Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan’s coach, spoke ahead of the challenges in the upcoming double round of the EuroLeague.
Obradovic first addressed the health situation, which is not at all easy for the black-and-white team.
“Andjusic didn’t train, but he is traveling. Trifunovic and Avramovic will stay in Belgrade. On the other hand, Kaminsky trained, and we’ll see how he looks tomorrow. That’s why we’re going to Spain with 13 players. The EuroLeague requires a roster of 15 players, and we hope that the injured players will recover. What is evident is that the players did not have muscle injuries from a great overload, but everything is mechanical in nature, from hits,” said Obradovic.
When it comes to the first opponent, Valencia, the experienced coach knows where the great danger lies.
“We presented the players today with information about Valencia, which plays excellent defense. They have a specific way of switching and defending the pick. We tried to explain that to the players, worked on 5 on 5 with shooting primarily. We travel on Monday, and there we will train again and prepare for the match on Tuesday. Stefan Jovic plays for the team, an outstanding player who is playing exceptionally well this year. He and Chris Jones are undoubtedly very important players. We will pay great attention to them. They play smartly because of him as he brings a dose of intelligence to the whole team.”
Obradović also touched on the progress in the game.
“Of course, it is a pleasure when you win, but on the other hand, we are aware that with so much traveling and games… you don’t have the right to celebrate or be happy. What we would much rather do is play much better. We have evidently improved some things, especially rebounding and defense. In addition, we have ball movement in attack, and we play like a real team,” concluded the trophy-winning coach.
The duel between Valencia and Partizan is scheduled for Tuesday at 9 p.m. After that, they will face Real Madrid.