Luca Banchi, the head coach of Virtus, spoke to the media representatives ahead of the EuroLeague showdown against Panathinaikos.
The Italian team has won only once in their last five EuroLeague games. They are facing many injury problems and are experiencing a dip in form. However, if they aim to secure a better position going into the second phase of the competition, it is essential for them to show character and perform much better. Currently, they have a record of 17-14 and hold the eighth position in the EuroLeague standings, despite spending a significant part of the season among the top four teams.
“Coach Ataman has managed to give Panathinaikos a specific game identity by collecting invaluable wins that today deservedly place them in second place in the standings thanks to the aggressiveness of their defense and a consistently well-balanced offense.
They will certainly be tough opponents determined to maintain their position in the standings, but our desire is to take advantage of each of the remaining games to bring our performance to the level of a top team. We will be careful to take care of every little detail to put our opponents in trouble, thanks also to the energy that our fans will be able to transmit to us, with the common goal of experiencing another evening of great emotions,” said Luca Banchi.
Bryant Dunston also shared his views ahead of the upcoming game.
“Tomorrow’s game will be very important for us. Panathinaikos is a team on the rise that is playing very good basketball. They are a very physical team, both under the basket and defending on the perimeter, with talented shooters. We will give our all in front of our fans, we want to bring them a good result.”
The game will be played on Friday at 8:30 PM.