MUNICH (FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Pre-Qualifiers) - The stakes continue to grow in the FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Pre-Qualifiers, with teams closing in on the four available tickets to the Second Round.

The three games on Thursday will set us up for what could be decisive battles on Sunday, as Cyprus and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia enter the February window with a realistic shot of securing early qualification.

Group A: Switzerland v Slovak Republic

Time: Thursday, 18:15 CET
Follow this game because: After suffering defeats against the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in the November window, Switzerland and Slovakia both need to start accumulating ticks in the win column if they are to compete for a place in the Second Round. One side will get their campaign back on track, while the other will dig themselves into an even deeper hole by day's end.
Key matchup: Marko Mladjan collected more than a third of Switzerland's points against MKD, going off for 23 and 9 boards in an 83-68 win. He will go up against Slovakia's front-court headed by top scorer Peter Sedmak in what promises to be an exciting head-to-head battle between versatile players, who are dangerous both inside and outside the paint.
Stat of the game: Only one team have dished more assists in a game than Slovakia (18 vs MKD) in the Pre-Qualifiers.
The 'insider' prediction: Home court advantage is unlikely to be enough for Switzerland. They would need an extraordinary performance to come out victorious, with the Slovaks entering Thursday's encounter as the on-paper favorites.

Group B: Denmark v Albania

Time: Thursday, 18:30 CET
Follow this game because: Danish basketball is on the rise! The national team heads the Group B standings; Danish club Bakken Bears are on a historic run in the FIBA Europe Cup. The Erez Bittman-coached Denmark will be playing in front of an intrigued crowd in Naevsted for a chance to move to move to 2-0 in the standings.
Key matchup: Gabriel Lundberg is one of only two players in the Pre-Qualifiers to score at least 20 points, grab at least 7 rebounds and dish out at least 5 assists. Could Elvisi Dusha be the answer for Albania on the defensive end?
Stat of the day: Albania have grabbed 82% of the available rebounds under their own basket, the best ratio in the Pre-Qualifiers.
The 'insider' prediction: After a big win over Armenia in November, anything short of a win against Albania would be seen as an unsatisfactory result for the Danes.

Group C: Luxembourg v Cyprus

Time: Thursday, 20:30 CET
Follow this game because: After defeating Portugal in Nicosia back in November, Cyprus could clinch a ticket to the next round with a pair of wins in the February window. Their next opponent Luxembourg showed just how dangerous they can be, when they went up by 27 points against Portugal before a spectacular second-half collapse saw them lose in overtime.
Key matchup: Thomas Grun scored 10 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 9 assists against Portugal and will be the primary target for the Cypriot defense, with Vasilios Kounas responsible for getting buckets on the other end.
Stat of the game: Luxembourg have made 86.4 of their attempted free-throws, the best scoring ratio from the line among all teams in the Pre-Qualifiers.
The 'insider' prediction: Although it won't be easy on the road, particularly without the injured Nikolaos Stylianou, the islanders are still probably slight favorites to come out on top.

FIBA