MADRID, 17 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Real Madrid point guard Sergio Llull is clear that a Clasico against Barça “is always special”, but “more so” if a spot in the Euroleague final is at stake, as is the case with the duel that will measure both of them this Thursday in Belgrade and for which they must be “physically and mentally prepared for 40 very hard minutes”.
“A Clásico is always a special match and even more so when it’s in a ‘Final Four’, but the team is prepared and knows that it won’t be easy because we have a great rival up front, a team that plays very physically and has been first place in the Regular League. The team is looking forward to it, excited and we have to leave everything on the pitch to win and go to the final”, Llull told ‘Real Madrid TV’.
The man from Mahón highlighted the “defensive level” that they are offering. “When we have been good in defense we have won games. We will also have to impose our pace of play and in attack move the ball and be prepared both physically and mentally for 40 very hard minutes”, he warned.
“We put all our hearts into it, it’s the DNA of Real Madrid. When you put on this shirt you have the responsibility to give everything until the end, to never give up, to never give up and that’s what we’re going to try in the ‘Final Four ‘ to get the title”, added the Menorcan.
For Llull, this week prior to a ‘Final Four’ “is, without a doubt, one of the biggest of the season”, and he celebrated that they have done “a great job throughout the year, with some very good ‘playoffs’ “. “We are very eager and very excited,” he stressed.
The madridista will play his eighth ‘F4’ and he does not hide that “you learn from everything”. “Eight ‘Final Four’ teach you and that point of experience also plays in our favor. We have players who have played several and we are going to try to make that serve us to prepare well for the first game”, he admitted.
The base feels “privileged” to enjoy this appointment again and to “continue defending this shirt in this club”. “What makes the format special is that in two games you can be European champion. We have that small step left, which is the most difficult, but we are going to go for it all. The team is in a very good line of work and we have to prepare for that first semi-final match,” he stressed.
Finally, Llull sent a thank you message to his fans “for all the support during the year”. “It’s been a difficult year, but here we are, in another ‘Final Four’, and we promise you a lot of effort, a lot of dedication and a lot of sacrifice to try to achieve another Euroleague and be able to celebrate it with them,” he said.