Fiba World Cup: China begin tournament campaign against ‘one of the toughest’ opponents
- China face strong teams in Group B, also comprising South Sudan and Puerto Rico as well as Serbia, whom they play in their opener on Saturday
- Serbia, who have never finished lower than fifth in recent World Cup editions, overwhelmed China by 23 points in last weekend’s friendly
China go into their Fiba World Cup opener on Saturday against “one of the toughest” teams in the competition, and on the back of a run of defeats in their warm-up matches.
Head coach Aleksandar Djordjevic knows his young team could struggle to get out of Group B, which also includes Serbia, South Sudan and Puerto Rico.
The Chinese open their tournament against Djordjevic’s fellow countrymen in the Philippines, taking on a side who have not finished lower than fifth in the past three editions of the competition.
As Serbia coach between 2013 and 2019, Djordjevic guided his country to the 2014 final, where they lost to the US, a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and to a fifth-place finish in the previous World Cup in China.
“It’s an honour for me to step on the floor and be head coach of China against my home country,” Djordjevic said.
“They’re a very tough opponent, one of the toughest in the World Cup. They are such an experienced team, with great talent, great players, great legacy.”