Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 4 of the 2025-26 EuroLeague season
Pregame quotes, Round 4: 'Monaco is one of the best teams in the EuroLeague'
Članak
8 Min čitanja
Wednesday, October 15
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (20:15 CEST)
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos head coach
"We start the double-round week with one home-court game, but we must put all of our effort to get the victory. [Kendrick Nunn] feels good today. He took part in the practice, so we hope he will not have any pain in his knee [Wednesday] morning in the shootaround practice. If everything is okay, he will be in the roster. We need to win the game, so rotation is the second part of our job. Rotation will be important during the season. Kendrick Nunn had a problem on Sunday in the derby and TJ Shorts played with more responsibility. It will be a long season, many games, so I'm not planning to use 12 players every game. The most important thing is to win the game."
Konstantinos Mitoglou, Panathinaikos forward
"We know that the schedule is demanding. We are professional players; we have to follow it. We need to adapt both how we train as players and how we rest — that’s part of our job. Another home game during a EuroLeague double-week. We really want the win and to be ready. ASVEL is a very good and athletic team — and I would say, a dangerous one. We don’t have much room for mistakes. Together with our fans, we must secure the victory."
Virtus Bologna vs. AS Monaco (20:30 CEST)
Dusko Ivanovic, Virtus head coach
"I think Monaco is one of the best teams in the EuroLeague. They are a very smart and experienced team that knows how to manage an excellent one-on-one and pick-and-roll system in many situations. They have also players like Mike James, Nikola Mirotic and Elie Okobo on the roster, who have a lot of points in their hands and an excellent game rhythm."
Nicola Akele, Virtus forward
"Monaco is a strong team that has managed to strengthen itself even more this summer compared to last season. We should try to take advantage of our home court and play our best basketball. We are still growing and we want to make our mark in the EuroLeague as well. We need to give 100%, trying to dictate our pace for the whole 40 minutes and managing to control everything we can control, such as limiting the many scoring threats they have in their team."
Vassilis Spanoulis, Monaco head coach
"The [French League] victory in Paris is very beneficial for us, a big battle with a lot of emotions. We want to win as much as possible this season, regardless of the emotions and challenges. The team is playing better and better, with good training sessions that are translating into games. We need to continue sharing the ball in attack and step up our defense, while being more consistent and steady throughout the game."
Kevarrius Hayes, Monaco center
"From a personal point of view, I'm still adapting to the team, I want to contribute even more. The group is very pleasant, it's easy to fit in. Real bonds are being formed. I still need to adapt to their style of play, their way of seeing the court and the movement of the ball. Virtus didn't start the year as they would have hoped, so they'll want to put on a big game against us. I expect a lot of energy and intensity, so we'll have to rise to that level of commitment, which we've already shown this season."
Valencia Basket vs. Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (20:30 CEST)
Dimitris Itoudis, Hapoel head coach
"We’re facing a team that plays at a very high pace, plays fast, energetic basketball. They’ve strengthened their roster and they have many quality players. They remain one of the best three-point shooting teams in the league, but their real strength lies in their speed, athleticism, and intensity on the court. To compete at this level, we’ll need to match their energy and tempo."
Real Madrid vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (20:45 CEST)
Sergio Scariolo, Real Madrid head coach
"We have to be able to respond well from a physical and mental standpoint against a team that will surely be well-prepared to face us, as all teams coached by Zeljko Obradovic. Most Partizan players have a lot of talent and athleticism, good scoring skills and a great frontcourt player as Tyrique Jones, as well as point guards who can attack the rim. Sterling Brown is playing his best basketball ever and Jabari Parker, a player we know well, is a great scorer. Partizan is a team full of experienced, quality players. On the other hand, we are aware that we want to increase our winning streak in the EuroLeague, play a quality game, be able to compete and get the win. We are aware that in order to beat Partizan, we have to play the best we can play at this time of the season."
Chuma Okeke, Real Madrid
"Partizan is a very aggressive team that likes to run, so we have to be smart on offense and handle the ball well because they feed off our turnovers. It is a team that is also very aggressive on rebounds, and one of the keys to get the result we want is to rebound well. We are going day by day and keep improving our team chemistry, the way we communicate on the court. I believe that little by little, things will go the way we want. We are wining at home and want to keep that winning streak, defending our home court in the best way possible."
Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan head coach
"We had the chance to watch the Spanish League game between Baskonia and Real. First up for us is Real Madrid, a team that loves to run in transition, but also looks to create advantages in the low post. That’s just one key part of their game. Of course, they also rely heavily on pick-and-roll situations with [Walter] Tavares, who’s really dominant there, and they have a lot of sets designed for their shooters. Another thing that stands out with them is their zone press and zone defense. We’re preparing for all of that, and we’ll keep working on those details even after we arrive in Madrid."
