betprepare.com

Russia started the EC by defeat against Turkey, which could be described as a surprise, but not too big of a one. It showed once again that the Russians have problems against the aggressive Turkish defense. They couldn't deal with it in the paint and the tall centers Scetina and Razeva were left with humble numbers. Today, they're playing against a lot weaker Belgium who couldn't surprise the Czech last night, and Russia are a lot more convincing than the Czech. Belgium played in the B Division last year, and lost all the seeds in the mean time. There aren't many players who have experience playing internationally. The coach Phillip Mestdagh admitted that the preparatory period wasn't the best and that the team aren't doing their best, which was obvious against the Czech. The main problem is that they lack a true center and the point guard, since De Baets didn't have one assist yesterday, and her substitute, the 17 year old Ouahabi, didn't come in at all. This is a great chance for the Russian centers. Russia defeated top teams in the preparatory period, like Serbia and Turkey, they don't have the right to take a wrong step today, and the Belgians shouldn't be a problem for them.