Will Serbia halt Argentina's unbeaten run in the Quarter-Finals?

DONGGUAN (China) - Argentina have looked sharp in all their five wins at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019, but their biggest test is yet to come as they are set to have a Quarter-Finals encounter with a Serbian team coming off a surprise loss to Spain in the Second Round.

The last time these two countries went head-to-head at the FIBA Basketball World Cup was nine years ago in Ankara, Turkey. It was a nip-and-tuck affair between Argentina and Serbia, with Luis Scola's mesmerizing 32-point explosion not enough to sink the Serbians, who escaped with an 84-82 win.

Now Scola is back to headline Argentina's charge, but opposing him will be a new generation of Serbians hoping to thwart the Argentines once more. Scola's contemporaries like Dusko Savanovic and Nenad Krstic are no longer around, replaced by even more dangerous and versatile players in Nikola Jokic, Nemanja Bjelica and Boban Marjanovic. Needless to say, Scola & Co. will have their work cut out for them when they play Serbia at the sprawling Dongguan Basketball Center.

Team Overview Argentina: Coach Sergio Hernandez has steered this well-oiled Argentine quintet to five convincing wins, but it can be argued that they haven't been really tested yet. They've beaten opponents by a difference of 18.6 points per game behind the sublime play of Scola, fantastic floor general Facundo Campazzo and the ever-improving Marcos Delia.

Team Overview Serbia: For much of the World Cup, Serbia have looked like and carried themselves as the title favorites. They've demolished pretty much every team they have faced, winning their first four assignments by an eye-popping difference of 40.8 points per game. That mantle of invincibility, however, was shattered to pieces by their 12-point loss against Spain, and it'll be interesting to see how Serbia will bounce back from this, their first loss since the team was assembled months ago.

Key Matchup: Argentina's Luis Scola v Serbia's Nikola Jokic. While it's tempting to choose the backcourt battle between Facundo Campazzo and Bogdan Bogdanovic - and it will surely be a great matchup, too - the stakes are much higher in the frontcourt, where Serbia's prized big man Nikola Jokic has a lot to prove after his meltdown against Spain. Jokic has been in cruise control for much of the World Cup, relying on his terrific footwork and court vision, but he ran into a rock-solid defense against Marc Gasol & Co. in their previous game. Things won't get any easier against Scola (and Delia) in the Quarter-Finals, so this is the moment the Serbian star center really needs to shine.

X-Factor: Depth. Both Argentina and Serbia are among the most skilled teams here in China, but in a game that could be very physical and could end up as a battle of attrition, do not be shocked if Serbia's depth proves to be the most critical element. With talent that goes 12-deep, coach Sasha Djordjevic can potentially have no drop in production no matter which combinations he uses on the floor.

Stats Don't Lie: Turnovers will be crucial here, especially after Serbia had an error-prone performance against Spain. Coach Djordjevic's wards registered 17 turnovers in that defeat, and that's something Argentina head coach Sergio Hernandez is certainly keying on in his team's preparations. Serbia, despite their size, skill and depth, are entering this game as the team with the second-highest number of turnovers per game, and, fittingly, Argentina have the highest steals average in the tournament with 11.4 per contest. If there's a chink in Serbia's armor, it's their occasional recklessness, which Argentina would do well to pounce on.

They Said: "We learned a lot and just need to continue competing, It's not easy playing at this level against some of the best teams in the world. We have to come up with the aggressiveness in our next game and that's it." - Serbia center Miroslav Raduljica

"We're not losing focus. The competition is still here. We need to make ourselves aware that we have to play together. We only play best when we share the ball, and now we were not that team. Maybe some players wanted to take individual responsibility, but we don't need that. We have to play our basketball, which we know we will play. We have to raise our heads and move forward." - Serbia head coach Sasha Djordjevic

"Our philosophy from here to the future will be that of defensive aggressiveness, the energy, transmitting those emotions on the court. Right now, we are a very happy team, the whole team, not just the five players on the court. It is something we are achieving game by game, we know that there is a lot of work, that this is not the end. Despite the joy for what we did, we know that a very hard battle is coming." - Argentina forward Patricio Garino

"Having no loss is a product of a lot of work and a lot of preparation. We are very happy our work paid off, and we want to keep working and winning. We want to go step by step. There are a lot of teams better than us like USA, Serbia or Spain. We just want to compete, and don't really think about first place or second place or whatever just yet." - Argentina guard Facundo Campazzo

FIBA