The coach of the “Queen,” Dragan Šakota, stated about the Basketball Champions League Final Four:

“The preparation continues. Obviously, right now we are focused on the first game, since nobody knows yet who the opponent for Saturday will be. Of course, every player – and all of us – want to be optimistic. We want to present the team in the best possible way. On the other hand, I want to say that we do not accept the label of favorites…

Everybody knows that Unicaja Málaga are the back-to-back champions of the BCL and the Intercontinental Cup, while together with the Spanish Super Cup and two domestic Cups, they have won seven trophies over the last four years, with the same coach. So, we are talking about a team that has been constantly winning titles in recent years, which makes Malaga the absolute favorite for the entire competition!

On the other hand, they have a coach who has been with them all these years. He has collected all these trophies. He is participating in the BCL Final Four for the third time and is one of the most experienced coaches in the competition. Malaga have nine players who were also there last season, and eight players over the age of 30. All these facts prove, once again, just how experienced a team they are.

Also, the Final Four is taking place on Spanish soil. As much as we want our fans there – and they will definitely come – the Spanish teams will have the advantage. All these things speak for themselves.

We have our own strengths and we are trying to be fully prepared, but usually people ask who the favorite is, and sometimes what we believe is different from what the numbers and the facts show.”