On Monday, August 31 at 7:30 PM, the Vitrifrigo Arena in Pesaro will be sold out for one of the most highly anticipated games on the road to the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup: Italy vs. Serbia.
The game goes well beyond the two points at stake, bringing together two of European basketball’s traditional powers and a rivalry that has produced some of the most memorable moments in Italy’s recent history.
The game will be Italy’s second outing in the Second Round of the qualifiers for the World Cup in Doha. The Azzurri finished the First Round atop Group D with a 5-1 record, while Serbia placed second in their group with a 4-2 record.
In the new Group J, the top three teams will advance to the World Cup finals.
Italy head coach Luca Banchi previewed the matchup:
“The road to the World Cup is still a long one. There isn’t even time to think about last night because we have an opponent in front of us that raises the level even further, Serbia. Our teams come into this game with identical records, and a lot is at stake. Jokic certainly helps generate a great deal of interest around this game.
We can count on Simone [Fontecchio], and we have all the tools to play at their level. We will focus on the team and prepare as well as possible for a tough opponent that will give us no margin for error. Yesterday we spent an enormous amount of energy in physical battles. We need to regain the consistency we lost yesterday, and that is our focus. I had a wonderful experience here in Pesaro (the 2021-22 season, ed.), and it will be great to play in this arena again.”
For Simone Fontecchio, games against Serbia bring back some great memories and performances. He will face a tough roster featuring Nikola Jokic and Nikola Jovic, his Miami Heat teammate:
“We know this is a difficult game, different from the ones we’ve played against Serbia in recent years, when we came out smiling. I hope this one will be different from yesterday’s game against Bosnia as well. We have to approach it with even greater determination.
We will get a huge boost from Pesaro, a city that lives for basketball. We’ve already seen how passionate the fans are. We can’t wait to take the court and give the crowd some emotions.”
Italy and Serbia have faced each other repeatedly in recent years, often in decisive games that have almost always delivered spectacular basketball.
Commenta
Visualizza commenti