After coming close to upsetting Barcelona on the road last week, Zvezda (2-5) comes home looking to overcome a Fenerbahce team (5-2) that also seeks a return to winning ways after losing a thriller against Partizan in Round 7.
Dimitris Itoudis, Fenerbahce: 'It is going to be a tough game on the road'
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3 mins read
Regular Season
Round 8 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Zvezda lost in Barcelona despite a 44-27 rebounding advantage thanks to a magnificent performance from Luka Mitrovic (22 points, 6 offensive rebounds). The Turkish team will attempt to nullify Zvezda's ability to sniff out offensive rebounds through the power of Georgios Papagiannis, who will expect to improve his season average of 3.1 boards per game. In the backcourt, fans can hope for a feast of creative passing from two of the best to have ever graced European basketball, as in-form Milos Teodosic (5.7 apg.) goes up against all-time assists leader Nick Calathes (3.2 apg), who will travel but missed his team's last game and is a question mark for Wednesday.
Ioannis Sfairopoulos, Zvezda head coach
"Fenerbahce is a team that was made to go to the Final Four. After a few games together, we have to play more in the system and play good defense. They have players who can 'kill' you if you don't defend them well. As for the offense, we have to play together and find the best solutions. We have to read situations and take what is given to us."
Dimitris Itoudis, Fenerbahce head coach
"It is going to be a tough game on the road. They are a very talented team. Offensively they have great experience with creative guards and athletic bigs. It will be a tough road game for us."
Dejan Davidovac, Zvezda forward
"We expect a tough game. Fenerbahce is covered in every position, they have a strong roster and they have big ambitions like every year. They have good individuals, and first of all, we have to stop them. They play fast with a lot of toughness, which we also need to pay attention to."
Sehmus Hazer, Fenerbahce player
"We will play two consecutive away games in the EuroLeague and we are aware of the importance of away wins in this competition. We are short-handed, but I believe we showed a good fight and character as a team in the Partizan game. We will try to win against Zvezda by extending this game to 40 minutes."