Serbia vs Estonia Preview and Prediction - Aug. 27

Serbia will take on Estonia on August 27 as the Nikola Jokic-led team prepares to kick off Group A action in the opener for EuroBasket 2025. The game will feature one of the biggest European basketball stars in Nikola Jokic, and many other recognizable NBA talents like Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nikola Jovic.

Meanwhile, Estonia will rely on Janari Joesaar to lead the team as star player Maik-Kalev Kotsar is sidelined with an injury. His absence from the lineup leads to a massive scoring and leadership void that will make things difficult for the team.

There was much optimism surrounding Estonia’s chances at EuroBasket 2025, following the team's narrow victory against Sweden. But the fans’ spirits have taken a hit since Kotsar was ruled out.

Meanwhile, Serbia has been unstoppable, leading up to the tournament, convincingly winning all seven of its exhibition games.

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Serbia vs. Estonia Game Details for 2025 EuroBasket Opener

The EuroBasket 2025 opener will be played at the Arena Riga in Latvia on Wednesday. The game will tip off at 9:15 p.m. local time and 2:15 p.m. EDT. Fans can catch the action live on Courtside 1891, FIBA’s paid subscription platform.

Serbia vs. Estonia Preview

Heading into their tournament opener against Estonia, Serbia is riding a four-game winning streak, taking down Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greece, the Czech Republic, Dennis Schroder’s Germany and Luka Doncic’s Slovenia.

Meanwhile, Estonia has split its last two games, defeating Sweden 88-87 on August 20 and losing to Great Britain by double-digits on Friday. The team will need a special effort from veteran players like Janari Joesaar, Henri Drell and Kristian Kullamae for a chance against Serbia.

The game will also be largely dictated by how well Estonia’s center Matthias Tass matches up with Nikola Jokic in the paint.

Serbia vs. Estonia Rosters for 2025 EuroBasket

Serbia

Aleksa Avramovic
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Ognjen Dobric
Marko Guduric
Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jovic
Stefan Jovic
Vanja Marinkovic
Vasilije Micic
Nikola Milutinov
Filip Petrusev
Tristan Vukcevic

Estonia

Henri Drell
Kregor Hermet
Mikk Jurkatamm
Janari Joesaar
Artur Konontsuk
Kristian Kullamae
Sander Raieste
Joonas Riismaa
Mart Rosenthal
Matthias Tass
Kaspar Treier
Siim-Sander Vene

Serbia vs. Estonia Predicted Starting Lineups

Estonia

G - Kristian Kullamae | G - Henri Drell | F - Janari Joesaar | F - Kaspar Treier | C -Matthias Tass

Serbia

G - Aleksa Avramovic | G - Bogdan Bogdanovic | F - Nikola Jovic | F - Filip Petrusev | C - Nikola Jokic

Serbia vs. Estonia Prediction

Serbia is expected to dominate Estonia on Thursday, with Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic leading the charge. The team has an abundance of NBA talent on its roster, making its squad composition and depth better than most nations participating in EuroBasket 2025.

Estonia will need an extraordinary performance to slow them down on Thursday.

Our prediction: Serbia to win.

About the author

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

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