Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv heads into Thursday's game against Villeurbanne (9 pm Israel time, 3 pm EST) with a seven-game winning streak and positive momentum, looking to take another big step towards securing a Euroleague top 8 ticket. While the Yellows defeated the French 88-69 at home in the last round, coach Oded Kattash is aware that there are no free gifts this season.
"We're in good shape and depend only on ourselves, but that doesn't mean we should feel like we're favorites tomorrow," Kattash said. "The numbers might say we're the better team, but after everything we've experienced until now, we know that no game is easy. That being said, this is definitely an opportunity we can't afford to miss."
Villeurbanne is currently ranked last in the Euroleague table with eight straight losses and no impressive statistics to take pride in, but forward Josh Nebo is ready for a tough matchup. "We're taking this game seriously," he stated. "We're not looking at Villeurbanne's current form or record because we've learned that anyone can beat anyone in this competition. This is going to be a real battle."
"We're in good shape and depend only on ourselves, but that doesn't mean we should feel like we're favorites tomorrow," Kattash said. "The numbers might say we're the better team, but after everything we've experienced until now, we know that no game is easy. That being said, this is definitely an opportunity we can't afford to miss."
Villeurbanne is currently ranked last in the Euroleague table with eight straight losses and no impressive statistics to take pride in, but forward Josh Nebo is ready for a tough matchup. "We're taking this game seriously," he stated. "We're not looking at Villeurbanne's current form or record because we've learned that anyone can beat anyone in this competition. This is going to be a real battle."