The Blues will have an additional motive in this match, because just three days ago, Cluj convincingly eliminated them from the round of 16 of the Eurocup, winning in Morača (100:82).
"The first thing for this match is the reaction - much more toughness, aggression, approach and concentration. I don't think it was at the level we want two days ago. It all starts from that and, if it is at the right level, I am sure that we can play equally despite all the injury problems we have. We have to find the energy, focus and try to get the win," said Budućnost coach Andrej Žakelj in the match announcement.
The Romanian team has won all three of their matches with the Montenegrin champion so far, all in the Eurocup, as Cluj is only a debutant in the regional competition.
"It's not easy mentally right now, but I think the best thing we can do is to focus all that frustration on the next game against the same opponent. We need to fix the things we didn't do well in the previous match," said Budućnost basketball player Rashid Sulajmon.
It's not a very common situation for two teams to play twice in just three days, in two different competitions.
"It's an unusual situation to play against the same team twice in a row, but I believe we can learn from our mistakes, put on a good performance in front of our fans and show that the previous night was just a bad performance. They play physically and at a high pace in attack, so we need to control the rhythm of the game better - to reduce the number of turnovers and get quality shots. We need to be more aggressive in defense. In this match, we need to respond with energy, to be tough and play on the edge of fouls, like they did. If we change that mental approach, I believe we can get the result we wanted in the previous game," said Sulajmon.
Buducnost is fourth in the standings with a score of 14-4, as is Crvena Zvezda, while Cluj is at 10-7.
The match at the M:tel Hall "Morača" starts at 8 pm.
