OLAVARRIA (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019) — Argentina will seek to win to try not to lose advantage against Uruguay in Group A of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers, for what will be their last appearance of the window. At the other side of the court will be a needy Paraguay, who have yet to know a victory in this tournament (0-3) after their most recent loss against Panama; today, they're playing as visitors again in this game at Estadio Parque Guerrero in the city of Olavarria.

The Argentines are coming to the match after capturing 40 rebounds (26 defensive) and handing out 20 assists; as well as achieving 42.86% in field goals (27/36) and 39.13 in 3-pointers (9/23) in the defeat against Uruguay 88-83. Meanwhile, Paraguay fell before Panama as visitors (82-62) in a game where threw 47.9 in field goals, 29.4 in three-point shots, 35 rebounds (28 defensive) and only 9 assists.

Center Marcos Delía spoke about the encounter: “Most of all we worked on ourselves, on our offense, on trying to keep the rhythm and on passes. And we talked about Paraguay coming to play a very hard game. They played well against Panama, which was very difficult for us. We have to be ready to do our job and win the game.”Marcos Delia (ARG)Marcos Delia (ARG)

“The thing about practicing too little is true, but it's the same for everyone. We shouldn’t think about that, we must make our greatest effort in every game. That's the key with this format. Argentina is a team that’s always outstanding on their collective game, their passes, for their work, and all of that requires time. It's something we don't have with this format. But we must get used to it and be ready for all games,” added the Murcia player of Spain's ACB League.

Nicolás Brussino and Luis Scola led the offense with 23 points each, and Lucio Redivo ended with 18 in their defeat against the Charrúas on Saturday's game; while for the squad coached by Luis Oroño, center Guillermo Araujo executed tremendously with 17 points and 10 rebounds, followed by point guard Ramón Sánchez, with 12 points.

Meanwhile, Javier Martínez, former point guard and current assistant coach of the National Team, talked about his mixed feelings in the duel against Argentina. “I can't detach from them. I spent 15 years living and playing in Argentina. Life changes, no doubt about it. We're confident, but we can't stop being realistic about the current situation of the Argentine players —those who play in their country as well as those who live in Europe or Asia, such as Luis Scola. We’ll try to play well against them, no matter the result. One of my idols is getting his jersey retired (Andrés Nocioni) and in that type of situation I feel like just another Argentine. I always want them to do good, but now I'm on the Paraguay bench and we're looking for our best game.”

On Monday, a special moment will take place, when the #13 jersey worn by Andrés Nocioni —the heart of the Argentine National Team— will be retired.

El Chapu —as he is commonly known— is staying with the team roster and while he enjoys being close to his team, he awaits his great moment when on Monday, his #13 jersey will be retired in a special ceremony prepared for him.

FIBA