Athletic powerhouse France poses as the initial major challenge for Spain in their journey towards the Eurobasket tournament
In the third of their preparation matches for the upcoming EuroBasket 2025, the Spanish national basketball team will square off against France this Saturday. The highly anticipated match will take place at the Olympic Pavilion in Badalona, with a live broadcast on La 2 and Play at 21:00.
The last encounter between these two teams was in the Eurobasket grand final of 2022, where Spain emerged victorious with a score of 88-76. However, the upcoming match promises to be a challenging test for the Spanish team, as they face a strong French squad that has been in fine form lately.
France has qualified undefeated for the Eurobasket, winning all six of their preparation games. They haven't lost a game since their defeat against the United States in the Olympic final last year. The French team, even without Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama, still boasts one of the best teams in the world, with several NBA players in their ranks.
The first two preparation matches between Spain and France were won by France, with scores of 75-67 in Badalona and 78-73 in Paris. Spain's key player, Santi Aldama, was sidelined due to injury in the first game, while the team struggled to cope with injuries and a thin squad in both matches.
In the first game, France's top contributors included Guerschon Yabusele and Zaccharie Risacher, each scoring 12 points, while Willy Hernangomez led Spain with 15 points. The second game saw another French victory, with a 16-point halftime lead for Spain being erased by a strong French comeback, highlighted by an 18-3 run in the third and fourth quarters. Santi Yusta scored 19 points for Spain along with 7 assists, while Bilal Coulibaly and Matthew Strazel scored 13 and 11 points respectively for France.
With key players Santi and Alberto Díaz out due to injuries, the rookies Mario Saint-Supéry and De Larrea will have to step up and prove they can be counted on in big games. The Hernangómez brothers and Isaac Nogués will also have to fill the voids left by the injured players. Guillem Ferrando will join the team at the last minute to fill another void.
The upcoming match against France will serve as a true test to determine the level of the Spanish team. Spain's title defense for EuroBasket 2025 will begin on August 28 against Georgia. After the match against France, Spain will complete the preparation tour against Germany next week.
The Spanish national basketball team, with Jaime Pradilla, López-Arostegui, Dari Brizuela, the Hernangómez brothers, and Joel Parra as the only survivors of that 2022 Eurobasket final, will strive to reclaim their title in the upcoming tournament. However, they will face a tough challenge against a resilient and deep French team. The match between Spain and France is shaping up to be an exciting and closely contested encounter.
The Spanish national basketball team, having only a few returning players from their 2022 EuroBasket victory, faces an average score of 1-2 against France in their recent preparation matches. Despite the challenge, their upcoming match against France serves as a significant test to determine their preparedness for EuroBasket 2025.
With Spain's key players out due to injuries and France's strong performance in their recent sports games, this Saturday's basketball match between the two teams promises to be a competitive and closely contested encounter.
