of the most difficult places to play because of the pressure from the crowd. What's more, our opponents are in great form, having won two very good games at Fenerbahce and against the current league leaders, Zalgiris, playing very well, with a lot of solidity, a lot of toughness, and a lot of prominence from their most talented and experienced players. We know it will be a very demanding game. Above all, we have to prepare ourselves mentally on an individual level because, little by little, we are seeing improvements at the collective level, but we have to be able to stay focused throughout the game. There may be a bad moment, a couple of bad moments, but we have to limit their duration and the damage they do to us at those moments."

Walter Tavares, Real Madrid center

"We expect a very difficult atmosphere in Belgrade, but we have to step up and try to win our first road game, which is the most difficult thing to do. To achieve this, we have to play a complete game, a serious game from start to finish. Our minds are set on doing our best because it will be a dangerous game. Red Star will play with new energy as the players will want to show their new coach that they deserve to be on the court. Everyone will want to play their best game, and we have to be very focused and play hard against a team that likes to run, a very dynamic opponent with players who are open to shooting and who, playing at home, may be more accurate than usual."

AS Monaco vs. Valencia Basket (19:30 CEST)

Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (19:30 CEST)

Igor Kokoskov, Efes head coach

"We are facing a team that we played against last year in the playoffs. They kept the core of the team. They are a Final Four team with a lot of talent and with a great coach. We really have to focus on ourselves. We're gonna stick with what we are doing this year offensively and defensively. Mr. Ataman is coming home. We will give him a warm welcome for being back at home. It’s going to be a challenging and a tough game for us. We’re gonna be ready."

Rolands Smits, Efes forward

"Panatinaikos is a very experienced and a physical team. They have a lot of talented players. It will be a physical game. We need to stop their leaders and play as a team both in offense and defense."

Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos head coach

"There is no easy game in the EuroLeague. More than the opponent, it is important how our team will play. We have the ability, we have the power, so we can play with anybody. Of course, with all the respect to Efes, they've put together a good roster. They got a very important victory here in Athens against Olympiacos. Now we will go there to try to win this game. We hope that we will improve every game because there are new players who need to adapt to play with each other. We haven't had a chance to have many practices, but I hope everybody will understand the strategy of the game better."

Jerian Grant, Panathinaikos guard

"We know we're going up against the team we played in the playoffs last year. A really tough team that has got better, so we'll be ready. We'll need to keep our poise. Playing on the road is always difficult, they've got great fans, so we've just got to keep our poise and play under pressure. [The win against ASVEL] was a game we needed. We lost our last EuroLeague game on our home court so we don't want to lose any more there.

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Virtus Bologna (20:00 CEST)

Dusko Ivanovic, Virtus head coach

"After a physical and intense game like the one against Monaco, we will have to reproduce the same quality and intensity in defense and the same energy in attack, given that we are going to play against one of the best teams in the EuroLeague in terms of physicality. ASVEL is a very physical team that runs very well. Furthermore, especially at home, it is one of those teams that manages to perform at its best, thanks to its energy and ability to control the game."

Alen Smailagic, Virtus forward

"Tomorrow we have a big game against ASVEL. They just lost to Panathinaikos away from home. What is certain is that they are strong: they play well and we will have to run to keep up with them. Their transition game is a strong point, as is their three-point shooting. We will need to be good at containing them, especially because we know who to keep an eye on. For our part, we know we'll have to fight to bring it home."

Paris Basketball vs. Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv (20:45 CEST)

Dimitris Itoudis, Hapoel head coach

"Paris is a high-paced team. They play with great tempo and put a lot of pressure on the ball. For 40 minutes, they crash the boards hard. Overall, they’re a good and athletic team. We’re in a good place right now. We’re trying to build the bond and chemistry needed to sustain us throughout the season."

Collin Malcolm, Hapoel forward

"We’re happy with the previous win against Valencia. Now we’re going up against a similar team – my former team, Paris Basketball – and we’re expecting another high-intensity, up-and-down game. We’re getting prepared, and we’ll be ready to go tomorrow."

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (20:45 CEST)

Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan head coach

"We first responded with a meeting at the hotel, where we watched the footage from the Real Madrid game and talked about the lack of aggressiveness we showed, especially in the first half. When it comes to Baskonia, it’s important to note that they’re a team that loves to play in transition and they score a lot, but they also allow a lot of points. Almost everyone on their roster can shoot for three points, and they’re very strong on the boards. For tomorrow, the key will be to have the right mindset and for the players to understand that our aggressiveness has to be at the highest level, while also being smarter on offense."

Vanja Marinkovic, Partizan guard

"We have to show a much better performance than the one in Madrid, especially in the first half. We need to play smarter, with more control and a clear plan. We must be aware of the situation on the court and know how to recognize and take advantage of the opportunities that come our way."