Ioannis Sfairopoulos, the head coach of Crvena Zvezda, spoke before the game against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 29th round of the EuroLeague.
Ioannis Sfairopoulos: We know we are not in a good position
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Ioannis Sfairopoulos, the head coach of Crvena Zvezda, spoke before the game against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 29th round of the EuroLeague.
The Greek expert emphasized how the “Pride of Israel” truly has a great team, and his players shouldn’t expect an easy game.
“We are playing against an athletically excellent team, which has an exceptional offensive rhythm, and we must be very good defensively. Otherwise, we will have problems because they can easily score points due to their talent and athleticism. They have many players who can cause us damage, so we must be good overall, at every position, defending them individually and as a team, trying to stop their game,” said Ioannis Sfairopoulos, then added:
“As for the offense, we need to be smart, read what they do defensively, and be focused, play the right way. We expect support from the fans, we know we are not in a good position in the standings, but every game in the EuroLeague is important, so we want the fans’ support.”
The coach of the Red-Whites commented on the status of injured players (Milos Teodosic, Nikola Topic, Trey Thompkins).
“They are still practicing, they won’t play tomorrow. Nothing has changed since the last game.”
Crvena Zvezda will play against Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday, starting at 7:00 PM (Stark Arena).
The player of Crvena Zvezda, Adam Hanga, also shared his expectations for this game.
“We’re playing against a team we defeated in the first part of the season. The situation is such that securing a spot in the play-in is not entirely in our hands, but we’ve lost four consecutive games. We want to get back on the winning track, to get to know each other better and improve our game on both ends, offense, and defense, ahead of the ABA League playoffs.
Moreover, we’re playing at home. Every game is important to us, we play in front of our fans, we want win, and we want to progress. We won’t give up. We don’t deserve it, and neither do the fans.”
Crvena Zvezda will play against Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday, starting at 7:00 PM at the Stark Arena.