Maccabi Tel Aviv is readying to tipoff against Besiktas on Wednesday (21:05 Israel time) at the Pionir Arena in Belgrade, Serbia which has been serving as the club’s home away from home since the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on the Jewish State and the ongoing security situation.

Following a tough loss to ASVEL Villeurbanne in France in the yellow-and-blue’s Euroleague opener, Head Coach Oded Katash’s squad will look to get back onto the winning track and vine up their record early on in the season. However, Maccabi will have to do it without captain John Dibartolomeo who will be attending his brother’s wedding while Gur Lavi who is still recovering from an injury sustained last season remained in Israel.

Just before the team boarded their flight to Begrade, Katash along with Jimmy Clark spoke about the team’s early-season struggles, the upcoming double week which sees them visiting Panathinaikos on Friday and the need to become more physical and aggressive.

“It’s unfortunate that we’re not playing at home in Israel,” Katash began. “It’s not easy to start another season on the road and hopefully we’ll be back home soon. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be playing in Israel, if you ask us.

“We’re facing another team that may not be among the EuroLeague’s top contenders, but that’s what makes these games even more dangerous. We’re still at the beginning of the season and we’ve seen how difficult it is to find consistency at this stage.”

Jimmy Clark who is coming off an injury agreed with the bench boss concerning playing the EuroLeague games back in Israel, “I agree with him wholeheartedly. Just being out here in Israel day-to-day and seeing everything that’s going on, I feel like there’s no reason the games shouldn’t be here. Hopefully they come back soon and we can see how it goes then.”

Maccabi will need to find a way to match their opponent’s aggressiveness and physicality that they had trouble with at ASVEL and at this stage of the season in order to win games you’ve got to do what’s needed to pick up the victory Katash explained.

“Things certainly won’t be as smooth or polished as they will be in a few months, but it’s important that we’re ready for the physicality. We simply need to play better and be more physical. Our opponent plays at a high tempo and has already faced some of the EuroLeague’s top teams. We need to match that pace.”

Clark feels that one of the ingredients that is needed is just laying it all out on the floor for 40 minutes, “Me personally, I just feel like we need to be together for all 40 minutes, play defense for all 40 minutes and just bring the energy. I feel like if we do that, everything else will take care of itself.”

The game also marks the beginning of Maccabi’s first double week of the season, with two challenging matchups in store. Katash emphasized the importance of managing his roster and getting positive results.

“We’ll need to make use of our depth and manage the workload. We have two very difficult games ahead of us, which makes Wednesday’s matchup a must-win.”

“Double-game weeks are always hard, especially playing home away from home,” Clark added. “But we’ve got to make it our home, try to do our best with it and just come out here, bring the energy and play together for all 40 minutes in both of these games to get the outcome we want.”

Looking ahead to the second game of the week and the opportunity to face Željko Obradović, Katash said, “It’s always nice. I’ve had the opportunity to face him several times, so we’re used to it. It’s always great to return to this arena, with its great atmosphere and energy. It’s a very challenging game against a team with an incredible roster, but it’s difficult to look too far ahead. Right now, we’re focused on tomorrow.”

Katash also outlined what he wants to see from his team following its disappointing EuroLeague opener, stressing the need for greater urgency and intensity, “We need a greater sense of urgency and to execute at a much higher level. There will always be some trial and error. We’ll improve certain things, make adjustments, and put players in better situations.

“But we need a certain level of aggression. The EuroLeague is becoming more intense and physical with every passing year and that’s something we’re lacking. We need to be tougher and more aggressive.”