Alimpijevic: Djurisic Ruled Out Against Iceland, Italy
Serbia head coach Dusan Alimpijevic announced that Nikola Djurisic will miss both games because of a strain, against Iceland on Friday and away to Italy three days later.
Reporters packed the Basketball Federation of Serbia’s press room on Friday morning, ready to ask Dusan Alimpijevic about his tactics against Iceland. The head coach beat them to it. Before anyone could raise a hand, he delivered news that changes the Eagles’ lineup for both games of this window.
“Djurisic will not be in the squad. He has a strain that isn’t serious, but because of the potential risk, he’s out of the team. Unfortunately, this is a guy who really brought good, positive energy, who found himself during these windows and who trained fantastically well in preparation,” Alimpijevic said.
Nikola Djurisic, a Crvena Zvezda player, picked up a muscle strain during the national team gathering and is out of the squad for both qualifying games, against Iceland on Friday at the Belgrade Arena and, three days later, away to Italy in Pesaro. The Iceland game tips off Friday, August 28, at 8 p.m. and opens the second phase of European qualifying for the 2027 World Cup, which will be held in Qatar. Alimpijevic named an 18-man squad ahead of the game, with Nikola Jokic serving as team captain for this window.
How Does Alimpijevic See Iceland?
The coach then moved on to what the reporters had actually come for: a tactical read of the opponent.
“Iceland plays a specific brand of basketball that fits the modern game, a lot of play in open space. Our main task will be stopping their attack between six and eight seconds, they’re very efficient there. They look for early three-point shots and hit them at good percentages. Their two main traits are early offense and the three-point shot. If we do what we’re preparing to do, we shouldn’t run into any trouble,” Alimpijevic said.
Even though Serbia is the favorite, the coach warned that letting up is not an option. He pointed out that Iceland had already knocked off serious opponents in the previous qualifying phase.
“We have no trouble explaining this to the players, because everyone knows Iceland beat Italy once and Lithuania once in the last phase. They score a lot of points. We are favorites, but if we fall into their rhythm, we could end up with a result like the ones Italy or Lithuania suffered. Our players are professionals and they’re aware of that. We honestly aren’t thinking about Italy until the Iceland game is over. In fact, 80 percent of our preparation for Italy will be the Iceland game,” the Serbia coach said.
In other words, according to Alimpijevic, Iceland is not a warm-up stop before the real test in Pesaro. It is an opponent that has already upset stronger teams twice in this qualifying cycle, just in the earlier phase of the competition, not the one starting Friday.
Where Does Serbia Stand Ahead of the Next Round?
Group J’s standings ahead of these two games look like this:
- Turkey, 12 points
- Italy, 11 points
- Serbia, 10 points
- Lithuania, 9 points
- Iceland, 9 points
- Bosnia and Herzegovina, 8 points
The top three teams in the group advance to the World Cup. A win over Iceland would keep Serbia among the group leaders ahead of the showdown with Italy, a team that has given Serbia trouble in recent years, while a loss would open the door for Lithuania and Iceland itself to close the gap.
The Takeaway From France
Alimpijevic also compared what his team went through in the exhibition games against France with what awaits in qualifying.
“France is completely different from anything we’ll face in this window. We played a team that is the most athletically powerful in Europe, with the most NBA and EuroLeague players, not just in number but in how much they matter to their teams. The games were friendlies, but our approach wasn’t. We tried to manage playing time well, but the intensity we got from those two games was useful preparation for everything that follows. As far as preparing for these two games goes, especially athletically, it’s completely different,” Alimpijevic explained.
Serbian News previously reported on ticket prices for the Iceland game and on Jokic’s role as the team’s leader for this window. Now it is also clear at what cost Serbia enters qualifying, without a player who, by the coach’s own account, made the biggest strides over the summer.
Alimpijevic closed with an appeal to the fans to fill the Arena.
“The atmosphere among the players and around the team is excellent. I’m really glad so many journalists come to these press conferences. Not out of courtesy. It genuinely makes me happy. Ticket sales are going well, and I’d invite the fans to fill the Arena to the end, so we can pay tribute to players who set aside their private and club obligations to play for the national team. I hope the atmosphere is as great as it was against France,” Dusan Alimpijevic concluded.
“This whole period behind us went fantastically. Now comes the main part,” the coach said, and that is exactly what comes next. After Iceland on Friday, the Eagles, without Djurisic, travel to Pesaro, where Italy awaits them on Monday, August 31.
