Runaway league leader Real (13-1) will look to spoil the strong home record of Zvezda (5-9), which has won four of its last five in Belgrade.
Chus Mateo, Real Madrid: 'We are hungry, motivated and confident'
Seasons
3 Минутное чтение
Regular Season
Round 15 of 34
Regular Season
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet BelgradeCZV
5872
Real MadridRMB
Overview
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Fans there will savor a dazzling backcourt exhibition between two of the continent's most exciting creators, former Zvezda star and EuroLeague assists leader Facundo Campazzo (7.8 apg.) and their own Milos Teodosic (5.4 apg.). In the paint, Zvezda's Luka Mitrovic has grabbed more offensive rebounds than any other player (3.1 per game), so Real giants Walter Tavares and Vincent Poirier will be tasked with ensuring the home team is denied second-chance possessions. Another Zvezda weapon is Nemanja Nedovic, who averages 13.9 points and drained 4 triples in last week's win over ALBA.
Ioannis Sfairopoulos, Zvezda head coach
"The EuroLeague champion is coming to us, a team that has already proven that it is the first favorite for the Final Four, and from our side we have to be ready; fight hard and be ready. It's good to have the full roster; we missed that. We were missing important players. We didn't have them until now. Now, we will be more flexible to change formations, try different things and get the most out of the players."
Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach
"We are fine on a mental level. We are hungry, motivated and confident. We play against a Zvezda team that gets stronger at home, where they won five of their seven games. We will have to play a smart game and be patient if we want to win in such a difficult court. We value their collective, with quality players on the outside and very well-coached. Zvezda deserves huge respect."
Adam Hanga, Zvezda player
"This is the team everyone wants to beat. They are the EuroLeague champions and have only lost two games this season in all competitions, so we are aware of how difficult the game ahead of us is. But we should not feel the pressure. It is difficult to play against Real Madrid, who have so many weapons on attack and defense. With the arrival of [Facundo] Campazzo, they got a part that might have been missing last season. Facu gave them a lot; he is a top playmaker. It's hard to find a weak spot for Real, but if you play hard against them and make life difficult for them without the ball, you can make their job very difficult."
Walter Tavares, Real Madrid player
"It's always a pleasure to play in Belgrade. Zvezda is a classic and they have great fans who always fill the stands. The team fights a lot and puts pressure on you. For the players it is fun to play there and we will do everything in our hands to win the game. We have to keep doing what we have been doing up to now: look for each other, pass the ball well, keep the assists numbers high, limit turnovers and control the rebounds to allow ourselves to run on the court. We must be focused because Stark Arena puts pressure on the opponents and communication among us will be crucial."