Danilo Gallinari and Nemanja Nedovic to miss the upcoming friendly / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

The city of Hamburg will welcome four national teams today to mark the start of the SuperCup tournament. The match between Italy and Serbia will kick off the day with both teams having some losses and some comebacks on their rosters.

Danilo Gallinari

Position:PF, SFAge:34Height:208 cmWeight:102 kgBirth place:Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, ItalyProfileNewsStatistics

The Italian national team will have to play without one of its leaders in Danilo Gallinari. According to a statement released by the country's basketball federation, the Boston Celtics forward sprained his right ankle during the last friendly match against France and will miss the friendly battle.

On the other side of the court, Serbia will play without Nemanja Nedovic who suffered a muscle hematoma during the last friendly game against Slovenia on Wednesday. Together with Nemanja Bjelica, Nedovic has begun treatment for his injury.

There is some positive news on both teams as well. After taking precautionary rest due to slight fatigue, Luigi Datome is back on the roster for Italy. Nikola Milutinov and Marko Guduric will play for Serbia after missing the last friendly game as well.

"There are huge expectations from the tournament in Germany," Serbia's head coach Svetislav Pesic said. "We really need those two games, they come at the right time. Italy, Germany, and the Czech Republic are all good teams. This team has not been together for a long time, we are not like Slovenians who look like a team from the same street, they are together everywhere and always. We need games."

Italian national team's head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco praised the team's upcoming opponents.

"I confirm what Goran Dragic said a few days ago that the next EuroBasket will be stellar with many players of the highest level. Just think of Serbia, which we will face even without Gallinari, which has the MVP of the NBA and the MVP of the EuroLeague on the roster," the specialist told. "We will need to have great mental strength to fight against teams with long and competitive rosters."

The match is scheduled to start at 18:00 CET today in Hamburg, Germany.

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