By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Serbian national team center Boban Marjanovic has some high aspirations for the “Orlovi” ahead of the 2019 World Cup, held in China (31/8 – 15/9).
“We want to reach the Semi-Finals and fight for the Final to maybe get a shot for the gold medal,” Marjanovic said in an interview for FIBA. “We’ll go to the World Cup with a lot of ambition, and we’re going to China with the goal to show once again that we are one of the best teams in the world. I hope that everybody’s going to be very healthy. Everyone is very excited about the possibility of having another great run this summer.
Before reaching the knockout stages, Marjanovic and his teammates will have to advance from Group D that also features Italy, Philippines, and Angola.
“It’s a great group, and it’s going to be very interesting to compete against some teams that we don’t know that much about,” he said. “We know Italy and we all know that it’s a very competitive team, but I don’t know that much about Angola and the Philippines. We’ll have to play the same way to win every game in the first round, and we have to stay focused and bring the same intensity against every opponent.
Two out of the four teams will advance to the next phase. While Serbia is the favorite to finish first in the Group, Marjanovic wants to see his team competing hard enough to avoid becoming the victim of an upset.
“We can’t take qualification for the next round for granted. We’ll have to compete and bring the same energy no matter who we play against,” Marjanovic said. “So many surprises are possible in a competition like this, and we don’t want to become one, in a bad way.”