World champions Spain will be huge favorites against Iberian rivals Portugal in the Group B opener for both sides in Seville.
Seasoned campaigners in international competition, the Spanish are loaded with talent from top to bottom, with the inspirational big man Pau Gasol their guiding light.
Spain have already qualified for next year's Olympics by virtue of their world title, but this EuroBasket is important because it's being played on home soil.
Portugual are in the EuroBasket for the first time since 1951 and are one of the three minnows, with the Czech Republic and Poland the others. .
Will they have enough firepower to compete against against a Spanish team that has won 26 games since their bronze medal defeat to France at EuroBasket 2005?
Last Time Out: Spain beat France 87-72 in their last warm-up game ahead of the EuroBasket. The Portuguese reached this tournament by finishing top of their qualifying group which included Israel, FYR Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina - three teams that reached the final phase of the additional qualifying tournament. They beat Israel, the team that won the qualifying tournament, twice. That was last year, however. Valentyn Melnychuk's team lost to Spain in their friendly during the build-up to this event. The contest was very even for three quarters before the World Champions pulled away for an 82-65 triumph.
If Portugal are to have a chance they will need a big game from Francisco Jordao.
Key Match-up: Portugal will have to get a strong game defensively, and on the boards from all of their big men to have a chance against Spain. With that in mind, Francisco Jordao will have to do a lot of the work in the low post trying to limit Gasol's effectiveness. The problem for Portugal is, however, that Spain are not a one-man team and have a lot of quality on the front line so if Gasol struggles, which isn't likely, someone else will step up.
Statistics: The main statistic Portugal will want to focus on is the score - keep it as low as possible. If the score is low, that means they are maximizing time on their possessions, taking care of business on the defensive glass and doing a good job of controlling the tempo. Spain will prefer an uptempo game with their fantastic backcourt.
X-Factor: It took Spain forever to win a gold medal and now that they have, one has to wonder if the hunger for more success is still there. Even if they come out flat, it's hard to see the Spanish, with a big homecourt advantage, slipping up in this one.
Speaking out: "I'm really thankful of being able to play with my National Team because it is something that really revitalizes me and fills me up with good and positive energy. It's a pleasure to be able to join my teammates because here, we really enjoy basketball and this team can aspire to everything. (Playing in Spain) is one of strongest weapons, it's a great atmosphere although our aim that we have imposed on ourselves is to go game by game, winning in order to reach the dream to be fighting in Madrid on September 16 for the gold medal" - Spain superstar Pau Gasol
