Chus Mateo: “The first game will be really tough and we have to treat it like a final”
“The Copa is a competition without any favourites because anyone can have a great game and go through," he underlined ahead of Real Madrid-Baxi Manresa.
Chus Mateo spoke to the press at the Real Madrid City sports hall to assess the team's Copa del Rey opener against Baxi Manresa (Friday, 6:30pm CET). “We've got a quarterfinal against a team playing some great basketball with real bravery. We know how tough this first game will be and we have to treat it like a final from the first minute. We won't have Deck available, but Musa and Ibaka will travel."
“The Copa is a competition without any favourites because anyone can have a great game and go through. We're only thinking about our next opponent and we're well aware of their strengths. We're coming up against one of the best defenses in the league, they don't give you much space and play a daring brand of basketball."
Goals
“It will be a really hard game until the final minute. The Copa is such an attractive proposition for the fans because anyone can beat anyone. Our intention is to win it again, as we did last year."