FOSHAN, China, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Serbia's head coach Sasha Djordjevic said on Monday that he was not sure that the match with huge point difference would be good for the development of the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Serbia trounced the Philippines 126-67 in Group D, winning by more than a century points in two group matches. But its final opponents on Wednesday Italy, also advancing to last 16 from the group, is expected to make the match much tougher for Serbia.
"We are not going to win by 50 points for sure. First of all we need to get a win if possible. We are going to play a point-by-point, tough and physical game. They know us, we know them. It will be a great match for us," said Djordjevic.
"There are some groups from the start that you probably know which two teams are going to advance. These groups are obvious. I don't know that it's a good thing in general for the competition. I don't know what it serves us and serves the Philippines team winning or losing by this point difference," he added.
Commenting on preparation, Djordjevic noted, "It's a huge challenge for us. They were up in their conditions, and played better in these two games than they did in preparation. They got some big names back in their squad. They know how to play basketball, and are extremely experienced and basketball shooting team. Two days ago they had a great game against the Philippines and showed their quality. We have to be really careful and give our best to get to win."
"I never have worries. I just prepare myself and the team to be the best as we can," Djordjevic pointed out.
