In the opening game of 2024, surging Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (10-7) will try to make it five straight wins with a visit from inconsistent Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (6-11).
Ioannis Sfairopoulos, Zvezda: 'We have to attack them the right way'
Seasons
2 Minute de lecture
Regular Season
Round 18 of 34
Group Regular Season
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The Turkish team has scored at least 80 points in all four games since the arrival of Sarunas Jasikevicus, most recently downing crosstown rival Efes behind 24 points from do-it-all Nigel Hayes-Davis. New signing Freddy Gillespie is available to make his debut for Zvezda, and the former Bayern big man will look to complement the inside presence of Luka Mitrovic and Joel Bolomboy, who scored 15 and 20 points in the last two games on 11-of-13 two-point shooting. Fener will look to control the tempo through Nick Calathes, who has averaged 9 assists in the last three games.
Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce head coach
"We are expecting difficult games in the double week. Zvezda is a team with very clear roles. The guards are creating a lot for their own scoring opportunities and for the other teammates. Zvezda is one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the EuroLeague and in general, a team that plays though basketball and we need to be ready for a difficult game."
Georgios Papagiannis, Fenerbahce center
Crvena Zvezda plays every game hard. They compete in every game from the very beginning until the last second of the game. Us, Fenerbahce, we need to win this game of course. We want to protect our home court, get this win and keep going forward.
Ioannis Sfairopoulos, Zvezda head coach
"We are playing against a team that has changed its coach. They do some things differently and we are in for a completely different game compared to the one we played in the first part of the season. We need to be focused on defense to stop their main players. They have a lot of good scorers, players who can hurt you. Offensively, we have to read those new things they do, play smart and attack them the right way."
Nikola Topic, Zvezda guard
"Surely one of the better teams in the Euroleague. With the change of coach, they got new energy. We will do our best to prepare as well as possible and try to give our maximum, and we will see what it will be enough for."