"It will be a great atmosphere."

The Greek powerhouse Olympiacos Piraeus is coming to the sold-out SAP Garden on Friday evening, with MagentaSport broadcasting the final game of the fifth EuroLeague game day free of charge on its platforms. Whether captain Vladimir Lucic (muscle contusion) will make his comeback will only be determined on game day. The veteran has been training moderately this week and will undergo further examination on Thursday. The arena has been sold out for weeks, with 11,200 fans attending, around 2,000 of them supporting the visitors. Can FC Bayern Basketball still secure their third home win against the Greek champions (both teams at 2:2), who have reached the Final Four three times in a row? Head coach Gordon Herbert and FCBB's top scorer Carsen Edwards (18.2 PPG) answered questions during the media talk earlier today. Here’s a brief summary of their statements:

Gordon Herbert: "Olympiacos is a powerhouse in the EuroLeague every year. For us, it will be crucial to secure defensive and offensive rebounds to create easy scoring opportunities. In the half-court, we need to be careful with the ball. (...) I don't know if they are the best opponent we've faced so far. But every EuroLeague game is tough and a battle; we have to come out and win those duels and fight. (...)

Playing basketball in the SAP Garden is fantastic. The stands are steep, and we've had great support from our fans in both games; they were the sixth man. (...) Together with the Olympiacos fans, there will be an amazing atmosphere. They have a fantastic fanbase, but so do we, which will make it special. (...)

We're playing at home, and we want to take advantage of that

Without Niels (Giffey) and Lucic, we've recently had a ten-man rotation. Without those two, we've clearly shortened it a bit. It's not up to me to expand it; it depends on how the rotation players perform. If they play well, they will play. Otherwise, they won't. (...) Carsen (Edwards) has had a very good start to the EuroLeague season. He has improved his defense. We're trying to ensure he brings his best game every time because he has the potential to be a very good player in various aspects, not just as a scorer."

Carsen Edwards: "Playing against Olympiacos will be tough; they are so talented. We need to show our best game and focus as much as possible on the things we’ve planned. But we’re playing at home, and we want to take advantage of that, play hard, and limit our mistakes. (...)

I’m grateful for our fans, as well as everyone else who comes to our games. I don't think the changed atmosphere (due to the Piraeus support) will be a disadvantage. (...) I'm doing everything I can to help my team win. I've also continued to work on improving my defense. Defense is largely about effort, and I'm focusing on that even more because you can always give your all personally, regardless of whether your shots are falling that night or not. (...)

I returned to Munich because I like it here. I know the city now; I know my spots, the restaurants, the team. I've switched teams often and adapted quickly. But this was an opportunity to come back to a place where I felt the people enjoy watching me play and where I enjoy being. (...) I’m playing my third year alongside Devin (Booker), and this is my second year with others like Andi (Obst) and Nick (Weiler-Babb). Some of the new guys already know each other as well. I think everything fits together nicely."

Upcoming Games for FCBB

Friday, October 25, 8:45 PM: 5th EuroLeague Game Day, FCBB – Olympiacos Piraeus (SAP Garden)

Sunday, October 27, 4:30 PM: 6th easyCredit BBL Game Day, FCBB – Fit/One Würzburg Baskets (BMW Park)

Tuesday, October 29, 9:00 PM: 6th EuroLeague Game Day, Virtus Bologna – FCBB

Friday, November 1, 8:00 PM: 7th EuroLeague Game Day, Asvel Lyon-Villeurbanne – FCBB

Sunday, November 3, 6:00 PM: 7th BBL Game Day, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig – FCBB