Chus Mateo: "We need to stay focused and gain confidence for the playoffs”
“It's a tough game against a team that wants to finish the season on a high in front of their home fans," added the coach.
Chus Mateo spoke to Realmadrid TV the day before the clash against Casademont Zaragoza, on the last day of the Liga ACB (Friday, 6:30 pm CEST). The coach discussed the game ahead: "Just like in the last few games, the objective is to perform well. We're going to a court where it's always difficult for us. It hasn't been easy in recent years in Zaragoza and against a team that will want to play well in front of their fans to end the year. We're trying to stay focused as we wait for the playoffs to start next Tuesday."
"It will be a tough game in front of a home crowd that gets behind their team and against an opposition that has some very talented players and wants to finish the season on a high in front of their home fans."
Preparation for the playoffs
"The most important thing is that we keep a team mentality, where everyone contributes and is prepared not to let go, regardless of the result not counting in the final standings. We'll try to honour what we do on a day-to-day basis and respect Zaragoza. They're a team that have been playing well lately and they have top-quality players in all positions. Let's hope that this match will help us gain confidence ahead of next week, which is going to be very tough."
The team’s form
"It's good, but we have to think that everything starts from zero and we have to be prepared. The playoffs start with a clean slate, everyone deserves the same merits for getting there. We indeed have home court advantage that we have to try to capitalise on, and that makes a difference because that's what we've been fighting for all year."