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The Czech Republic take on high-flying France in a group-stage fixture of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 on Wednesday at the Saitama Super Arena. Both teams will be eager to continue their winning starts after kicking off their respective campaigns with victories.
The Czech Republic, making their debut in the competition, are coming off an 84-78 win over minnows Iran. Patrik Auda led the charge for the Czechs, scoring a team-high 16 points.
France, meanwhile, beat the world's no. 1 side USA in their opening fixture. Led by Evan Fournier's brilliant 28-point outing, the French beat Kevin Durant and co. 83-76.
Match Details
Fixture - Czech Republic vs France | Tokyo Olympics 2020 Basketball.
Date & Time - Wednesday, July 28th, 9:00 PM JST (Wednesday, July 28th, 8:00 AM ET).
Venue - Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan.
Czech Republic Preview
The Czech Republic were the favorites to win their opening game against Iran and expectedly played like that. They were slow, to start the game as there were eight lead changes in the opening minutes of the first quarter. The Czechs came back strong, though, and eventually pulled away with a 16-point lead by half-time.
In addition to Auda (16 points), Blake Schilb (14 points and five assists) and Chicago Bulls guard Tomas Satoransky (six points, eight rebounds and eight assists) also came up big for the Czechs. The Czech Republic will have to improve in a few areas against France, though.
Their shooting is something that can be better. They shot only six of 30 threes and missed six free throws against Iran. The Czechs also almost squandered a 22-point lead, allowing the Iranians to cut it down to four points with a minute left on the clock.
Moreover, the Czech Republic committed 15 turnovers during the match. They will have to limit that if they are to have a chance of beating France.
Also Check out: Czech Republic Men's Olympic Basketball Team 2021
Czech Republic Team News:
The Czech Republic will likely start Tomas Satoransky in the backcourt with Blake Schilb. Jaromir Bohacik, Ondrej Balvin and Jan Vesely will complete the rest of the lineup.
From the reserves, Patrik Auda, David Jelinek and Jakub Sirina are expected to play key roles.
Czech Republic Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Tomas Satoransky l Shooting Guard - Blake Schilb l Small Forward - Jaromir Bohacik l Power Forward - Ondrej Balvin l Center - Jan Vesely.
France Preview
France started their Tokyo Olympics 2020 campaign in style, beating favorites USA in a hard-fought comeback win. The French were down by eight points going into half-time, but came back strong in the third quarter, outscoring the Americans 25-11.
France made 46.8% of their field-goal attempts and were dominant in the paint, grabbing 42 rebounds. 2021 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert was clutch for the team, complementing Fournier well.
The Utah Jazz center tallied 14 points and nine rebounds to his name. France held their nerve down the stretch, as they recovered from a seven-point deficit in the last quarter.
The French will be eager to overcome the Czech Republic to claim their second-straight win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and move a step closer to the medal rounds.
Also Check out: France Olympic Basketball Team 2021
France Team News
France are likely to deploy the same starting lineup they did against the USA. The backcourt will likely feature Evan Fournier and Nando De Colo, while Guerschon Yabusele, Nicolas Batum and Rudy Gobert will complete the rest of the lineup.
Meanwhile, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Thomas Huertel and Moustapha Fall will likely play key minutes off the bench.
France Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Nando De Colo l Shooting Guard - Evan Fournier l Small Forward - Nicolas Batum l Power Forward - Guerschon Yabusele l Center - Rudy Gobert.
Czech Republic vs France Prediction
France will start as the overwhelming favorites against the Czech Republic, thanks to their superior experience and pedigree. The Czechs can't be counted out, though, and if they can deliver a disciplined performance, they would have a decent chance of causing an upset.
Where to watch the Czech Republic vs France game?
Eurosport will have extensive coverage of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 in Europe, as will Discovery +.
NBC will show Olympic coverage in the USA. The network will spread the Games across NBC, NBC Sports, NBC's Olympic Channel, CNBC, USA and the Golf Channel. NBC's Olympic website, NBC.com and the NBC app will also provide live updates of the game.
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