Start of World Cup Qualifiers for the DBB Giants

It’s an exciting journey that starts on Thursday for the German national basketball team. On the agenda for Germany’s selection is the opening round of qualifying for the 2023 World Cup in Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia. Before that World Cup, the home European Championships in Berlin and Cologne in September 2022 will take place. The long-term goal, the Olympic Games in Paris, is also not far away.

On Thursday, the qualifying kick-off in Nuremberg will be against Estonia. In this first phase, Germany plays in a group of four with the Estonians, Poles and Israelis. Because the first three teams advance to the next round, there is relatively little danger of new coach Gordon Herbert’s team falling by the wayside here.

Rather, the goal should be to win the group, preferably without losing a point, because the points will be taken into the next round. Nothing should stand in the way of at least an opening win on Thursday, as the odds between Germany and Estonia at the bookmakers tested point to a clear prediction of a home win.

The Estonians are not a team that continues the great Baltic tradition in basketball. Estonia seems to be classified more as a lightweight in this sport. It is probably only a question of how the match will turn out. Therefore, between Germany and Estonia, the tip should go to a handicap victory for the home side.

Germany – Statistics & current form

The German basketball giants are hardly recognisable. Almost everything is new with the German team. Gordon Herbert has been the successor to Henrik Rödl since the beginning of October. Until now, he could only fulfil his duties as national coach on the phone or as a spectator in the hall. Now he will take to the court for the first time with a newly formed team.

Germany retreads

We don’t need to look at series at this point. The Olympic quarter-finalists have been completely turned inside out not only at the coaching position but also among the players. Captain Robin Benzing is the only remaining player as the Olympic squad, who will also be involved in the two qualifying games against Estonia and on Sunday in Poland.

With returnee Bastian Doreth and Patrick Heckmann, there are only three players in the line-up besides Benzing who have more than twelve international matches under their belt. So the goal is obvious, namely to build a team that can perform well at the home World Cup. But this team must also be competitive at the 2023 World Cup and qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris.

However, the squad is not set in stone. The ongoing play in the NBA does not allow Dennis Schröder and Co. to travel from North America. The players who are active in the Euroleague are also not available due to scheduling conflicts. With Andreas Seiferth and Jan-Niklas Wimberg, two players from the BBL have also had to cancel.

The Germany squad:
Amaize, Benzing, Bleck, Doreth, Heckmann, Hollatz, Hundt, Jallow, Kessens, Krämer, Kratzer, Lockhart, Schoormann, Sengfelder, Stanic, Wank – Coach: Herbert

Estonia – Statistics & current form

The Estonians have had a good development. After 2015, the team from the Baltic States is in the game for the second time in the last three European Championships. The team of Finnish coach Jukka Toijala is ranked 49th in the world, which is not bad at all for a nation that has otherwise not been able to celebrate any success in basketball.

Ticket to the European Championship solved

However, it must also be noted that qualification for EURO 2022 was as easy as can be. The Estonians were seeded for the final qualifying round. There, they had to finish in one of the top three places in a group of four with Russia, Italy and North Macedonia. However, due to the pandemic, the group stage was ended early.

With two wins from four games, including a surprise in Italy, the Estonians finally ended up in third place and can now look forward to the European Championships next year. Nevertheless, they go into Thursday’s match in Nuremberg as big underdogs. But whether the forecast for a clear home victory between Germany and Estonia is now without alternative is something everyone has to check for themselves.

There are only a few well-known players in the Estonian squad. One of them is just establishing himself in the Bundesliga. Maik Kotsar plays for the Hamburg Towers. He has played his part in the upswing of basketball in the Hanseatic city. In general, however, many players are still under contract at home, which is not a sign of quality in basketball.

The Estonia squad:
Drell, Rosenthal, Treier, Laane, Puidet, Sokk, Valge, Hermet, Kotsar, Nurger, Joesaar, Dorbek, Kirves, Kullamäe – Coach: Toijala

Germany – Estonia Direct comparison / H2H-Balance

Since 1993, the selection teams from Germany and Estonia have faced each other in a total of five duels. The direct comparison speaks clearly in favour of the German team with 4:1 victories. The first encounter took place in June 1993 at the German home European Championships in Berlin. In the opening match, the hosts lost surprisingly with 103:113.

Since then, there have been four more matches, all of which went relatively clearly to the German team. The last two duels took place in the qualification for the 2019 World Cup. In September 2018, Germany won 86:43 in Estonia with a 43-point difference. The return match in December 2018 on German soil was no more dismantling of the Estonians at 87:70.

Germany – Estonia Tip

In basketball, everything is easier said than done. But keeping the ball flat – in terms of expectations for the German team – seems appropriate. Coach Gordon Herbert has given the German basketball players a completely new face. Only Robin Benzing is left from the Olympic squad that reached the quarter-finals in Tokyo four months ago.

Numerous well-known players from the NBA or clubs that have commitments in the Euroleague will be missing from the German basketball team. Thus, a team almost without legionnaires will be on the board. Therefore, we don’t know what to make of this team and hold back on a bigger handicap win for the hosts between Germany and Estonia for the time being.

The fact that the Estonians won in the European Championship qualifiers in Italy shows that this team has developed. Therefore, a landslide victory with a 43-goal difference is not to be expected.