RUS/SRB - "Blatt: We couldn’t have done any better"

KAUNAS (EuroBasket 2011) - Russia and Serbia will enter familiar territory when they face each other in the fourth and final EuroBasket quarterfinal match-up.

Nearly two years ago to the day these two teams were preparing to face each other at the same stage of a EuroBasket competition in Katowice, Poland. On that occasion it was Serbia who would prevail by 11 points but as they prepare to meet again two years later it is Russia who are carrying the heavy favoritism tag into the game as they seek to even the ledger.

Russia is the in form team immerging from Group F as the only unbeaten team here in Lithuania but Russian Coach David Blatt is not one who is about to rest on his laurels.

"We are at 8 and 0 so we couldn't have done any better up until this point. Now all that is gone and now we need to face a team with great experience in these competitions."

"It's a tough match up for us because of their size on the front line and because of their great point guard play with (Milos) Teodosic."

In Lithuania Teodosic is showing the form that saw him recently win FIBA Europe player of year, averaging 11.9 points and 6.4 assists a game, seeing him ranked second in assists at this tournament.

There is no questioning that Russia's key player will be 30-year-old Andrei Kirilenko who is leading his team in points per game (13.9) and rebounds (5.8). However in Russia's previous game those stats took a serious knock when he was effectively neutralized by F.Y.R. of Macedonia.

After the game Blatt was not concerned, instead praising the way Kirilenko's team mates stepped up when their starting shooting forward was kept at bay.

"After seven really good games he had a bad game", Blatt told reporters. "It just goes to show you that he is a human being too. Sometimes we forget that. The silver lining in that dark cloud is that the rest of the players found a way to make up for the tough day he had."

The winner of the game will not only book a semifinal spot but also confirm their position in the Olympic qualifying tournament. Should they then win their semifinal they will be going directly to London.

All is not over however for the losing team who will still have a chance of going to the Olympic qualifying tournament thanks to a do or die game with the loser of the Greece - France quarterfinal on Friday.

FIBA