MUNICH (Germany) - The FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Qualifiers have arrived and we've gathered our panel of experts to discuss the upcoming battles before action tips off on Thursday.

We invited FIBA writers Igor Curkovic, Bradley Gains and Jeff Taylor to answer some key questions and preview the important storylines to follow during the Qualifiers.

A total of 32 teams will compete for 24 places in the Final Round of FIBA EuroBasket 2021. Which national team is the most likely to go undefeated throughout the Qualifiers?

IC: Last summer, Spain's U20, U18, U16 teams plus the national team at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China - all of those suffered just one (yes, one) defeat all summer long, in the Final of the FIBA U20 European Championship in Tel Aviv. I don't really remember how it feels when Spain lose a game, and I don't think I'll get a reminder about that in this campaign. 

BG: I'll go with Serbia. Not the boldest of picks, although they will be tested by the likes of Georgia and Finland. Now under Igor Kokoskov - a coach with a great track record at international level - expect Serbia to build through the Qualifiers. The return of Milos Teodosic is a delight for all basketball purists especially having missed the World Cup through injury. I'll also throw in Spain, just because they're Spain.

JT:  I don't think any team is most likely to go undefeated. Maybe the one with the best chance of doing so would be Greece, however, judging from their performance in the European Qualifiers when they reeled off nine straight wins before falling to Serbia. Greece went 11-1 overall in those games and it should help that Thanasis Skourtopolos will still be at the helm. 

Spain claimed the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 title last year, beating Argentina 95-75 in the Final.

If you had to pick an underdog to spring a surprise and qualify for the main event, who would it be?

IC: Give me North Macedonia. By the time we get to the Final Round, 10 years will have passed since their unreal run in Lithuania, when they made it to the final four of the FIBA EuroBasket 2011. Let's repeat the same kind of red-and-yellow madness in the stands, okay? Okay. They are crazy about basketball over there, and since they've been in the Pre-Qualifiers, it would be kind of a fitting end if they made it to the main event.

BG: Without wanting to be bias, I will say Great Britain. Of the four late arrivals from the Third Round of the FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Pre-Qualifiers, I feel like they probably have the best chance. That may change come Friday evening as they head to Podgorica in a key clash, though even France and Germany *could* be there for the taking.  

JT: Estonia. It has only made it to the EuroBasket twice since the millennium, in 2001 and 2015. However, Qualifiers Group B is not scary, with Italy (already assured of a EuroBasket place as a host nation), North Macedonia and Russia. I expect Estonia and North Macedonia to split their two games, with the points (or goal) differential pivotal. While the Baltic nation didn't reach the World Cup in China, it gave its fans much to smile about with wins over Great Britain, Israel, Serbia and Georgia in the European Qualifiers.  With that in mind, both Italy and Russia should expect tough games when they go to Tallinn.

On the flip side, is there any national team you're slightly worried about ahead of the Qualifiers?

IC: I'm from Croatia, so let me just skip to the next question here, please.

BG: Switzerland scraped through the final round of the Pre-Qualifiers, and that was with the aid of NBA star Clint Capela. Things obviously get tougher without him in their side and they go up against Serbia, Georgia and Finland. Of the higher seeded sides, Slovenia have to integrate some new pieces and a trip to Hungary on the opening night could set the tone of what to expect.

JT: Denmark worries me because their Group C opponents - Czech Republic, Belgium and Lithuania - are countries with a lot of big-game experience in the past decade.  

There are a number of new coaches in the mix for the Qualifiers, which one do you believe will make the biggest impact?

IC: Igor Kokoskov is the obvious answer here. We're talking about the man who won the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 with Slovenia, and has continued upgrading his know-how overseas for the past two and a half years, making him and Serbia a potentially lethal combination which could rule the continent in the coming years.

Having topped his native Serbia in FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Final, Igor Kokoskov begins his reign as coach of the Serbian national team.

BG: It will be interesting to see how Latvia fare under Roberts Stelmahers. The former point guard racked up well over 100 caps for the national team and takes the reigns from Arnis Vecvagars having also previously served as an assistant. They narrowly missed out on a place at the World Cup and while Stelmahers won't have the star names to call upon, there is still plenty of experience for Latvia to make it through their group.

JT: I would expect, and hope, that Igor Kokoskov hits the ground running with his native Serbia because he was terrific as coach of Georgia and more recently Slovenia, the team he led to EuroBasket 2017 glory. If you consider Dario Gjergja a new coach since he only took the helm of Belgium during the Pre-Qualifiers, well, Belgium won all four of those games. He has also distinguished himself in the Basketball Champions League this season by leading Filou Oostende into the Play-Offs. A long-time coach in Belgium, I think his connection with the players will be good.

Which player would you back to lead the scoring charts in the first window?

IC: Since the first round of the first round of the first round of anything, when I first saw Gabriel Lundberg put on a Danish shirt, I became a huge fan of his. Lundberg is enjoying a highly successful campaign with Iberostar Tenerife, he is still improving his game both offensively and defensively, and we're talking about a guy who averaged 22.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 steals in 11 games during the FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Pre-Qualifiers. He's a different animal when the sign says "Denmark" on his chest.

BG: I'm inclined to stay away from the big nations in this and plump for Gabriel Lundberg of Denmark. The Iberostar Tenerife guard does it all for his national team and while they may struggle to pick up wins in a tough group, Lundberg will be out to lead from the front. Another shout goes to Jordan Morgan - set for his debut for Slovenia with the naturalized center dominating for Turkish side Pinar Karsiyaka both domestically and in the FIBA Europe Cup. 

JT: I was tempted to go with the big fella, Miroslav Raduljca of Serbia. I considered the Netherlands' leading scorer in the European Qualifiers, the third-generation Dutch national team man, Yannick Franke. I thought of going with one man that's had a very hot hand of late at Iberostar Tenerife, three-point shooting Santi Yusta of Spain. Instead, my guy is his teammate in the Canary Islands, Gabriel Lundberg of Denmark. The Danes will need him to do a lot of everything in their games and judging from his 22.1 points per game in 11 EuroBasket 2021 Pre-Qualifiers appearances - he'll be ready.

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