Sloukas before the duel against Zalgiris: ‘This game is 100% ours’ / News - Basketnews.com

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After a devastating loss against FC Barcelona on Wednesday, Olympiacos Piraeus don’t have the time to grief, as they meet the upcoming Zalgiris Kaunas challenge.

Edgaras Ulanovas

MIN:27.62PTS:5.67 (25%)REB:1.33As:1ST:0.67BL:0TO:1GM:3ProfileEuroLeague2021/2022

“For sure, there is a lot that we can improve in our game, and we will do it through practices and games, said Giorgos Bartzokas before the upcoming game. “Good teams get better teams through this procedure, and I believe that we are on a good path. We keep getting better and better.”

“We don’t have time to analyze more the game against Barcelona. Tomorrow, we will face a team that last year beat us twice and usually plays with confidence on our home court. For sure, there are differences in their roster, and they have a different coach.

They lost four or five starting players, but they signed some very experience players such are Strelnieks, Kalnietis, and Giffey. I know that they will miss Lauvergne, who is injured, but still, they are a classic Lithuanian team, which means they know how to play basketball.

They play with intensity and speed. Their guards, Lekavicius and Mudiay, attack with the ball and know how to execute. It is going to be a very demanding game, and we must be ready,” Bartzokas concluded.

Meanwhile, Kostas Sloukas shared the idea that this game is for the taking and Olympiacos must come back to the victorious path.

“We removed the game against Barcelona from our minds,” Sloukas said. “We are moving forward because we have a more important game against Zalgiris. A game that will show us how far we can go this season.”

“It’s a must-win game for us. For sure, it is going to be tough. We come from a hard game and a difficult trip. Still, there are no excuses. This game is 100% ours, and we must win no matter what,” Sloukas added.

Zalgiris’ forward Edgaras Ulanovas praised the opponents, saying that Olympiacos did a very solid job in the summer.

“Olympiacos had two impressive wins in the first two rounds, and they had another good game against Barcelona on the road, Ulanovas stated. “I think their squad improved a lot during the summer, and they are favorites to go really far this season.”

“We have a new coach who didn’t have the time yet to work fully with us. We have some injuries, but every game is a new story. We simply need to fight for 40 minutes,” the Lithuanian concluded.

The game between Olympiacos and Zalgiris will tip off on Friday at 8 pm CET.

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