Carlik Jones, Partizan guard
"We need to stay consistent with all the details for the full 40 minutes. In our last two games, I think we managed to do that for maybe 30 out of 40. We gave the other teams too many chances to get back into the game and take the lead. Now we’re going up against a really good team from Madrid, so we’ve got to be locked in the entire time. The small details can really hurt us if we lose focus, so that’s the biggest thing for us, to stay consistent and sharp throughout the whole game. We’ve been playing well, sharing the ball, defending the right way, and if we keep that up for all 40 minutes, I believe we’ll get the win."
Paris Basketball vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (20:45 CEST)
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Tuesday, October 14
Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv vs. FC Barcelona (19:00 CEST)
Oded Kattash, Maccabi head coach
"We’re heading into a very special week, facing two good and talented teams, each a bit different. We’re in our own process; no doubt these are important experiences for us. We’re coming into it in relatively good shape. Hopefully, we’ll see home games at the arena this season. From a sporting standpoint, I think this is a return to normality. There’s a natural process of a team coming together, and I believe the win gave us a boost of energy and, most importantly, confidence. We need to stay on track, keep practicing the right way, because I think the good practices are what led to the improvement in our performance. We have to stay focused. We’ve had some good games, and we had a strong one against Hapoel Tel Aviv, a very talented team on the level of Barcelona and Olympiacos, so this win can definitely give us confidence."
Marcio Santos, Maccabi center
"We’re facing a double week, and there’s still room for us to improve – both defensively and offensively. I think it’s going to be a good game. Barcelona is always a strong team; it’ll be a battle, as always. We want to win both games. We need to know how to control the tempo of the game. We were trailing and couldn’t execute what we wanted, but we never stopped playing. We kept fighting, defended the right way, and worked hard for the win, and that’s the key to victory."
Jimmy Clark, Maccabi guard
"I feel like we’re entering this EuroLeague double week with positive momentum after two good wins — one of them in the EuroLeague, which was also our first victory in the competition. We’re coming in with good energy, and as long as we stay active and keep building our team chemistry, we’ll be fine. We need to dictate the tempo and establish our team identity, something we already started to see in the previous game."
Joan Penarroya, Barcelona head coach
"We play against a great team with great individual skills and a lot of one-on-one players, and that ability to attack the rim is surely the most important thing to stop. We have to try to control the rhythm as much as possible, try the game not to go crazy. We played two games in 48 hours and this is the third one, so we have to be mentally strong, trying to make the most out of our good moments we have in the game and control the bad ones. They have a lot of new players and also come off a win against Hapoel in the Israeli derby. Most of their players are really athletic, especially the foreign players. Their local players add criteria and deep range, like Tamir Blatt, John DiBartolomeo and Roman Sorkin."
Myles Cale, Barcelona forward
"We are coming off a tough loss [in the Spanish League] and I feel like this team is built for like a bounce back and I think we're have a good week going into this week. We got three tough road games and I think this week is gonna just be a test of what we're gonna be this season and I believe in my team and I feel like can come out with some good wins this week. Maccabi is a very good team, talented in all positions, have very good guards, have very good big men. We just gotta listen to our coaches and prepare the correct way. I feel like it's gonna be a very competitive game. Every game in this league is very important,s o we're gonna get prepared for it and we'll be ready for them. The first EuroLeague games were great. Played in Greece at Panathinaikos, great atmosphere. Played at home versus Valencia. First home game, great atmosphere. And I'm looking forward to a good year with this club and a good career. And I can't wait. I love the EuroLeague so far."
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. Dubai Basketball (19:45 CEST)
Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce head coach
"Dubai is a very well coached and physical team. They can have all kinds of lineups, playing with traditional lineups, [Filip] Petrusev being at the 5 makes them very mobile. The guards are very big, and have the ability to have a very physical team and we need to respond to that. For us it is extremely important to win the rebounding battle."
Mikael Jantunen, Fenerbahce forward
"It’s a big challenge. We've got to pick up from and improve from the last game, and we know they're a better team than the team we played in pre-season, so of course there are some familiar faces. But I think it starts with our own game and we have to do our own things on a very high level if we want to be able to win. So I think it's a great chance to play in front of our amazing fans and I can't wait to play in front of them again."
