The Panathinaikos AKTOR team departed for Istanbul on Thursday afternoon, October 24th, ahead of their away game against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (October 25th, 19:45), for the 5th round of the EuroLeague.
During the team’s departure, Ergin Ataman stated:
"Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul has performed excellently so far, with the only exception being their home game against Crvena Zvezda, where they were defeated. However, they achieved significant victories, such as those against Olympiacos and Anadolu Efes Istanbul, away from home. We have some issues with our forwards, as some key players are not fully fit, but that’s why we have a deep roster. We will go there to try to win this challenging game."
When asked about Kostas Sloukas's readiness, he replied: "Last year, Kostas also had some minor injury problems. He is an experienced player. I believe that day by day, he will regain his true form, because, in my opinion, he is the best point guard in the EuroLeague. He proved it by being the MVP in the Final Four."
Regarding the lineups with three guards and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul's size, he noted: "Every tactic has different challenges. We feel comfortable when using lineups with three guards. Last year, we played many games with such formations. Now, we have some issues with our players at the '3' position, but we will see what we can do. Perhaps we will use one of the power forwards at the '3' to find a solution. We’ll see..."
Finally, concerning the approach to the game against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, just before the derby against Olympiacos at SEF for Stoiximan GBL, he said: "Every game is different and has its own significance. Now we have a very demanding away game against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. Last year, we lost there, but later we defeated them at OAKA and in the Final Four. Right now, we are only thinking about Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. Once this game is over, we will start thinking about Olympiacos."
Osman: "We reacted pretty well after Madrid’s game"
On his part, Cedi Osman stated: "It will be a great game. We obviously respect them a lot; they are a good team. As you mentioned, they were our opponents last year as well, so they will enter the court strongly. We need to be patient and tough, both physically and mentally. If we do that, I believe we will win the game."
He went on to say: "We need to know when to stop the opponent with fouls and when not to. In most games so far, we haven’t played tough enough. There are moments when we perform well and others when we are not as effective. However, I believe that after the game against Real Madrid, we reacted well during training and in the match against AEK Betsson. Obviously, we will be playing against a very strong team, so the game will be tough."
He also commented: "It will be an exciting matchup at the forward positions. Juancho is obviously a great player. I know him well from our younger years, when we played against each other every summer. It’s nice to be on the court with him at the same time because he’s a good shooter from the perimeter and can 'open up' the court. I believe we are performing much better now. I am also gradually finding my rhythm, and I am happy about that. I want to show what I can do, especially tomorrow."
