LJUBLJANA (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Turkey find themselves in a good situation to advance from the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers and at the same time come close to eliminating the reigning FIBA EuroBasket champions Slovenia in their final game in the fourth window.

Turkey enter Monday's game in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana on a three-game winning streak and with a 5-2 record - leavin them one win behind Group I leaders Spain and even on record with Latvia.  Slovenia, meanwhile, have lost four straight games and sit in last place with 2-5 record - one win behind Montenegro and two adrift of Ukraine.

The Turks will be looking to somehow bottle up their home flair from Ankara as the Turkish capital has been the site of the team’s last three victories, including on Friday against Montenegro 79-69.

Ufuk Sarica's 12 Giant Men have gone 4-0 at home in European Qualifiers. But the road hasn't been as favorable, with losses coming in Sweden and Latvia to go with their win in Ukraine

"The Slovenia game would have been much more difficult if we hadn't won this game (against Montenegro)," said Furkan Korkmaz, who has averaged 19.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.3 assists in his three Qualifiers games while also shooting 61 percent from three-point range.

Sarica has another weapon at his disposal in the fourth window as NBA veteran Ersan Ilyasova joined the fray, playing for Turkey for the first time since FIBA EuroBasket 2015. His experience - along with that of Semih Erden - will play a major role in a young Turkey team's ability to beat Slovenia on the road.

The Slovenians are reeling in the Qualifiers with their last win coming on February 23 in Montenegro. After losing both home games in June and July, Radovan Trifunovic’s team lost 85-74 to Latvia in Riga on Friday as Slovenia shot just 36 percent from the field.

"We must learn something from the defeat, keep our heads up and try to play well on Monday," said Slovenia veteran Gasper Vidmar.

Slovenia may be reigning European champions but Vidmar is just one of six players back from the squad that won the EuroBasket 2017 title in Istanbul. Among others, Trifunovic is missing the top three scorers from last summer. Still the team tries to deal with the hand it has been dealt.

Slovenia's ability to score will be key in the home match-up as their games have seen average of 162 points, more than in any of the other European teams’ games. But Turkey don't mind slowing things down as only 139 points per game are scored when Sarica’s team is involved - bested only by the 138 points per game in Hungary’s encounters.

While Slovenia might not be nominally eliminated from World Cup contention with a loss at home on Monday, Turkey however could add another nail to the coffin.

FIBA