Jurica Golemac, Dubai head coach
"Generally, we need to do the basic things better. They are the best team, the reigning champions. The team that has been together for 2-3 years, they didn't change a lot of players. We're going to need to be physical, we're going to need to do the basic things better. Running back, closing the defensive rebound, trying to push the ball to get as many easy baskets as we can. There is not too much time to prepare, but generally we need to hustle more. We need to be much, much more aggressive, much, much more physical. And to have continuity in the game, not like in the last two road games."
Mfioundu Kabengele, Dubai center
"We need to rebound, defend, and make extra efforts. A game like this with a lot of energy, against the reigning champions, it's going to be crucial for us to have the right spirit to compete and dominate. You know, if we come in there thinking that we're just trying to hang in there, we'll get crushed. So it's important that we have a lot of self-confidence that we can do our best and control the game."
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (20:00 CEST)
Sasa Obradovic, Crvena Zvezda head coach
"Zalgiris plays the best basketball right now. Not what you see on the scoreboard, but because of the way how they play. Expressed team spirit, on and off the court. That team played together, and the addition of [Nigel] Williams-Goss or [Moses] Wright had no problem adapting. They are playing great. It should be known that this is, after all, a long competition. Bad things have happened to us so far, I hope we can quickly put the players at the service of the team."
Donatas Motiejunas, Crvena Zvezda center
"Zalgiris is currently playing probably the best basketball in the EuroLeague. During the season, several teams play phenomenally at some point, and Zalgiris is doing it right now. And beating them will be extremely difficult. We had two days with the coach. We talked, we trained hard. But [this game] should not be a matter of tactics. If we go out on the floor like we did against Fenerbahce - with our bodies ready, to protect each other, if we have that energy - and keep that level, we have a good chance to win."
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (20:15 CEST)
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos head coach
"Efes is a team that doesn’t allow any form of relaxation. To beat them, we'll have to ‘bleed’. They have very creative guards like [Shane] Larkin and [Jordan] Loyd. [Rodrigue] Beaubois and [PJ] Dozier are also back. Their guards are very dangerous in these kinds of games; they create situations on their own. They’re also excellent in after-timeout plays. Coach Kokoskov has great offensive ideas. To beat them, we need to be tough and hit our key defensive goals. This is our third game in just a few days. Compared to Efes, who had an easier game and earlier in the week, we’re at a disadvantage. But we’re playing at home. We need strong support from our fans because this is an important game for us, especially at a time when we’re dealing with injuries, mainly in the backcourt. It’s crucial that we get through this stretch without any further losses."
Alec Peters, Olympiacos forward
"All thoughts are now on Efes. It’s still early in the season and we’re trying to find our rhythm. Like every team, we have to do the job from the start. Thinking about yesterday’s game (the league derby win against Panathinaikos) would be a mistake going into tomorrow. The focus is fully on what we need to do."
Igor Kokoskov, Efes head coach
"Even with the fact that Olympiacos is missing its some perimeter players, winning the Greek derby against Panathinaikos gives them confidence. Piraeus is a tough place to play. We need to play this game with a high level of focus and intensity. We need to play our game for 40 minutes to win this game. We need to show perseverance, one thing that we were missing in our last two EuroLeague games."
Ercan Osmani, Efes forward
"We’re heading into another double-game week in the EuroLeague with a tough road game against Olympiacos. Unfortunately, we lost our last two EuroLeague games, but our goal is to finish the regular season as high as possible in the standings. To do that, we need to collect as many wins as we can. Olympiacos is a team that we know very well and one of the strongest teams in the league. Games on the road against them are always tough fights. We must be very well focused for 40 minutes and remain calm regardless of the score. I believe that if we stick to our game plan, we can come out of this game with a win."
FC Bayern Munich vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (20:30 CEST)
Gordie Herbert, Bayern head coach
"We have to defend better as a team and play better together than we did against Zalgiris if we want to have a chance against this individual quality.”
Vladimir Lucic, Bayern forward
“We don't have much time to prepare and are in a delicate situation with the new team and the injuries. But that's the reality and we just have to stick together now.”
Ettore Messina, Milan head coach
"Bayern is a team capable of playing good, up-tempo basketball with a great scorer like Andreas Obst who can definitely change the outlook of any game with his shooting. Despite struggling to cope with some injuries, they are still a deep team. As in any EuroLeague road game, intensity, rebounding and shot selection will be the crucial factors for us, especially being limited among the bigs rotation."
Devin Booker, Milan center
"It is a very challenging game for us, especially because we will miss a couple of key guys. As a result, it will be a very tough road game in Munich and intensity, aggressiveness right from the beginning and for the entire game will be absolutely required to win it."
