Finished…breakfast and, as they say in all major events, and in this particular case, “the real… EuroBasket now begins.” The playoff stage of the 1/8 finals, which will start today and end tomorrow, will largely show which teams will reach the end, confirming the favorites and outsiders.

The national team, with an absolute victory (5×5) in its group, is one of the favorites of the tournament and is simply called upon to cope on the floor with the specific title that was awarded to it. The Czech Republic, the first hurdle to be overcome tomorrow (21.45, Berlin), does not intimidate at all, however, this is a team with good statistics that has “harmed” us in recent years, has the necessary chemistry and players who make the difference (Satoransky, Veseli).

There were three great derbies in the 1/8 finals. Of the couples, today’s duel between Spain and Lithuania (21.45), as well as between Turkey and France (13.00), with which the “battles” of Berlin will open in due course, stands out. These are extremely ambiguous games between teams that did not convince with their image in the groups, but at the right time produced a reaction. This is a big blow for Turkey as Shane Larkin’s injury knocked him out of the EuroBasket.

Jambol today in the playoffs “16” – Tomorrow the Czech team.

NBA MVP Nikola Jokic Serbia also finished undefeated in their group, together with our team and Slovenia they are one of the main contenders for winning first place, they have an advantage over Italy, but the “fans”, despite the fact that they have disadvantages, the most basic of which is the “5” position, they have qualities of players (Fontecchio, Polonnara, Meli, Datome) that make it difficult for their opponent.

In the rest of the games, there are clear favorites, although in the knockout matches everything is open and surprises await. Most importantly, Lukas Doncic’s Slovenia will face Belgium. Germany will play Montenegro, and if the forecasts in their favor are confirmed, they will be our opponents in the quarter-final stage, if, of course, everything goes the way they want against the Czech Republic. The program is completed by matches Finland – Croatia and Ukraine – Poland.