GRBOVIĆ: NOTHING CAN STOP SERBIA FROM WINNING EUROPEAN GOLD

BELGRADE, AUGUST 24 /SRNA/ - Serbia’s basketball team is the clear favorite at the upcoming European Championship, and nothing can stop them in their quest for the title, former Partizan captain and Yugoslavia national team player Goran Grbović said.

Grbović is convinced that, considering how everything has come together, Serbia may never have had a stronger squad. "This is a team made up of wonderful young men, good players, and world-class stars. We’re the favorites not only because of the players and their quality, but also because of the style of play and the chemistry within the team," Grbović told SRNA. As director of Belgrade’s Arena, Grbović says he was lucky to watch the training sessions of coach Svetislav Pešić’s squad. "I’ve seen what the atmosphere is like. Everyone knows that atmosphere makes up 50 percent of a medal, and we have an atmosphere for gold," Grbović stressed. In his view, behind Serbia in terms of quality are Greece, Germany, France, and Spain, while there are many other medal contenders, including the host nation, Latvia, which Pešić’s Eagles will face in the group stage. Grbović points out that the European Championship is much tougher than the World Cup, since there are no weak teams and no easy games. He added that from his conversations with Pešić’s Eagles, it was clear that they are not thinking about anything other than the gold medal. The European Basketball Championship will take place from August 27 to September 14 in Latvia, Finland, Georgia, and Cyprus. Serbia will compete in Group “A” in Riga, where their opponents will be the host, Latvia, as well as Turkey, the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Portugal.