Simonovic: ''We will not allow any surprises on our home court''

BELGRADE (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers ) - Serbia indicated on Friday night that they have one clear goal in mind throughout the entire FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers campaign: remaining unbeaten at home.

That was the message delivered by Marko Simonovic following the team's 85-64 home win over Austria at Belgrade's Aleksandar Nikolic Hall.

A team consisting of young debutants and several stalwarts, the Serbs are fully intent on making the experience of playing on home soil similar to being in an impregnable fortress.

"I'M SURE THERE WILL BE A FEW MORE (UPSETS), BUT NOT HERE IN OUR HOUSE." SimonovicSimonovic

Having being told that the Netherlands stunned the more heralded Croatia on Friday night, Simonovic was asked if he expected more such upsets on the Road to China 2019.

"Yes I'm sure there will be a few more, but not here in our house," warned the 31-year-old.

"It is a great honor for all of us to play for our country and although we had ups and downs during the game, we put in a good performance and are confident ahead of the game against Georgia on Monday.

"We expect a tougher game against the Georgians but like against Austria, it's down to us because we should dictate the pace." 

Serbia played in fits and starts but were still too strong for the visitors, as Simonovic poured in 15 points after hitting four three-pointers from six attempts.

The 6ft 8in (2.03m) forward was especially delighted with his return to action after a wrist injury caused him to miss FIBA EuroBasket 2017, where Serbia finished runners-up after a dramatic defeat by Slovenia in a thrilling final.

"I was yearning to put on my Serbia jersey after missing EuroBasket," he said. "Everyone on this team is eager to prove their worth and although we've only had a couple of days to prepare, our coach Aleksandar Djordjevic set his usual high standards from the very first practice session." 

Miroslav Raduljica had 15 points and 8 rebounds in Friday's win

Big man Miroslav Raduljica, another stalwart who missed EuroBasket through injury, praised the work Serbia's team did in a very short time frame.

"We looked a lot better than one might have expected from a team that's only been together for two days," he said.

"EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT IT MEANS TO US TO PLAY FOR THE NATIONAL TEAM." RaduljicaRaduljica

"We now have another two days to prepare for Georgia. I also missed the company of my team-mates who were at EuroBasket. Everyone knows what it means to us to play for the national team."

Simonovic praised the young talents with small forward Dejan Todorovic scoring eight first-half points while playmaker Ilija Djokovic - the only player on the team plying his trade in Serbia's domestic KLS League - pulled the strings in attack with an energetic display.

"The newcomers did a great job tonight. I have known them for a while and so I was sure they would add quality to this new-look team."

Serbia tennis star Novak Djokovic was on hand to support the national team

FIBA