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Round 7: Pregame quotes and injury reports

Round 7: Pregame quotes and injury reports

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7 Minute de lecture

Euroleague.net Staff

Round 7: Pregame quotes and injury reports

Check out what the protagonists are saying ahead of Round 7 of the 2025-26 EuroCup season, and who might be missing in action.

Wednesday, November 12

Besiktas GAIN Istanbul vs. Dolomiti Energia Trento (18:00 CET)

Davide Dusmet, Trento assistant coach

"Besiktas is a team with size and athleticism in every position. They have two big men we know well, Kamagate and Zizic, both of whom played key roles in the Italian league last season. At the wings, they can count on valuable players such as Connor Morgan, who has been confirmed from last season, and Vitto Brown. On the perimeter, they have a lot of talent and physicality with players like Jonah Mathews and Anthony Brown, whom we have already faced in the EuroCup in the past. It will be a difficult challenge, one that will push us to raise our standards — standards that we probably haven't maintained in recent games, conceding too much in the final minutes. This must be an opportunity to continue working on ourselves, aware that we face a challenge in which our mental and physical toughness will necessarily have to increase if we want to compete. We have done this at certain moments in our European campaign, and we will have to continue on that path: controlling rebounds better and trying to play at our own pace against a team that loves execution and often involves its big men near the basket. Finally, we will have to improve our offensive reading to attack a well-organized defense like theirs."

Khalif Battle, Trento guard

"Besiktas is a great team, with a history of success and important results in recent seasons. For us, it will be a great opportunity to try to win an away game, even though we know it will be a very difficult challenge. We want to see where we are as a team and bounce back after our last few games, which we definitely weren't happy with. This trip to Turkiye will be an important test. I'm happy to be back playing after my injury and I'll keep working hard to get back to 100% and help the team get some good results."

U-BT Cluj-Napoca vs. BAXI Manresa (18:00 CET)

Mihai Silvasan, Cluj head coach

"We’re facing a team that plays at a very high pace, just like most teams in Spain, but they really emphasize that style. They’re not in their best form right now, they’ve lost their last few games, but they have quality players who can make a difference and have a good night. On top of that, two of their players, Plummer and Olinde, are back in the lineup and played in their last game. They’re definitely a competitive team that will come here ready to fight and try to win. We have to be ready for that. We’re also playing in a new arena, but that’s not an issue, it’s a normal situation that happens to other teams as well."

Fatts Russell, Cluj guard

"We just have to keep sticking to our system, play hard, and fight for the win. It’s going to be a tough game because they’re playing in the ACB, which is a very strong league. We need to stay focused, do everything our coach tells us, and come out with the win. I’m feeling good, even if I'm a little banged up, but that’s how it’s going to be for the rest of the season since we’re competing in two tough leagues."

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Umana Reyer Venice (18:30 CET)

Zvezdan Mitrovic, Cedevita Olimpija head coach

"Up next is a clash with Venezia, a great team that has been playing very well recently. They’re coming to Stožice with two consecutive EuroCup wins. At the start of the season, our opponents struggled a bit, but now they’re showing their true form. They have a lot of offensive talent, a strong budget, an excellent head coach, and a well-built roster. This game will be a big challenge for us — we have only two days to recover from the game against Vienna and prepare for Wednesday’s matchup. We’ll see if any of our injured players will be able to return to the court, although I don’t really believe so — but we’ll see what happens. Right after the game with Vienna, I congratulated the guys for their effort on the court, and then we shifted our focus to Venezia. It’s going to be a very tough game because our opponents have a lot of offensive talent."

Jaka Blazic, Cedevita Olimpija guard

"We’re definitely already focused on the upcoming game against Venezia. Our goal is to collect as many wins as possible and secure the highest possible position in our group standings. Venezia is an excellent and very talented team, so we have to prepare well and stay focused, especially on the defensive end, if we want to get another EuroCup victory."

Neven Spahija, Reyer head coach

"We are facing a serious team, one that plays good basketball on both offense and defense. They are very disciplined on the court and have already proven they can win on difficult courts, so it will be a tough game. We have rested and prepared. We are going to Ljubljana with confidence, ready to play at the level we have shown lately. To win, we will need consistency on offense and we must not lose focus on defense, especially because they are a team that moves the ball very well."

Ky Bowman, Reyer guard

"We have to come out with great energy and play together, as one system: this is what will help us win more games. We have to do our job, on and off the court, putting into practice what we prepare in training to take another step forward. We want to continue our positive streak and win again. The energy from our recent wins must be the fuel for the next challenges. We know they will come out with a lot of aggression and physicality; we have to be ready to match that impact from the start and do our best."

Reyer injury report: Reyer has all of its players available.

