ZADAR (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers/FIBA Europe Cup) - The pressure is now on for Croatia to bounce back in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers after a disastrous start to their campaign saw them fall 0-2 in Group D.

U-BT Cluj-Napoca star Zeljko Sakic was one of the few players who did more than his fair share in the first international window, posting team-highs of 17.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

After ending up on the wrong side of an upset on the road in Rotterdam and a home defeat versus Italy, Croatia will be hoping to stabilize the situation in February fixtures against Romania and the Netherlands.

"We have to win these next two games. I don't know how, but we just have to do it. We have to bounce back."Zeljko SakicZeljko Sakic

FIBA.basketball spoke with Sakic about trying to get their national team campaign back on track, his increased role on the national team and the season with U-BT Cluj-Napoca in the FIBA Europe Cup.

You moved to U-BT Cluj-Napoca from Cibona. How's the season going for you? You won the Romanian Cup and qualified for the Round of 16 in the FIBA Europe Cup…
I think we are playing very well. We had a couple of stupid periods in the Second Round of the FIBA Europe Cup, for example against Donar Groningen. We are through to the Round of 16 and I can say that we are satisfied with the draw. Now, we'll be playing against Donar again in the Play-Offs.

We want to prove that we are better than them. Obviously, it will be hard work, as we'll be playing every second day after action resumes after the international break. It will be difficult, but I hope to see us through this round. I'm built in a positive way. Whenever we play, I just want to win and be at the top with my team. That's going to be the goal for our team, we'll be going after it day after day.

Romania is not traditionally considered a basketball country, but you probably couldn't tell if you went to a game in Cluj-Napoca. Can you talk about the overall basketball atmosphere, the fans and the country?
When you talk about this country, everybody has [some misconceptions]. But sport is number one in this country – football, basketball, handball…or anything else. When there's a big game, there's a full gym.

People love to watch basketball here and I'm satisfied and glad that I'm playing for Cluj-Napoca. I hope it will be the biggest club in Romania. I hope that we'll continue to grow. We already won the cup. Everything is perfect for me.

Talking about perfect. What do you still hope to achieve for this to be a perfect season?
Our first goal was to win the national cup and we accomplished that. For sure, one of the goals is to win the national championship. This year, we're also playing in the FIBA Europe Cup and we need to try to go as far as possible and be better every game. You never know, maybe with some luck in the next three months and we can be at the top. This would a great achievement for the club, for the country and for the city.

There are some big teams from the Basketball Champions League, but it's a game of basketball. It's 40 minutes of basketball. 40 minutes of strength and power. In this period, you have two sides – you can either win or you can lose. We can have some great games, when we shoot better and score. However, it's hard to think about this right now, because the national team is the focus.

How has the start of the international break been for you?
It's been good. After winning the national cup in Romania with U-BT Cluj-Napoca, I went home for three days. We got together in the training camp [on Tuesday] and now we're getting ready. We know that we are not in a very good place, because we have a 0-2 record. We have to win these next two games. I don't know how, but we just have to do it. We have to bounce back.

Losses against Netherlands and Italy wasn't the ideal way to start the Qualifiers. Do you maybe see a level of focus, concentration among the players that maybe wasn't there in November?
We are focused on getting things straight. We are good national team. Sure, we might not have some guys from the NBA and this is more or less a new team. In those first two games, we were trying to build a national team from new players. After the defeats, now we called up some older guys who can help us win these next two games at hand, so we can have some peaceful months before the last games, when we'll have our full team with all the best players.

What is your mindset for the next two games against Romania and Netherlands – is it some extra pressure, extra motivation?
We are going to be playing with the confidence that we can undo the damage. We are going to be playing at home in a full gym. We are not a big nation, but we are a big national team, so we are always facing the expectations that we always have to win, we always have to be first. Sometimes it's difficult. Sometimes it's very difficult, because people think we are the number one national team in the world and we have to win every single game. At times, that's not possible. But we are focused and we would really like to...[no,] have to win these two games.

If we lose, that would complicate our chances of going to the World Cup. I don't even want think about what would happen if we don't win. Then, we wouldn't have the national team in a major tournament at least until 2021. But these are the worst thoughts. I hope that we win in front of a packed gym and it doesn’t come to that. 

"We are not a big nation, but we are a big national team, so we are always facing the expectations that we always have to win, we always have to be first. And sometimes it's difficult."Zeljko SakicZeljko Sakic

Both of your upcoming games will be played in Zadar. What do you expect the crowd to be like at the Kresimir Cosic Hall?

Everyone knows Zadar is a town of basketball. The local club in Zadar is playing well and they pack the gym with 6,000-8,000 fans. Every time, it's packed. They need just a little bit to get fired up for fans to come. The national team hasn't played here over the last years. I think the fans love it that we're here and I hope they'll come.

Do you think there's a bit of a burden of expectations on the team, because of how strong Croatia is traditionally?
Sometimes, it's difficult. The last two games, I was the oldest guy on the team and I'm 29 years old. For me, it was crazy – how is that possible? We have some young players who want to fight for and secure national team spots for the future. It's not that they don't care, but they want things to happen overnight, do everything quickly. They want to prove that they're the best guy on the national team and make some mistakes they wouldn't do in their club. It is difficult to play for the national team. With a young team, we needed some older players to lean on to win games.

It's been an up and journey for you with the national team – you took part in the 2016 Olympics, then barely missed out on a spot at FIBA EuroBasket 2017...now you're the top scorer on the team. Do you like the extra responsibility?
I always hope to play for the national team, but last summer it didn't turn out that way. Although I didn't make the team last year, I was with the guys because I was in Cluj.

I enjoy having a bigger role now, but it's a game of 12 guys at the end of the day. This is a team. But for sure, some players have to take on more responsibilities to push the team, for it to play better. For the team to be able to count on you in every moment of the game. I like this spot.

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