A ticket to Latvia, Poland, Finland, or Cyprus—one of the host nations for Eurobasket this summer—is nearly secured. Montenegrin basketball players are eager for a prestigious victory, especially against the world champions, Germany, in front of their home crowd.

The excitement is building at Mtel Hall “Morača” as Boško Radović’s team prepares to play the final qualifying match on home turf this Thursday at 19:00.

“We know that many top teams, like France, have been defeated in ‘Morača’, so nothing is impossible. A victory against the world champions would be phenomenal and a perfect way to bid farewell to our fans,” stated Nemanja Radović, a forward for the national team.

Germany is also close to securing their spot in the European Championship, trailing Montenegro with one fewer win. This adds pressure on them as they face Montenegro and Bulgaria just three days later. It’s no surprise that coach Alex Mumbra has summoned seven players from the 2023 World Basketball Championship for these crucial matches.

“We recognize that the current world champions are coming to face us with a robust squad. This presents a great opportunity for fans to come and witness an amazing match. We always draw motivation from our home crowd; whether that translates to victory remains to be seen, but I expect a solid performance,” Radović added on the KSCG website.

Montenegro is looking to officially confirm their qualification for the fifth EuroBasket since regaining independence, having significantly progressed with two victories over Bulgaria in the previous FIBA window.

Radović and his teammates could only miss out on a spot in the continental championship by losing to Germany and Sweden three days later in Stockholm, particularly if all teams finish the group with a 3-3 record and Montenegro holds the worst goal difference, currently at +28.

“The last ‘window’ in November was crucial for us; the two wins against Bulgaria were immensely significant, especially the one in Botevgrad. Realistically, we are very close to our goal with two rounds remaining. Additionally, we have improved our point difference, placing us in a favorable position heading into the final cycle,” emphasized the player from Spanish Murcia.

In contrast to Germany, where stars like Dennis Schröder and Daniel Theis will miss the match in “Morača”, Montenegro will be without captain Bojan Dubljević and point guard Charlie Moore, who was set to replace Kendrick Perry due to injury.

“We have two tough matches ahead—first against Germany in Podgorica, then away to Sweden three days later. While we are missing crucial players, which adds to the challenge, we remain motivated and determined to deliver our best performance,” Radović concluded.

Montenegro is striving for official confirmation of its EuroBasket qualification. As they face off against the world champions, admission to “Morača” is free; it seems there couldn’t be a better time for our largest hall to be packed.

News