Papanikolaou: “We respect Real, but we have no reason to fear”

In detail what the captain of Olympiakos said:

“It’s a basketball week and we all have to focus on that. It is great that we are here, we have to be focused and do everything throughout the season, following the coach’s plan. We want to enjoy it and see where it takes us.”.

On the fact that Olympiacos is not the favorite and this might take some pressure off: “There’s always pressure going into a Final 4. When you get so close to the trophy it makes sense to want to be the team that takes it. The media usually say who is the favorite or not. I think all teams have an equal chance, it will depend on which team is on a better day, the details and the luck that will play a role. What happened in the past belongs there, we must look only to what comes ahead. We want to make our fans happy, that’s what we fight for all season. And the only thing that is certain is that we will do everything we can to succeed».

For the semi-final against Real Madrid: “I believe we should be ourselves. We’re playing Real, who based on results are the best team this year, but that doesn’t mean they’re invincible. We respect Real Madrid, their players and their coach, but when we represent our basketball we have no reason to fear anyone. Before the games against Barcelona we had the best training sessions of the season, I can say the same about the preparation for Real. Everyone is ready to give 100%, that’s the mentality we have to have».

Regarding the fact that there are two Greek teams in the Final Four, with two Greek captains: “It’s very important for Greek basketball to have two Greek teams in the Final 4. It’s good for Greek sports and the young kids. We played Sluka in 2017 when he was at Fenerbahce, it was a painful final. Everyone will fight for their team. We want to enjoy it, that’s the beauty of it.”