Lietkabelis Panevezys vs. Turk Telekom Ankara (18:45 CET)

NINERS Chemnitz vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (19:00 CET)

Rodrigo Pastore, Chemnitz head coach

"We are very excited about playing one of the most talented teams in the EuroCup with such a deep roster. They are arriving after a strong home performance vs Besiktas. Their offensive scoring is very well distributed and they are very discipline as a team when it comes to sharing the ball and creating the best possible shot, especially from behind the three-point arc. Keeping them out of the paint is going to be a very important aspect of our defensive strategy."

Gavin Schilling, Chemnitz center

"We know we’re facing a really talented team with a lot of depth and firepower. Our focus will be on matching their intensity and sticking to our defensive principles. If we play together and stay disciplined, we’ll give ourselves a great chance to win."

Andrej Zakelj, Buducnost head coach

"Chemnitz plays a very tough and tricky style of basketball — they have an athletic team that runs a lot, often goes one-on-one, and plays fast, physical, and aggressive. That kind of style causes problems for everyone. In the last round, they gave the top team, Bourg, a lot of trouble, which speaks volumes about their quality. We expect a really difficult opponent. Our goal and focus are clear — we want to win on the road, because if we want to stay near the top of the group, we have to win these kinds of games, and that’s what we’re working toward. We do have some injury problems, but regardless of that, we have to prepare ourselves for a physical game, match their intensity, stay focused, and try to come away with a win on the road."

Andrija Slavkovic, Buducnost forward

"We have a tough road game ahead against Chemnitz, a team that’s in good rhythm and plays fast, modern basketball with a lot of shooting. I have no doubt that we’ll be ready for that game. I expect a tough and demanding matchup, as is always the case in the EuroCup. I believe that with maximum focus and good preparation, we can come out as winners."

London Lions vs. Panionios Cosmorama Travel Athens (20:30 CET)

Ilias Zouros, Panionios head coach

"We have another demanding game ahead of us in a high-level and ‘marathon-like’ competition such as the BKT EuroCup. Our goal is to stay together throughout the entire game, to compete as a team on both ends of the floor, and to integrate as best as possible the new players we have on our roster."

Keron DeShields, Panionios guard

"The coaching staff has got us prepared for this game against the London Lions. We expected to go out there and start off on a fresh start. To show what we can do as a team in the EuroCup, and show what we can do to ourselves as well. So we're prepared and we're ready to go."

London Lions' injury report: Ovie Soko, Shavar Reynolds and Mo Soluade are all ruled out for this game.

Panionios's injury report: Michalis Lountzis, Tyler Wahl and Nikos Gkikas are ruled out for this game.

Tuesday, November 11

ratiopharm ulm vs. Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse (19:00 CET)

Frederic Fauthoux, Bourg head coach

"Just like against Chemnitz last week, we expect a very intense and fast-paced game. Ulm is a physical and aggressive team, formidable at home, it’s up to us to impose our teamwork for 40 minutes to continue our good EuroCup run."

Darius McGhee, Bourg guard

"Ulm is a great team that’s very well coached. They also have a good fan base, so playing in their arena is going to be a great atmosphere. We have to continue to stay connected on both sides of the ball for all 40 minutes."

Aris Thessaloniki Betsson vs. Bahcesehir College Istanbul (19:00 CET)

Igor Milicic, Aris head coach

"Of course, we have a challenge ahead of us. Bahcesehir is a tough team with high-level players who have excellent individual skills. They bring defensive energy and offensive rebounding to their game, which can cause us problems. They are one of the best teams in the EuroCup—if not the best—and certainly one of the favorites to win the title. However, we are focused on our own path and on how we can keep improving our game. It’s a great situation for us to play against one of the best teams, because it helps us grow and get better as well."

Amine Noua, Aris forward

"I'm excited and really looking forward to playing my first game in this arena. I have been without a team for the past few months, and I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to compete again. Bahcesehir is a very strong team with talented players. We know what we’re up against, and it will definitely be a tough and challenging game for us."

Slask Wroclaw vs. Veolia Towers Hamburg (19:00 CET)

Benka Barloschky, Hamburg head coach

"We're not looking at the whole picture of 13 defeats at the moment – I'm talking to the team about the last game and the next task. I think you can see, however, that the results have caused a certain amount of uncertainty on the field. Whenever we have five players on the field who stick to our plan, we look very good. But there are still too many phases where that is not the case. We are working on minimizing that."

Zsombor Maronka, Hamburg forward

"Wroclaw is a good team. They have already secured two wins and are certainly very motivated to build on that after their recent defeats. We have been watching their plays over the last few days. But the main focus has been on ourselves. We need to fix our problems first – that is the most important task at the moment."

Zacharie Perrin, Hamburg center

"We are determined to get our first win of the season. And we will take that mentality into the game against Wroclaw. We are still confident of getting our first win. We have worked hard on ourselves and looked at their strengths. Now we have to show it on the court."