Zeljko Obradovic Calls for Respect for Olimpia Milano

Panathinaikos’s highly decorated head coach, Zeljko Obradovic, is careful not to underestimate his next EuroLeague opponent: Olimpia Milano is coming to Athens, and its European campaign has been disappointing to say the least so far. But the Serbian coach isn’t taking them lightly, and he makes that clear.

“Poeta’s team has a lot of quality,” he asserts. “We have to respect both ourselves and them. We need to stay consistent for 40 minutes. The red-and-whites have a lot of talent on their roster, and we mustn’t forget that. I think we need to focus a little more on ourselves and rediscover our aggressiveness, which is essential in this tournament. Everyone is available for practice and is working with the team. Only Rogkavopoulos will miss the game.”

In the league, the loss to Virtus came on Sunday at the Forum, on the fifth matchday of Serie A: the Bianconeri won 98-94 in overtime, following a tremendous comeback after trailing by as many as 19 points. With this result, Virtus stands alone at the top of the standings with a perfect 10 points, while Olimpia remains at 4 points, four points behind. Coach Poeta spoke of a team that “did what it set out to do for 35 minutes,” but lost its rhythm after Wright and Diop fouled out and allowed 22 offensive rebounds. The coach also emphasized the need to get a few more players back and the lack of confidence that emerged in the nail-biting finish.