New Zealand to come full circle

Lebanon faces New Zealand on Monday morning at 8 am Lebanese time in Wellington as part of the last day of the Asian Zone qualifiers for the 2023 World Cup. It is difficult to predict the intensity that the two teams will put in, especially since they have already qualified for the World Cup.

Lebanon faces Monday morning at 8 am local time, and New Zealand in Wellington as part of the final day of the Asian Zone qualifiers for the 2023 World Cup. The Cedars, like the Tall Blacks, have already qualified, and this meeting will be used to determine the group winner. Both teams are currently in the lead with 9 wins and 2 losses on the clock in these playoffs. The match will be broadcast on LB2.

Despite its victory over New Zealand at home 77-65, Lebanon will not start as a candidate for this meeting, especially since it is deprived of 5 players and will play this match without a naturalized player. The missing players are Wael Araghji, Ali Haidar, Youssef Khayyat, Elie Chamoun and Karim Ezzeddine.

Some stats

In their first eleven matches in the qualifiers, Lebanon suffered only two defeats in away matches against Jordan and the Philippines.

Historically, the two teams have already met three times in World Cup qualifiers, and the New Zealanders lead by two wins to one. New Zealand’s victory was by three points or less. The New Zealanders have won their last eight World Cup qualifying matches on home soil, winning by margins of more than 10 points in seven cases.

It is difficult to know what the scenario of the match will be because it is impossible to know what method the coaches will adopt, who will probably seek to work on their weaknesses more than to achieve the absolute victory. However, a win would be beneficial for both teams in view of the FIBA ​​ranking, which is crucial in order to have a more favorable World Cup draw.

Some Lebanese players such as Marc Khoueiri, Naim Rabie, Gerard Hadidan, Gabriel Salibi and Jean-Marc Groug will also be keen to shine, especially since their presence in the World Cup is far from certain, once the team is registered. injured players.