Real Madrid

Ettore Messina talked to the media the day prior to the Real Madrid-Khimki clash.

Real Madrid are having a very good run. How do you think the game against Khimki will be like?
It will be a difficult game for us. We will face a team that has lost only one game in the group stage. We lost against them in Moscow. Kaukenas is sick with gastroenteritis and Van den Spiegel has back pain. We are nevertheless having a good run and we will try to win the game.

How much do you think both teams have evolved since the first leg?
I think we have become more consistent, especially in defence. We know each other better now. Khimki lost in Athens, but they have managed to win at tough venues such as Armani Jeans' court. I believe we can both still improve.

Do you think your leadership will be at stake against Khimki and Panathinaikos?
It looks like it. We know it isn't that important given that there will be a draw that will prevent teams from the same country from coming face to face in the next round. I think leadership is good to gain confidence. It is always good to be group leaders, but I don't believe it is essential. I managed to reach the Final Four with Moscow without qualifying as group leaders.

You once said losing in Moscow proved to be therapeutic for the team...
I still think so. The important thing to do during one season is to avoid losing many games and to prevent those you do lose from having much of an influence on you. Our defeat in Moscow didn't affect our run in the campaign and it helped us improve. We lost the first game because our performance was somewhat superficial. We were rather innocent at times.

Felipe Reyes played a bit the other day. How fit is he for tomorrow's clash?
Felipe will naturally play for some minutes. He trained well yesterday and we hope he does even better today. We want him to reach optimum form as soon as possible. We are not in a hurry.