BRESCIA (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - There will be precious points at stake when behemoths Italy and Lithuania clash at the PalaLeonessa in the northern Italian city of Brescia on Thursday evening.

Entering the fifth window of the  FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers as the clear front-runners in Group J, the pair will be looking to continue carving up the standings, though they might have to operate with slightly different comfort levels.

The Azzurri are yet to punch their ticket to China with a 6-2 record, while the unbeaten Baltic side already clinched their World Cup spot  back in September and can set their mind on boosting their position for the draw and ultimately the first-ever 32-team edition of the competition.

"This is the first of the last four qualification games against a team like Lithuania, whose record of eight wins in eight contests speaks for itself," said Italy head coach Meo Sachetti. "There's no need to discuss their strength, but [we] have demonstrated the right attitude so far."

The difficulty of the task at hand for Italy is also demonstrated by the fact that Lithuania have come up on top in 10 of the 13 games played between the two nations in FIBA competitions, including the last five contests.

The teams last met in the Group Phase of FIBA EuroBasket 2017, when the Green Machine scored a 78-73 win behind a 20-point effort from Adas Juskevicius. The 6ft 5in (1.94m) guard will be present for coach Dainius Adomaitis in Brescia, alongside three more names from that winning side: Mantas Kalnietis, Jonas Maciulis and Eimantas Bendzius, who has been a revelation for Lithuania in the Qualifiers. 

For Italy,  the quintet of Awudu Abass, Christian Burns, Paul Biligha, Ariel Filloy and Pietro Aradori all have first-hand memories from the fixture in Tel Aviv.

But over the years, Italy have claimed some memorable wins as well, handing Lithuania a famous 100-91 upset in the Semi-Finals of the Athens 2004 Olympics after the likes of Gianluca Basile, Giacomo Galanda and Gianmarco Pozzecco caught fire from beyond the arc.

Long-range shooting has also been the signature of Sachetti's team, with the Italians side ranking second in the European Qualifiers with 91 made three-pointers.

However, other statistical parameters are in Lithuania's favor, including a competition-best 20.4 points average margin of victory in their eight wins perhaps the most telling of all.

"It's an emotional and energetic type of team," Lithuania play caller Dainius Adomaitis said of Thursday's opponents. "There are a lot things they can do on a good wave of emotions. The main thing [for us] is limiting the turnovers on offense and not allowing them to play fast. That's where they flourish."

With qualification in sight and attainable by winning both games in this window, Italy will be looking to cash in on their second last game of the Qualifiers on home soil before setting off to Gdansk where they will face Poland.

A Brescia presentata 🇮🇹🇱🇹, 9a di @FIBAWC . Petrucci🗣️: "Il pubblico di Brescia sarà straordinario”. Sacchetti 🗣️:“Baltici squadra forte. Servirà ancora il giusto atteggiamento”. 800 biglietti al sold out del PalaLeonessa! 🗞️https://t.co/KItj8nY8kX#italbasket #ThisIsMyHouse pic.twitter.com/ey1N75NVCH

— Italbasket (@Italbasket) November 26, 2018

"I know the Brescia public well. They know how to get behind a team even in difficult moments. Now it's up to us to win over their support," Sachetti said as he looked ahead to playing at the PalaLeonessa.

But while Italy's opponents from Lithuania may be known for their team-oriented basketball and sharing the ball on the court, it is unlikely that the Mantas Kalnietis-led side will be as keen on sharing wins with others.

From the Lithuanian perspective, extending the winning streak in the European Qualifiers is as much about the pride of being one of only three teams without a defeat - along with fellow China 2019-bound Germany and Greece - as it is about accumulating wins to better their outlook for the Final Round.

FIBA