The Yellow & Blue arrived in Valencia after the Madrid game. Sfairopoulos: “To control the game tomorrow, we need to be concentrated from the get-go and show a different type of mentality on the court”
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv heads out to Valencia, playing against Jaume Ponsarnau’s squad at La Fonteta Arena as part of the 10th EuroLeague fixture (Friday, 22:00, live on Sport5 – channel 55). The Yellow & Blue come into their second European road game of the week after Madrid’s loss as Valencia beat Panathinaikos at home earlier this week.
Like last season, head coach Jaume Ponsarnau will lead his roster in Valencia’s second straight EuroLeague season. Franchise player Bojan Dubljevic received some key experienced players this offseason, as the Oranges look to secure a playoff run with additions: Derrick Williams and Nikola Kalinic from Fenerbahce, combo guard Martin Hermannsson came in from Alba Berlin, and sharpshooter Klemen Prepelic returned to the EuroLeague action after a season at Joventut Badalona.
“To control the game tomorrow, we need to be concentrated from the get-go and show better character”, Said head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos about the keys for the game. “We need to fight harder, be extra motivated to play good defense, and play smarter on offense. The most important thing for us is to change the way we performed in Madrid and show a different type of mentality on the court”.
Elijah Bryant added on the mentality towards the contest: “We need to focus on ourselves, come out ready to fight from the beginning, set the mentality, and keep that mentality the whole game if we want to control the game tomorrow. There’s going to be runs, ups, and downs, but we need to continue to fight and not focus on the result at the end of the game, focus on being task-driven”.
