After the emotional high of Tuesday's stunning overtime win over Milan, Bayern (6-6) will take the feelgood factor of a three-game winning streak to face an Olympiacos (6-6) desperate to bounce back from consecutive defeats.
Pablo Laso, Bayern: 'They have a winning mentality as a club'
Seasons
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 13 of 34
Group Regular Season
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It's a meeting between two of the seven teams heading into Round 13 tied for seventh place, and a key figure will surely be Serge Ibaka, who hit 20 points against Milan, including an incredible buzzer-beating triple to force overtime. Bayern, which has never won in Piraeus, will also look for Carsen Edwards to continue his scoring streak after draining 32 points on Tuesday. Olympiacos needs more backcourt support for Thomas Walkup, the only player to score more than 10 points (17) in Tuesday's loss to Real.
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos head coach
"They are coming from three consecutive wins in the EuroLeague. They are in good shaps and of course they have the same record as us in the EuroLeague, 6-6. They are in the group of teams that have good chances to make it to the playoffs. Bayern has a very good coach, a remarkable roster with experience and basically a body of players who have been playing together for several years. They are solid and at the moment our game is particularly difficult. That’s how we have to evaluate it and that’s how we have to play. In other words, our players must be aware that there is nothing easy in the EuroLeague, but even more so in this game."
Pablo Laso, Bayern head coach
"Surely, we're facing a very tough game in Piraeus first, as Olympiacos is one of the best teams in Europe. They made it to the final last season and have a winning mentality as a club. They've lost two very important players but have replaced them with quality and play consistently under Coach Bartzokas. We're facing a challenging weekend overall, with the cup game on Sunday in Bonn. Some of our players are gradually returning, and we'll see how we, as a group, manage to create the best conditions for both games."
Nikola Milutinov, Olympiacos player
"We expect a difficult and good opponent. They have a lot of quality players who can score, so we will have to play hard from the start in defense to win the game. Personally, I am a little off the pace because of my injury. That’s why I have to work hard in order to get back in shape. Better days are ahead for me. I am positive and confident."
Carsen Edwards, Bayern player
"Olympiacos is evidently a great team, so we need to try to stand firm and play hard. We're also expecting a fantastic atmosphere, and we're looking forward to it."