BELGRADE (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Serbia proved once again while launching their World Cup Qualifiers campaign that no matter which players put on the national team shirt, the Balkan country is going to be extremely difficult to beat.

After pulling away for an 85-64 triumph in Belgrade over Austria in Group G with just two players from their side that finished second at FIBA EuroBasket 2017, the Serbians have turned their attention to more formidable opposition in Georgia.

Participants at the last four EuroBaskets, Georgia will attempt to bounce back from a 79-70 defeat at Germany, a game they led at the start of the fourth quarter.

Serbia won every quarter against Austria and never looked in danger of slipping to a defeat.

"I believe we can play better (against Georgia)," Serbia coach Sasha Djordjevic said. "We'll play our game the best we can. It's a very tough challenge again."

Though they only have Stefan Bircevic and Milan Macvan from the EuroBasket team on the current roster, Djordjevic was able to bring back former national team players Milenko Tepic, Ivan Paunic, Dorde Gagic, Marko Simonovic and Miroslav Raduljica.

The return of center Raduljica and sweet-shooting forward Simonovic helped on both ends of the floor, and Paunic ended up leading the team in scoring.

Georgia know they'll be in for a hard game, yet they should have gained confidence from their opening game. The side coached by Ilias Zouros had a lethal perimeter attack. As their younger players gain more experience, Georgia will get better.

Key Match-Ups: Raduljica will be difficult to contain in the low post if Georgia's struggles against Germany's Maik Zirbes are anything to go by. Zirbes, a muscular 2.07m (6ft 9in) pivot, poured in 17 points on 7 of 11 shooting against them. The powerful Raduljica, who has a heavier frame, is even taller at 2.13m (7ft) and he has been crucial for Serbia sides that finished second at the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. For Georgia, Mikhail Berishvili underlined his importance to the team as a constant threat from deep while Michael Dixon was very effective as the playmaker. Look for Serbia to harass Dixon and also to deny Berishvili the ball.

Key Stats: Georgia made twice as many 3-pointers as Germany in their clash, drilling 16 of 34 attempts. Berishvili and Dixon each connected on five attempts from long range. Serbia were convincing winners against Austria yet it helped their cause that the visitors were just 11 of 20 at the free-throw line. While Raduljica and Simonovic each had 15 points, the 16 scored by Paunic on 7 of 8 shooting, including 2 of 3 from deep, was the bigger talking point. Having not featured for Serbia since September 12, 2012, in the EuroBasket 2013 Qualification Round, Paunic made a dramatic impact and showed that at 30 years of age he still has plenty to offer the national side.

FIBA