Round of 16 preview: Gustavson-led Finland looking for another upset to start Play-Offs

BRATISLAVA/PIESTANY (FIBA U18 European Championship 2017) - France and Finland have had completely opposite trajectories at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2017 but their paths are set to collide at the Round of 16 on Wednesday.

An opening-day defeat at the hands of Bosnia and Herzegovina set the injury-depleted French side back initially but coach Frederic Crapez's side won the next two games in Group D against Latvia and Slovak Republic to earn the top spot in the standings.

"First place in the group is of big importance for us, as we started this European Championship badly with a loss against Bosnia and Herzegovina. We followed it up with two good games, in order to face the seemingly easier opponent in the Round of 16. However, all teams from the other group are strong, so we must keep improving and build on a good base for the tasks ahead," said France point guard Ludovic Beyhurst.

Meanwhile, Finland began the tournament by registering an upset against Lithuania, but crumbled against Greece and, later, Slovenia, to drop all the way to the bottom of the standings, making them arguably the most dangerous fourth seed of them all.

Ivan Fevrier is France's only double-digit scorer with 12.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in a team-oriented setting, while Andre Gustavson leads the way for Finland with 19.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists.

Having ended their drought in Group A by closing out the Group Phase with a confidence-boosting overtime victory against Russia, Germany will be looking to transform that momentum into a Round of 16 upset against Serbia, who finished first in Group B.

"It’s always important to win to get some confidence. I think we showed that we have confidence in the Group Phase, but these are young players and it’s always better to get the win than to just be competitive," Germany head coach Harald Stein said after getting on the board with a win.

Playing his club basketball for Bayern Munich, the pairing will be also special for Serbia leader Marko Pecarski, who has been one of the tournament's main standouts, averaging 16.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.

Other exciting Round of 16 matchups include Group A winners Turkey playing Ukraine, the tournament hosts Slovak Republic hoping to stay in the competition against the improving Lithuania, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia will be involved in a Balkan derby.