Panathinaikos flies to Turkey today, at 12.30, in order to face Fenerbahce Ulker tomorrow (23/1, 20.00, D.T.), for Euroleague Top16, Day 4.
A little before the team's boarding, Argyris Pedoulakis, stated: "This is not an... excursion for us. We are in a really tough group. It's something obvious since day 1. For example Armani Milano after its defeat in OAKA, came back and gave their answer. We are facing a great team, with a big motivation for the win, with great players and a top coach. We have to remain focused, but we are troubled by the fact that we have three games in six days".
Speaking about the steady performance of the "clover" lately, he said: "It's true that we have been stable during the last period. The only negative is that at the end of the game against Olympiacos we didn't have the necessary energy, but this is something we will manage".
When asked about the fact that Panathinaikos will face Obradovic he noted: "These are nice things for you journalists mostly. Zeljko Obradovic is a part of our history, part of another Greece. We keep him in a really high place. We respect him and we all know that he loves Panathinaikos very much. We have said since day one that we want to keep the atmosphere, the principles from the Obradovic era. In order to play in Panathinaikos you have to play defense. Titles come along the way. We live in a different Greece, than the Greece of the bliss when Panathinaikos, Olympiacos and CSKA Moscow were buying the best players. Now everybody has adjusted to the new circumstances".
Stephane Lasme stated: "We prepare for a really tough game, we are tired, but this is part of our job. We know what we have to do, we have to enforce our rhythm since the tip off. We know how important this game is for Fenerbahce Ulker, since they want their first win in Top16. We have to remain serious, focused and to play defense the way we know how. If we do this, everything will be ok. Everybody know the history of Obradovic and Panathinaikos. We all respect him, but we our goal is to win the game. Fenerbahce Ulker is a really good team. They have good players in the perimeter, but also in the front line".
