Spain starts the second phase against Portugal with debuts from Mara and Miller

After almost two months without competition, Spain returns to the court this Friday to play a crucial match on its path to Qatar 2027. The clash against Portugal at the Príncipe Felipe in Zaragoza marks the first step in the second phase of the qualifiers, a decisive stage in which Chus Mateo aims to consolidate the project with a predominantly young group but with great potential. The match will be broadcast live on Teledeporte and Vamos, allowing fans to follow the performance of the Spaniards in real-time.

Debuts with a special flavor in Zaragoza

This Friday's match will have a special significance for two of the call-ups. Aday Mara and Baba Miller will make their debut as senior internationals in the same game, which is an important milestone for both players. However, for Mara, the emotional burden is even greater: the pivot, born in Zaragoza and trained in the local academy, returns to his city to wear the national team's jersey for the first time. This return is especially relevant considering the trajectory he has followed in recent months.

Mara arrives at this debut after completing an exceptional season at the University of Michigan, where he won the NCAA title and was recognized as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. His projection is clear: next season he will defend the colors of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA, a major step in his professional career. Just two months ago, on the eve of the NBA Draft, the player reflected on his expectations of professionalism and the goals he had set. Now, before starting his journey in the best league in the world, he has the opportunity to represent his country in a qualifying window of utmost importance.

Baba Miller, for his part, arrives at the national team as the U19 World Champion in 2023, a title that supports his quality and potential in international basketball. His incorporation to the senior team signifies the recognition of his development as a player and his potential to contribute to Mateo's project in upcoming qualifying windows.

A call-up with experience and youth

Chus Mateo has assembled a squad of fourteen players that combines experience in international competitions with the freshness of emerging talents. The list includes significant representation from the EuroLeague, NBA, and NCAA, reflecting the competitive level of the chosen players. However, the absence of Santi Aldama due to physical problems has forced the coach to make adjustments to his initial plans. To complete the first training sessions and have additional options, Mateo has called up young Diego Niebla from Penya.

The fourteen players called up are: Álvaro Cárdenas (1), Baba Miller (2), Sergio de Larrea (3), Jaime Pradilla (4), Mario Saint-Supéry (5), Darío Brizuela (8), Alberto Díaz (9), Hugo González (10), Izan Almansa (13), Willy Hernangómez (14), Aday Mara (15), Santi Yusta (22), Juancho Hernangómez (41), and Joel Parra (44). This roster reflects the coach's intention to include players capable of competing at the highest levels, while also evidencing his commitment to the progressive integration of new talents into the project.

Portugal arrives with credentials and warnings from the captain

The rival that Spain will face this Friday does not arrive in Zaragoza by chance. Portugal qualified for this second phase as the second in group B, demonstrating its competitive solidity. The prestigious victory they achieved in Greece in the last match of the first phase, with a result of 71-56, illustrates their ability to compete against top-level rivals. Led by Mário Gomes, the Portuguese arrive with high morale and solid arguments: their participation in the last EuroBasket allowed them to compete on equal terms against the best European teams.

Willy Hernangómez, captain of Spain with 117 international appearances, has been clear in his warnings about the rival. The veteran player does not downplay the difficulty of the match, describing it as a game that will require a lot of physicality. In addition, he has reminded that the Portuguese have a timing advantage: they have been preparing for longer than the Spanish team and feature talented players spread throughout their lineup. In the same line, Santi Yusta, who plays at home in Zaragoza, stated that Portugal is a very experienced team that has been competing together for a long time, characterized by their aggressiveness and toughness on defense. Yusta was explicit in noting that Spain will have to match the intensity level set by the Portuguese.

The importance of the current window

There is a scheduling factor that adds extraordinary value to the matches that Spain will play in this window. This is the only opportunity during the season when NBA and EuroLeague players can participate in the qualifiers. In the windows of November and February, Chus Mateo will have to develop his work without the presence of these players, which poses a significant limitation on the offensive and defensive potential of the team. For this reason, the two matches that Spain will play in this window, including the one this Friday against Portugal, gain additional strategic relevance.

Short and long-term objectives

Chus Mateo has made clear his perspective on what is at stake in this second phase. Although the immediate goal is to secure qualification for the World Cup in Qatar 2027, the coach looks beyond the result of this Friday. For Mateo, it is essential that the chemistry between the players and the collective understanding of the game grow progressively. He acknowledges that this is a young group, albeit of high quality, and that maturity in collective play only comes with time and accumulated experience.

The coach has emphasized the need for patience with this project. Although many of the call-ups are young, they possess qualities that need to be solidified through regular competition. Mateo is aware that time must be given for these qualities to cement and translate into a more consistent and effective game. This philosophy reflects a medium-term vision that goes beyond immediate results.

Regarding classification, Spain approaches the second phase from a position of strength. With a record of 5-1, they lead group I ahead of rivals such as Ukraine (4-2), Montenegro (4-2), Portugal (3-3), Greece (3-3), and Georgia (3-3). However, Mateo and his coaching staff are fully aware that nothing is guaranteed yet. There are six home-and-away matches against Portugal, Greece, and Ukraine, with only the top three from each group qualifying at the end of the three qualifying windows. This reality underscores the importance of each match and the need to maintain consistency throughout the phase.

The window will close next Monday, October 31, in Athens, where Spain will face Greece at 18:00, also with broadcasts on Teledeporte and Vamos. This second match will also be crucial for solidifying positions in the standings and continuing to build the collective project that Mateo pursues for the national team.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, España inicia segunda fase ante Portugal con debuts de Mara y Miller