Xavi Albert and Neal Sako have previewed the EuroLeague matchup between Valencia Basket and Fenerbahce Istanbul, highlighting the Turkish side’s defensive quality and the need to execute their game plan effectively.
Xavi Albert, Valencia head coach
“We are facing a team that is demonstrating an extraordinary level in the EuroLeague. Defensively, they are among the elite of the competition, and we will have to deal not only with a very strong team from a competitive standpoint, but also with a highly experienced one. I believe they have players who clearly understand and master the competition, particularly in all defensive situations, where they are a benchmark for their switch-heavy defense. There are several areas in which we have clearly improved since the Baskonia game, and Fenerbahçe will demand that we perform at the highest level, especially against their solid defensive system, with constant switching and extensive rotation between their bigs and perimeter players. We approach this challenge with confidence based on the level of basketball we have shown in recent games. We hope the Roig Arena will push us on what promises to be a big night against one of the competition’s co-leaders, and we expect to be at the level required to compete for and win this game.”
Neal Sako, Valencia center
“Every game is very difficult, but we have to focus on our fundamentals, which you already know: playing with pace, pushing the tempo and taking it one possession at a time. We are confident and eager for the challenge. We know that Fenerbahçe is a team that defends very well, extremely well, so we have to find solutions and execute the game plan we put together as effectively as possible.”
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