After a strong start in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague by slamming ALBA Berlin, FC Barcelona (1-0) will face Bayern Munich (0-1) on Thursday.
Nikola Mirotic, who missed both Regular Season games against the German team last season, is ready to take over.
"We did great against ALBA, so our aim is to keep that level. Our desire is to overcome Bayern, really. They beat us last year, here at Audi Dome and also at home, so we are hungry," admitted the power forward.
The Montenegrin star, who scored 22 points against ALBA Berlin, spoke about how he deals with the pressure and how unselfish his teammates are.
"I try to do my best and be motivated. I know there is always a high demand, I'm aware of it, but this is not possible in every game. At this time, I'm enjoying the game, so I play well.
However, the team is above everything. We have a great team without selfish players. We help each other. If the team is fine, I play better," recognized Mirotic.
Bayern will continue playing without some injured players. Even so, coach Sarunas Jasikevicius admitted it is going to be a hard road game.
"We know this is one of the most difficult games on the road. Bayern finished fifth last season. They are in the same direction: tough on defense, patient on offense... They know how to play, they are really well-coached.
We will need to be extremely focused on every possession in each quarter. It's going to be a physical game," explained the Lithuanian coach.
Last season's runner-up will not have Sertac Sanli on its roster. The Turkish center did not travel to Munich.
"Sanli has not come. He will be out for a few days. Let's see how many," concluded Jasikevicius.
Sanli was doing well against Casademont Zaragoza until he suffered an ankle sprain. Despite coming back to the game early in the second quarter, he did not play in the second half.
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FC Barcelona
ALBA Berlin
FC Bayern Munich
Olympiakos Piraeus
