Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the EuroBasket match.
In Group B the picture is clear. There are two obvious favourites who are likely to take the top two spots. Therefore the fiercest battle should be for third and fourth, and Finland and Great Britain are the prime contenders. This head-to-head game will significantly improve the chances of one squad.
Finland
In the opening game of the group stage Finland edged Sweden (93:90), and the main takeaway is straightforward: Lauri Markkanen is in superb form (28 points and six rebounds). As long as the leading star is performing at this level, the team is a serious force. Discipline was evident as well: five steals and only seven turnovers.
Great Britain
By contrast, Great Britain have yet to find form. Across five friendlies they won only once, and that was against Estonia (72:62). Nothing improved by the start of EuroBasket: in the first round they suffered a heavy defeat to Lithuania (70:94). The team posted a poor 32.8% field-goal percentage, and only Akwasi Yeboah scored more than 10 points.
Finland vs Great Britain Prediction
Finland look clear favourites. That underlines how strongly they are fancied to win here. Great Britain are unlikely to put up a fight, so we expect a comprehensive win for the nominal hosts.
