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As the 42nd edition of European basketball’s quadrennial international tournament enters its second week, Montenegro and Great Britain already find themselves on the brink of elimination. Both teams will have an outside chance of progression to the knockout stages regardless of what happens in Monday’s fixtures, but it’s possible neither will remain in the competition following the conclusion of the tie.
Wednesday’s opponents occupy the bottom two places in Group B after their opening set of three fixtures, with each having failed to register a single victory to press. Despite this, the struggling duo sit on three points apiece ahead of this week’s action (teams receive one point for a loss) and therefore are still in contention to qualify.
As per all other Group B fixtures, the match between Montenegro and Great Britain will take place at Tampere’s Nokia Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 11.30 am (BST).
Montenegro vs. Great Britain: Key information
Date: Wednesday 3rd September
Tip-off time: 11.30 am (BST), 1.30 pm (local time)
Venue: Nokia Arena, Tampere, Finland.
Referee: TBC
TV Channels/streaming: Courtside 1891 (via DAZN application or web browser)
Odds: Montenegro: 1/12, Great Britain: 15/2
*if the full-time result is a draw, match will enter overtime.
Montenegro vs. Great Britain: Team News
Although each team has suffered three straight defeats, neither Boško Radović nor Marc Steutel are expected to make too many changes for this crucial encounter.
Montenegro and Great Britain have averaged exactly 69.3 points per game in their first three fixtures, so both head coaches may look to add further firepower at the top end of the court. Radović’s men preside over the worst turnover stats in the competition, having surrendered possession on a staggering 61 occasions (20.3 TPG). Meanwhile, Great Britain must improve their defensive discipline if they are to have any hopes of landing a victory on Wednesday. Team GB have committed 64 fouls throughout the tournament’s early stages; they simply cannot afford to continue gifting superior opponents a chance to score points.
Montenegro team news
Having featured more often than any other Montenegrin during this year’s EuroBasket, Nikola Vučević is a shoo-in to make Boško Radović’s starting line-up. Only Iceland’s Tryggvi Hlinason has delivered more rebounds than the Chicago Bulls centre, who has also racked up an impressive 50 points (16.7 PPG) and two double-double performances so far.
With 14 assists and an increasingly influential on-court presence, Kyle Allman is also set to retain his place. Despite having registered five steals in Montenegro’s opening three contests, 25-year-old point guard Igor Drobnjak is expected to initially watch on from the substitutes bench, while Türk Telekom’s Marko Simonović – who converted 11 of his first 12 free throw opportunities in this competition – will likely join him on the sidelines at the tip-off.
Montenegro predicted line-up vs. Great Britain
Coach: Boško Radović
Nikola Vučević (centre), Kyle Allman (shooting guard), Andrija Slavković (forward), Emir Hadžibegović (forward), Đorđije
Jovanović (forward)
Great Britain team news
Marc Steutel has been eager to use the full depth of his squad, with Myles Hesson the only British player to have seen more than 75 minutes of action by the end of matchday three.
It remains to be seen whether the Newcastle Eagles coach will deploy Tarik Phillip or Luke Nelson at shooting guard, as both men have fulfilled this role in Finland. Having converted three of his five long-range attempts, Jelani Watson-Gayle has the ninth-highest 3-point conversion rating in the competition. However, it appears Philip and Nelson are comfortably ahead of the Slavia Prague point guard in the pecking order.
Although slightly less effective in the disappointing defeat to Sweden, Akwasi Yeboah has arguably been Team GB’s star man. The Trabzonspor power forward has claimed 18 rebounds, while receiving his team’s highest efficiency rating against Lithuania (18) and Finland (16).
Great Britain predicted line-up vs. Montenegro
Coach: Marc Steutel
Tarik Phillip (shooting guard), Myles Hesson (forward), Akwasi Yeboah (forward), Carl Wheatle (forward), Jubrile Belo
(forward)
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
All 76 EuroBasket 2025 fixtures are being shown live on Courtside 1891, with basketball fans able to follow every minute of the tournament from its initial group stages to September’s final at Riga’s Xiaomi Arena.
The streaming platform serves as FIBA’s (Fédération Internationale de Basketball) official media channel, enabling customers to enjoy a range of content provided by basketball’s world governing body. It’s accessible via the DAZN application, but existing DAZN customers must register for a separate Courtside 1891 membership. Viewers can also stream this content through a standard web browser, simply by logging into their account on the Courtside 1891 website.
There are two tiers of membership, with a free and paid subscription option available. There is no charge attached to the 1891 Plus plan, but users are only able to access extended match highlights. The 1891 Max plan provides comprehensive coverage of every EuroBasket clash (& all other FIBA-sanctioned tournaments), and is typically priced at £24 per annum. However, this cost can vary depending on the customer’s location. Standalone event passes are also available, so viewers don’t need to purchase a full year’s subscription to catch all of the action from this summer’s co-hosted competition in Cyprus, Finland, Poland, and Latvia.
The FIBA decided to broadcast three of Great Britain’s five Group B matches to 1891 Plus members, with last week’s defeat to Lithuania, Monday’s clash with Germany, and the crunch tie against Montenegro all available to stream live for free. It’s unclear as to whether coverage of any further matches will be universally offered should Team GB progress to the knockout stages.
Head-to-Head record
Montenegro and Great Britain have only met on two previous occasions, with either team chalking up one win each. Both fixtures took place during qualification for the last EuroBasket championships, which were delayed by twelve months as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although Myles Hesson managed to rack up 20 points in Podgorica, the maiden contest between these two countries would see Montenegro secure an 81-74 triumph. Great Britain would avenge this narrow loss nine months later, overcoming the ‘Black Mountain’ by 16 points in the French city of Pau. Gabriel Olaseni stole the show at the Palais des Sports de Pau, recording 28 points, 8 rebounds, and one steal to help earn a 29 efficiency rating. Despite putting a dent in each other’s qualification hopes, both teams still progressed to EuroBasket 2022 (although Montenegro’s entry was only confirmed after Russia’s suspension from the tournament).
Before incurring sobering defeats to Germany, Lithuania, and Finland in the competition’s opening exchanges, Montenegro prepared for EuroBasket 2025 with five friendly contests. A mixed bag of results followed, as victories over Bosnia & Herzegovina and Israel were clouded by losses against France, Turkey, and Greece. It’s worth noting that the Montenegrins were also beaten in their final two qualification matches, going down 95-76 to Germany at the Bemax Arena before being edged by Sweden in Stockholm.
Great Britain also experienced an underwhelming spell of form prior to arriving in Tampere, losing four of their five warm-up matches. A confidence-building victory over Estonia came at the end of this poor sequence of results, but Group B rivals Lithuania, Finland, and Sweden have all managed to comfortably dispatch Steutel’s men, who qualified for this summer’s tournament after impressively beating the Netherlands and Czechia last February.
Odds for Montenegro vs. Great Britain
The bookies expect Montenegro to record a comfortable victory, installing them as heavy favourites ahead of Wednesday’s tie. Here’s a snapshot of the betting markets for this match:
Moneyline: Montenegro: 1/12, Great Britain: 15/2
Spread: Montenegro (-16/5): 5/4, Great Britain (+16.5): 4/7 Montenegro (-13.5): 10/11, Great Britain (+13.5): 10/11
Over/Under: Over 150.5 points: 4/11, Under 150.5 points: 19/10
The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change. All odds provided by bet365.