ZAGREB (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - Croatia head coach Aleksandar Petrovic is in a good mood these days and that could mean trouble for hosts Italy and heavyweights Greece at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Turin.

Croatia will play in Group B against the Italians and Tunisia while Greece will be in Group A with Mexico and Iran. The frustration that Petrovic expressed after the team's friendly defeat to Canada has been replaced with optimism.

"Except for that first warm-up game with Canada, I must say that everything has gone well," Petrovic said. "We do not have injured players, we did everything we planned to do.

"In the second and third games against Canada and the Czech Republic (respectively), we were on the trail of what we should be in Turin. I'm satisfied. Now we go to our final eight training sessions to polish tactics, shoot, do some work in the gym (weights) and the team will be ready for the tournament in Turin."

Croatia were ruthless against the Czech Republic, winning 90-69. Giving the Czechs a good beating was important, not only to get another game under the players' belts but to also boost the psyche after their meeting in France at the EuroBasket.

While seven players from last year's team that crashed out of the EuroBasket in the Round of 16 to the Czechs are in the squad, Petrovic says it's a new day in Croatian basketball.

"This is practically a brand new team," he said, "not so much with a change of players as there are seven from last season, but the form of the approach in tactics is quite different, considering that other players are jumping to the forefront when it comes to their roles."

The late arrivals of Dario Saric and Krunoslav Simon have not had a detrimental effect on the team. If anything, Petrovic is convinced that each will play well and be very influential.

Saric will have a lot of responsibility, which isn't surprising considering this is his fourth summer with the national team and he has been trumpeted as a rising star for several years. Despite last year's disappointment, Saric did remind everyone of his sublime talent. In the defeat to the Czechs, Saric rejected Jan Vesely.

It's his offensive skills and particularly his passing ability, though, where Petrovic is looking for Saric to make big plays.

"First of all, this is a team in which Saric has a lot of responsibility to create for teammates," Petrovic said. "Simon gets a role that in my opinion he should have in the national team as the main creator of the guards."

While stressing that all teams have to be respected, the biggest hurdles for Croatia to clear to win the OQT and reach the Rio Olympics appear to be Italy and Greece. To beat those teams, Croatia will have to do one thing extremely well.

"Croatia has to play great defense in the tournament," Petrovic said, "if it wants to have a chance to qualify for the Rio."

FIBA