ATHENS (2008 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament) - Those who think that the biggest challenge for the Croats is to participate in the Olympic tournament are wrong.

What excites them most is to beat Dirk Nowitzki. Besides, they know that only with a win against the team led by the Dallas Mavericks superstar they can be back in the Olympic Games for the first time after 1992 in Barcelona.

So the real challenge for Jasmin Repesa and his players is to beat Nowitzki, as the 30-year-old forward seems to be their eternal Nemesis.

Croatia's five consecutive defeats to Germany have taken place under the empire of King Dirk, and Croatia's coach does not mumble his words when saying that his great opponent is a player "out of this world" and "unbelievable".

However, the game is not just between Croatia and Nowitzki.

The German team scores 90.3 points per game, shooting 44% for three and 61% for two points and being almost perfect from the free-throw line (89%).

Besides Nowitzki, scoring 23 ppg, guards Pascal Roller (32, 1.80 m.) and Demond Greene (29, 1.86m.) look quite impressive, shooting 56 and 66 percent respectively from three-point land.

This is what the Croatian coach seems to fear the most, bearing in mind at the same time the second half of Germany's game against Brazil, when the "Cariocas" pressured their opponents without mercy in the perimeter, creating many turnovers. The Germans have good shooters, but their weakest point is the organization of their game.

Repesa talked also about the presence of Chris Kaman (26, 2.13 m.), with the L.A. Clippers center averaging 14 points (on 60% shooting for two) and 9.3 rebounds, filling the paint at both ends with his size and strength.

What about Croatia, then? For the first time, the Balkan team seems to get out of the shadows of recent years.

German coach Dirk Bauermann considers it "a well-trained team, with a clever coach, who knows very well what his players can do.

Their strengths are perimeter shooting and driving, and we must stop exactly these if we are to beat them and participate in the Olympic Games for the first time since 1992".

The most impressive feature in this year's Croatian squad is their team spirit. They seem to have left selfishness behind for good.

They score exactly the same points as Germany (90.3) and have similar shooting percentages from mid- and long-range, the difference lying in the free-throw line, where the Croats are 75% accurate.

They are also worse in rebounding (87 boards to 98), but better in steals (19 to 11), simply because they have improved in defense. Marko Tomas (21, 2.01 m.) and Marko Popovic (26, 1.85 m.) are Croatia's scoring leaders, with 16 and 15 ppg respectively, while Marko Banic (24, 2.04 m.) has grabbed the opportunity of playing in injured Damir Markota's place (the Croatian forward has undergone surgery on his left knee), shooting 12-of-12 from the field.

Head-to-head: The two teams have met each other none times in FIBA major tournaments, with Germany holding the edge, 5-4. They have even beaten Croatia five straight times since their last defeat, in the 1997 European Championship in Spain.

Year Tournament Result (GER v CRO)

1992 Olympic Games 78 - 99
1993 European Championship 63-70
1997 European Championship 55-75
1997 European Championship 93-100
1999 European Championship 102-85
2001 European Championship 98-88
2003 European Championship 78-71
2003 European Championship 81-73
2007 European Championship 80-71

LOC Press Office