Spain looks to continue their dominance in the ongoing EuroBasket 2017 against host Turkey on Saturday 11.45 a.m (ET) at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille. The Spaniards are undefeated in five group stages games, boasting a star-studded lineup consists of NBA veterans and up-and-coming players. Turkey, meanwhile, barely qualified into the round of 16, but they will have a boisterous home crowd on their side in the do-or-die match.

What’s at stake?

The prize at stake is a place in the quarterfinal round of Europe’s most prestigious basketball tournament.

Spain, a perennial hoops power, is aiming for a back-to-back EuroBasket title bid and their fourth title overall.

But before that, they will have first to survive four testy matches starting off with a showdown against the host team. Spain has been in cruise control in all preliminary stages but one match. That close call happened against rival Croatia (79-73), where Philadelphia 76ers forward Dario Saric racked up 18 points and 13 boards in the failed bid to upset the defending champs.

The Turks were competitive in the group stages, but two close losses against Russia 73-76 and Serbia 74-80 doomed their bid to top their group. Moreover, another setback against Kristaps Porzingis-powered Latvian team 79-89 cemented their place as the final qualifier out of Group D, and unfortunately, Spain’s opponent in the knockout round.

Players to watch out for

Pau Gasol has been amazing at age 37. The San Antonio Spurs forward is averaging 16.8 points and 8.8 rebounds to backstop Spain’s campaign. He will play a huge part in Sunday’s game against Turkey, so will his brother Marc Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro and Hernangomez brothers. However, the x-factor for Spain heading into the match will be Ricky Rubio.

The Utah Jazz playmaker needs to come up with another stellar performance for Spain to finish off the Turks quickly.

The Spaniards cannot afford for the Turks to stay within striking distance down to the final minutes because anything can happen on home team’s floor. Rubio must dictate the tempo and continue his solid snipping from beyond the arc (47 percent 3-point shots) to blow the game wide open.

Turkey – Cedi Osman has been a one-man wrecking machine for Turkey.

The Cleveland Cavaliers forward is leading his team in points (17.6 ppg), rebounds (5.2 rpg) and assists (4.0 apg) while playing solid individual defense. Against Spain, Osman may have to double up his point production and at the same time make his teammates more involved because just one scoring drought could prove fatal in the game.

Quick prediction and live stream info

Spain is the overwhelming favorite but Turkey has a fighting chance in this game. Osman must explode for 40+ points or else this will be a wrap. Predicted score - Spain 89, Turkey 70. Spain vs. Turkey will be live on ESPN and can be watched online on LiveBasketball TV or SportsStream. Boxscores and play-by-play commentary can be followed on EuroBasket Live Stats.

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