Bogdanovic expects Serbia to have all guns blazing in September showdown with Greece

BELGRADE (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Expect Serbia to show up focused and loaded, barring injuries, when they travel to face Greece on September 13 when the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers tips off.

The Greeks, winners of all six of their games in the First Round, are at the top of Group L with Germany (6-0) and within touching distance of a spot in next year's 32-team World Cup in China but Serbia (4-2) will be ready, according to star guard Bogdan Bogdanovic.

"GREECE HAVE WON ALL OF THEIR GAMES BUT WE EXPECT TO HAVE A VERY STRONG ROSTER AND WILL GO INTO IT WITH A LOT OF CONFIDENCE ... WE LOOK FORWARD TO THIS TYPE OF GAME. YOU ALWAYS WANT TO PLAY IN BIG GAMES AND THIS IS ONE OF THEM."- Bogdanovic

"Greece have won all of their games but we expect to have a very strong roster and will go into that game with a lot of confidence," Bogdanovic said to FIBA.basketball while taking part in the Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Europe 2018 camp in Belgrade.

"Of course we look forward to this type of game. You always want to play in big games and this is one of them."

Bogdanovic, a member of the All-Star Five at FIBA EuroBasket 2017 after averaging more than 20 points and 5 assists per game and leading Serbia to the Final, is coming off his rookie season in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings. Serbia forward Nemanja Bjelica, who signed with the Kings this summer, was at the BWB camp as well as national team center Boban Marjanovic, who played in the third window.

Serbia rolled to an 87-50 win at Georgia on June 29 to improve to 4-1 and then hosted Germany on July 2 in a battle for first place and lost, 88-81. 

Marjanovic is anxious to get rid of the lingering bad taste from that defeat.

"It was nice playing in the front of the fans at home but unfortunately we lost," the 7ft 3in (2.21m) center said. "It was a great game. We led by six points and no one could believe what happened."

What happened was maybe the biggest meltdown of the Qualifiers as Serbia had an 81-75 advantage with two minutes remaining but Germany finished the game on a 13-0 run to stun the home side and its fans in Novi Sad.

"I've tried to explain 100 times what happened, and now this is the 101st, and I don't know how we lost that game," Marjanovic said. "But it was great to play in front of our fans. 

Bogdanovic didn't play in Serbia's game against Germany but cheered his teammates on from courtside

"I'm looking forward to the Greece game. Everyone loses and we just have to come back. We've done well by bringing in a lot of new players (to the set-up) but now, we just need to win. But I love playing for Serbia," the Los Angeles Clippers big man went on.

Bogdanovic says Serbia will not be short of weapons against Greece.

"We're expecting everyone to go but we still have to wait and see because some players still have injuries but we want to be as strong as possible," he warned.

"FIRST OF ALL, WE NEED TO LOOK AHEAD AND WE HAVE TWO VERY IMPORTANT GAMES AGAINST GREECE AND ESTONIA. THOSE ARE GAMES THAT WE NEED TO WIN."- Bogdanovic

Having finished runners-up to the USA at both the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014 and the Rio Olympics two years ago, and coming in second at FIBA EuroBasket 2017 after falling to Slovenia in a thrilling championship game, Serbia have unfinished business. The players and the fans want to get to the top of the podium of the next big event.

"We just have to do what we need to do first of all to get there [to the Word Cup] and then we will think of the other things," Bodganovic cautioned. "First of all, we need to look ahead and we have two very important games against Greece and Estonia. Those are games that we need to win."

FIBA