Chus Mateo: “We're playing at home and we have to step up”
"It's a game that will demand one hundred per cent from us and we have to be focused", explained Campazzo ahead of hosting Panathinaikos.
Chus Mateo and Facundo Campazzo spoke prior to the Euroleague round four game between Real Madrid and Panathinaikos, which will be played at the WiZink Center (Thursday, 8:45pm CEST). The coach said: "A very strong Panathinaikos team is awaiting us, even though they have just lost in Paris, with all their star players from last year and some new recruits who have strengthened their squad. We're playing at home, at the WiZink Center, with the support of our fans, and we're expecting to make that step forward to start picking up victories".
"The last two champions and last year's finalists are up against each other. These are different circumstances. It's a Regular League game where we have to have a long-term objective, staying patient enough and believing that the victories will come. They're a top-class opponent and we're going to have to be at our best, give 100 per cent both defensively and offensively and find ways against a team that's also good at the back. We have to be capable of winning a game at home".
Campazzo: ‘We have to be at our best’
"It's going to be a tough game. They're coming off the back of a loss, so they're going to be even more focused. We're coming from two hard defeats. We've done some good things and some bad things that we have to improve on in order not to repeat them. Panathinaikos will not give you any margin for error and will punish turnovers with baskets. They've got quality players and it's going to be a demanding game and we'll have to give 100 percent. We have to be focused to try to win at home".
"There's a lot of historical rivalry behind the game. It's a special game and we have to take advantage of the fact that we're playing on our home court and with our fans behind us. That's going to be very important for us. We're still in the process of finding our game".
"We put on a defensive display against Baskonia, even though we made mistakes in the last minute. We played well on the whole. We lacked concentration at the end. You always want to take positives even from a defeat. We can improve a lot and we're working on it".
Return home
"We have to take advantage of the fact that we've got a lot of home games coming up. We have to be at our best and everything starts at the back. The biggest commitment must come from the defence. We have a lot of quality in attack and that doesn't worry us".