Powerhouse team Spain faces a tough Greece squad in the quarterfinals of the 2015 EuroBasket held in Lille, France. The match is set at the country's Pierre-Mauroy Stadium on September 15, Tuesday.
Spain entered the final eight with a resounding win over Poland, 80-66, last Saturday. Chicago Bulls' center Pau Gasol scored a monstrous 30 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished off four assists to carry the Spaniards to the quarters, as reported by Reuters.
New head coach Sergio Scariolo will try to bring his team to a fifth consecutive EuroBasket podium finish amidst a noticeable lack of talent as NBA players Marc Gasol, Ricky Rubio, and José Calderón are absent in this year's roster.
Meanwhile, Greece routed Belgium, 75-54, in the Round-of-16 to advance in the quarterfinals, via ESPN. With the victory, Fotis Katsikaris' boys extended their winning streak to six games and they are hoping they can extend it some more against title-contender Spain.
Sacramento Kings center Kostas Koufos led the Greeks in the game with 13 points and nine rebounds and is expected to challenge Gasol in the paint during their quarterfinal encounter.
It would be a close game all throughout, but Scariolo's wards will come out on top in the end to compete for another medal finish in the semifinals against host team France.
Prediction: Spain wins, 76-69
Spain starting five: Pau Gasol (C), Nikola Mirotić (PF), Fernando San Emeterio (SF), Pau Ribas (SG), Sergio Llull (PG)
Greece starting five: Kostas Koufos (C), Georgios Printezis (PF), Giannis Antetokounmpo (SF), Vassilis Spanoulis (SG), Nick Calathes (PG)