Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the EuroBasket match.
The EuroBasket quarter-finals get under way shortly. The curtain-raiser pits Turkey against Poland. On paper, there is a clear favourite, but given the upsets so far, nothing is guaranteed.
Turkey
After Serbia and France were eliminated, Turkey have become one of the clear contenders for the title. They are unbeaten at the tournament and are playing with real authority. In the Round of 16 they defeated Sweden (85:79) without much trouble, and their star man Alperen Şengün logged another double-double with 24 points and 16 rebounds. In addition, Cedi Osman impressed and added another 17 points.
Poland
Poland, for their part, edged past Bosnia and Herzegovina (80:72) in the first round of the play-offs. The architect of the win was Jordan Loyd, who scored 28 points. However, as recent evidence shows, reliance on their leading star often proves costly for the team. In the decisive match to advance from the group against Belgium (69:70), he managed only seven points in 31 minutes on court.
Turkey vs Poland Prediction
In this case we agree with the majority view. Turkey look a clear favourite, and it is not only about the number of stars in the line-up. Their variety in offence does not allow the opponent to focus on one particular player. At the same time, it should be enough for Turkey to keep Jordan Loyd quiet to secure the win.
