Germany and Japan are scheduled to go to war on the court this Friday in a David vs Goliath showdown in Group E. Will the Germans sink Aka-tsuki Faibu? Or will Japan score an earth-shaking upset victory?

Catch this game live on Friday, August 25, at 8:10 PM, Manila time

Germany (0-0)

Projected Starting Five:

  • PG: Dennis Schroder
  • SG: Andreas Obst
  • SF: Franz Wagner
  • PF: Johannes Voigtmann
  • C: Daniel Theis

Based on their last game before the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Germany will be a pesky team to face for anyone in the tournament.  They are already viewed as the alpha in Group E and expected to steamroll past underdog Japan. Germany finished third in the 2022 FIBA EuroBasket during which they were led by Dennis Schroder of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors. 

In that tournament, Schroder led Die Mannschaft in points (22.1 PPG) and assists (7.1 APG).  Franz Wagner is another man to watch out for over the side of the Germans. He’s got great length and a good perimeter game to be a big headache for Japan.

Wagner led Germany with 16 points with 10 rebounds for a double-double performance in a relatively close loss to Team USA during a tuneup contest in Abu Dhabi last week. The size of Germany is really going to be a problem for Japan, as they also have Mo Wagner and Daniel Theis to fortify the frontcourt.

Japan (0-0)

Projected Starting Five:

  • PG: Yuki Togashi
  • SG: Yudai Baba
  • SF: Yuta Watanabe
  • PF: Inoue Soichiro
  • C: Josh Hawkinson

Japan don’t have to hear it. They know they’re the big underdogs in this matchup versus Germany. If they are to pull off a monster upset (and go on a Cinderella gun), they’re going to need their top guns to work. Yuta Watanabe is Japan’s main weapon but the Phoenix Suns forward can’t do it on his own.

Yuki Togashi’s shooting will have to click, and fortunately for Japan, most of the time his perimeter prowess is there. In a tuneup game recently against superpower France, Togashi had 15 points and drained five of nine attempts from behind the arc. Hiroyuki Tominaga led Japan versus France with 20 points. Speedy guard Yudai Baba can also be a game-changer with his incredible quickness on the floor. But the biggest factor of them all for Japan could be their home crowd, which will do everything within reason to give their team a lift.

PREDICTIONS:

Spread: Germany (-19.0) covers the spread.

Over/Under: The total (171.0) hits the Under.