Marc Steutel's face another stern test following that epic night in Newcastle as they prepare for the second of their FIBA World Cup qualifying group games.
The hosts enter the game 0-1 after a 14-point loss to Belarus, whilst GB overcame Greece 78-69 at the Vertu Motors Arena.
FIBA World Cup Qualifier
Sunday 28 November, 4:00pm (GMT)
Sinan Erdem Dome, Istanbul
Tomorrow evening’s game can be watched live in the UK on BBC Sport from 3:50pm HERE.
For those outside of the UK, all FIBA World Cup Qualifiers are streamed on www.livebasketball.tv.
There’s one change to GB’s roster for tomorrow’s game as Jacob Round replaces the injured Luke Nelson.
Gabe Olaseni, Jordan Williams, Ashley Hamilton, Ben Mockford, Teddy Okereafor, Dan Clark, Tarik Phillip, Kavell Bigby-Williams, Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye, Carl Wheatle, Jamell Anderson, Jacob Round.
We're at our best when we have that underdog mentality.
— GB Basketball (@gbbasketball) November 27, 2021
Marc Steutel discusses the team's ranking, progression and ambitions as we look to claim another upset in Istanbul tomorrow night. #BritishBasketball pic.twitter.com/usrSUVmfhu
Despite the opening round defeat, Turkey come into the game in red-hot form at home. The hosts won all six of their home games in the World Cup 2019 Qualifiers by an average margin of 14 points. They also held opponents to less than 75 points in all of those games.
The hosts have made two changes from the roster that lost to Belarus, with Shane Larkin and Melih Mahmutoglu replacing Erten Gazi and Berkan Durmaz – neither of which saw the floor on Thursday night.
Shane Larkin comes in to the squad having missed Thursday’s game to feature in EuroLeague for club Anadolu Efes – the current champions. The 29 year old picked up a season-high 25 points as well as 7 assists in the team’s win 89-84 over fellow Turkish club Fenerbache.
Despite a string of upsets over the last two years – a run that includes Germany, France and Greece – Marc Steutel insists the team are still underdogs for the fixture, a challenge the team relishes:
“They’re a talented team regardless of their loss to Belarus. I think with the FIBA windows in this format there’s going to be a lot of people surprised with perceived upsets etc. Turkey will be looking forward to playing at home, looking to wrong a few rights from Thursday, and we expect a game against a typical Turkish team – well organised, well disciplined, physically strong in the front line with skilled guards.
We also anticipate a few of their EuroLeague guys playing so we know that we’re in for a challenge. I expect it to be a loud, hostile environment but our guys are looking forward to it. They absolutely thrive on being in this position and in games where we’re not expected to win. I know that from a a mentality and belief standpoint, our guys will be ready.”
