By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
CSKA Moscow will host Khimki Moscow Region on Tuesday 17th of April in the first Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoff game this season. Here is what the coaches of both teams had to say in the media day before the clash.
The ‘Red Army’ coach, Dimitris Itoudis, noted the tradition of this duel and gave a shout to the fans asking for support: “We start the playoff series against Khimki, a very good team, our historical rival. We prepare for Game 1 knowing that it is going to be a tough series. I hope our fans realize how important those games are for us, so they will come and help us with their presence and support.”
Georgios Bartzokas, on the other side, primarily recognized the strength of Khimki’s opponent: “From all the teams in the playoffs, everyone tried to avoid the eighth place because you need to play against the best team. In my opinion, CSKA is the best team from the last six or seven years.”, he said before explaining what his team must do in order to advance.
In his opinion, it will all depend on the first game and if his players follow the game plan: “Now, the series is just about the first game. We need to approach this game as usual, taking one game at a time. It’s an away game against a strong team, so first of all we need to compete. For us, it’s important to compete and fight. Then, try to be patient and follow the game plan as much as we can, as well as to control the special situations that we gonna face during the game.”