After finishing seventh at the last EuroBasket and 21st at the World Cup, Finland is now one of the hosts for this year’s European Championship and is aiming for medal-deciding matches.

Tampere, a city in Finland, will serve as one of the four venues for the championship starting on August 27th, welcoming a group that includes the Montenegrin basketball team.

Lauri Markkanen, the country’s biggest basketball star, is hopeful that this championship could mark Finland’s breakthrough in major tournaments.

“We are targeting medal matches. It’s a challenging goal, but that’s how it should be,” said the Utah Jazz star at the commencement of preparations, as reported by “Jurohops”.

Alongside Montenegro and Finland, the group playing at the “Nokia Arena” also features Germany, Lithuania, Sweden, and Great Britain.

“We must be as unified as possible; every player needs to give their all for the team to reach our high aspirations. In a tournament, anything can happen, so we must stay prepared to maintain team morale. I’m confident that won’t be an issue,” Markkanen added.

The top four teams from the group will progress to the round of 16, with Montenegro beginning Eurobasket against Germany, while Finland faces their neighbors from Sweden.

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