On the eve of the home game against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (February 3, 21:15), Ergin Ataman spoke to journalists about the matchup with the Turkish team and the demanding schedule ahead in the EuroLeague.
His statements in detail:
"We must win all our remaining home games. That is the reality for us. If we fail to do so, we can forget about the Final Four or even the Playoffs. Winning is our only option. That is one reality. The other is that our opponent is in excellent form. They have won their last six EuroLeague games. Just last week, they came here and convincingly defeated Olympiacos, the team currently leading the standings.
So, it will be a very challenging game. We must be highly aggressive and prepared for a match that feels like a derby—similar to our game against Olympiacos two weeks ago. Our situation in the EuroLeague is quite critical at the moment, and we need to start the game with intensity."
On why Panathinaikos AKTOR performs better at home than away: "We have some significant issues, which people are aware of. These problems have cost us in away games. At home, with our aggressiveness, we can sometimes mask these weaknesses, but it is much more difficult to do so on the road."
On the availability of Kostas Sloukas for the upcoming game: "He is fine. He trained with the rest of the team and will be available for tomorrow’s game. Kostas Antetokounmpo, however, will be out of the squad. I have decided to leave him out."
On the strongest aspect of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul: "They have a very strong roster. They are currently among the top two teams in the standings. They possess outstanding players such as Nigel Hayes-Davis, Marko Guduric—who is playing exceptionally well—Nicolo Melli, and Sertac Sanli. They have highly experienced players and have gained confidence from their recent results. They defeated Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in front of 20,000 fans, and they won against Olympiacos on their home court. They are an excellent team. Last week, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan was missing their best player, yet they still managed to beat us. Every player is important in every team."
On the progress of the team's big men, given the recent absences: "We are not thinking about individual players. Our sole focus is to win the first and second games of this week."
Kalaitzakis: "We must win at all costs"
Panagiotis Kalaitzakis spoke to reporters ahead of the home game against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (February 3, 21:15).
His statements in detail:
"We lost the last game in Italy, a game we should have won, especially considering that EA7 Emporio Armani Milan was missing several key players. I agree with the coach that we cannot afford to lose another home game, starting with the ones coming up this week. We need to be ready. We have prepared well, we feel good. These are two must-win games for us."
On the team's different performances at home and away:
"Playing at home and playing away are two completely different things. Our approach is not the same. At OAKA, we come out biting from the start. We are aggressive on both ends of the court. But when we play away, we are sluggish, as if we are a completely different team. There are no excuses—we need to overcome this. We are already in February, and we must win every game, starting tomorrow against a team that has been in great form lately. We have to win at all costs."
On Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul's strengths:
"They move the ball very well on offense. They have a great all-around player in Nigel Hayes-Davis, who does everything on the court. As I mentioned earlier, they have great chemistry and ball movement on offense. However, they also have some weaknesses that we need to exploit."
