VALENCIA (Spain) - The unbeaten hosts against the fighting Finns. Spain and Finland lock horns having endured different paths to make it to the Semi-Finals.
Spain did what they needed to do for back-to-back wins over Lebanon and Angola, while Finland appeared set for consecutive defeats and an early exit, before pulling off an incredible comeback triumph against Poland on Thursday.
Key matchup:
There are two players who feel like they are stepping into the mantle as important leaders for their respective nations.
Mikael Jantunen has continued to grow with the senior national team in recent years - and still only 24 years old with the opportunity to become a cornerstone of the Susijengi side, while Santi Adama - one year younger - is building on a solid showing at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 to fuel Spain.
Aldama is the joint leading scorer in the tournament so far with 20.5 points per game on 60-percent shooting from the floor - including a 24-point outing against Angola - along with 8.5 rebounds. Meanwhile, Jantunen is just behind in the scoring stakes with 20 points in each of his outings so far to go with 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per-game averages.
X-factors:
This may not be the most experienced Spanish roster that has been seen in past years, but it is one that still runs very deep as they are able to go into a number of different options and rotations with 87 points off the bench across the first two games. Their frontcourt is formidable with Lorenzo Brown orchestrating the offense.
This is something that Finland will need also - contributions throughout the roster. That's what they got in the win against Poland with Alex Madsen providing a huge spark off the bench with 15 fourth-quarter points, while young point guard Miro Little was impressive and there was a welcome return for captain Sasu Salin.
Stats don't lie:
Finland gave up 33 turnovers across their first two games, while Spain had the fewest of all teams in Valencia with 19. Spain are up at 61 percent on their two-point field goal shooting, and are not a side you want to be giving extra opportunities to. It's also no surprise to see Sergio Scariolo's side top of the assists charts, but Finland are not far behind with 24.0 per game compared to their 26.5.
Past matchups:
Finland have not beaten Spain in a competitive setting since 1967 - losing the past six matchups, though granted only two of those have been in this century. The last meeting was at FIBA EuroBasket 2022 when Spain prevailed for a 90-80 victory en route to becoming champions in Berlin, for a fourth time.
Lauri Markkanen had 28 points and 11 rebounds for Finland in that Quarter-Final encounter, and it goes without saying just how much of a blow his absence is.
They said:
"I feel like the key term for this team is to be ourselves. This team has a winning mentality, and the only thing stopping this team going to the Olympics is us." Spain guard, Lorenzo Brown
"There is no question about the favorite. We are playing one of the biggest teams in the world on their home court. We are going to do our best to fight. It's not going to be a beauty contest. I also cannot wait for the battle of the fans in the stands." Finland head coach, Lassi Tuovi
FIBA