Serbia feel pressure of 2012, hope deja vu will be a complete one that delivers ticket to China

BELGRADE (Serbia) - Back in the FIBA EuroBasket 2013 Qualifiers, Serbia were on the brink of elimination following a defeat in Estonia. However, they advanced thanks to a win against Israel at home on the last day of the qualifying campaign.

In a bizarre twist of fate, Serbia have once again fallen in Tallinn on the penultimate game of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers. And, to make you feel like you've already been through this before, we've got Israel coming to test Serbia in Belgrade on Sunday, in the final game for both teams, to determine who of the two finishes third in Group L and, with it, gets to qualify for the World Cup.

Final. It almost feels like a final, indeed.

"There is pressure, since it's a game that we need to win. But, we have enough players with great experience in those type of games. We will be ready, mentally, for those conditions," said Serbia forward Milenko Tepic.

Milenko Tepic in a do-or-die game against Israel in the FIBA EuroBasket 2013 Qualifiers,
played in 2012

Tepic saved the day back in the FIBA EuroBasket 2013 Qualifiers in September 2012. His 16 points against Israel got the 6,000 fans in the stands excited as Serbia booked another appearance in Europe's biggest competition. The game finished 83-67 as Nenad Krstic had 14 points and 7 rebounds in the winnig cause, while Nemanja Bjelica added a dozen.

"Yes, I remember that one. Deja vu. I hope it will be a complete one," Tepic added.

A player named Milos Teodosic also played in that 2012 thriller. His 9 points and 7 assists helped out against Israel, but even though he had 16 points and 10 assists in his World Cup Qualifiers debut in Estonia on Thursday, he wasn't feeling all that happy about his performance in a loss.

"I wanted to play basketball, badly. I'm far from my greatest shape and I don't want to talk about my game against Estonia," the disappointed playmaker said after the 71-70 defeat in Tallinn.

Teodosic believes the home court advantage on Sunday will play a vital role

"The fans are going to be important to us (against Israel). I hope the arena will be full," he said. "These Qualifiers are not easy, at all, I just hope we will play better and win in Belgrade in front of those fans."

Israel will also feel like they have a shot, after having beaten the Serbs 83-74 at home during the fifth window of the Qualifiers. Thursday's 81-77 win over Germany gave Oded Kattache's boys some much needed confidence ahead of the three-hour long flight to Belgrade.

"I'm so proud of the way (our young players) played. We won with defense, with a lot of hustle plays, it's not that easy to build a game plan against such a good team like Germany in four days, but the players reacted excellently and I'm so happy," he said.

It will be a similar kind of job for Kattache, building a game plan against another good team like Serbia, and with fewer than four days. And this time, not even the defense, hustle or a complete sweep over Serbia could be enough for Israel to qualify!

If Georgia defeat Estonia, there will be a three-way tie and Serbia would advance in that scenario - that is, unless they lose by 22 or more to Israel. Wins for Israel and Estonia would send Israel to the World Cup draw in Shenzhen on March 16, along with fellow Group L teams Greece and Germany.

Serbia-Israel at Belgrade's Aleksandar Nikolic Hall and Georgia-Estonia in Sports Palace in Tbilisi both tip off at 16:00 CET on Sunday.

FIBA