EuroLeague: Campazzo Takes On Real Madrid Challenge: "We Have to Be Ourselves"

ATHENS. Facundo Campazzo will be one of Real Madrid's key pieces in the EuroLeague final against Olympiacos. The Argentine point guard spoke to the media after the white team's training session and acknowledged the enormous difficulty of facing the Greek team in a predictably hostile atmosphere at the Telekom Center in Athens.

"If we want to win tomorrow, we need to be aggressive from the start. Not just on offense, but on defense too," Campazzo explained when analyzing the keys to the game.

The Argentine highlighted Olympiacos' offensive capacity and the variety of resources of the team coached by Georgios Bartzokas.

"They can score in many ways, from the one through the five. It's going to be a huge challenge for us. We have to control the boards, be ourselves and play with fluidity," said the Real Madrid point guard.

Campazzo also spoke about the complicated interior situation facing Real Madrid following the injuries of Edy Tavares, Alex Len and Usman Garuba, absences that clearly affect the physical balance of the white team before the final.

"We have three very important injuries at the center position. It's going to be tough controlling the boards. They have big, long, athletic and very physical players," he acknowledged.

Still, the Argentine point guard wanted to emphasize that the danger of Olympiacos is not limited solely to the interior game, highlighting the talent and scoring ability of the Greek perimeter.

"At the same time they're very dangerous on the outside. They can score in so many ways and they have a lot of talent," he added.

Campazzo also recalled a very symbolic image from the 2015 EuroLeague final, when Real Madrid defeated Olympiacos. After that game, the Argentine entered the opposing locker room to ask Vassilis Spanoulis for his jersey, a gesture he still holds very close.

"I think mentally I'm much better now. I have much more experience and I'm a better player than I was then. I remember that locker room was sad, but I'll always be grateful to Spanoulis for giving me his jersey," the Argentine concluded.