Ainars BAGATSKIS: “The Italian team will not have Euroleague players”

Ainars Bagatskis believes that the key game will be played with Italy.

“I don’t know what the Italy squad will be like, but I’m sure he will not be a Euroleague player. On the one hand, they completed their mission by entering the World Cup, but still, any self-respecting team wants to win. No need to look for traps – they will play to win. It is too early to talk about the previous composition of the Italians, although I tried to find out about their plans through my Italian acquaintances. I can say the same for the Dutch team. But as I always say, the important thing is the first game, we’ll think about other things later.”

Earlier, Bagatskis announced the squad of the Ukrainian national team, which consists of 12 basketball players.

In the final qualifying matches of the 2023 World Cup against Italy and the Netherlands, the Ukrainian team must win two wins and hope for the results of the other matches in the group. On February 23, the team of Ainars Bagatskis in Livorno will face the team of Italy, and on the 26th they will close the qualifiers with a nominal home match against the Netherlands in Riga.