Tristan da Silva, the talented small forward born in Munich, has offered a clear scouting report on Germany’s next Eurobasket 2025 opponent, Portugal. The German international, whose father is Brazilian and mother German, shared his thoughts after a training session in Riga. He acknowledged Portugal’s strengths, showing he and his team have done their homework.
Da Silva highlighted Portugal’s physical play, noting they are “very strong on the offensive board.” He pointed out their quick pace and said they “have a lot of talent and ‘size’ in defense.” Despite speaking Portuguese himself, he chose to answer questions in English at the Olympic Sports Center. He wrapped up his analysis by stating his team is “excited about tomorrow’s game (Saturday).”
When asked if Germany entered Saturday’s Round of 16 clash as favorites, Da Silva quickly dismissed the idea. “Favorites? No, you have to ask those who make statistics and those things,” the 25-year-old responded. His focus, and that of the team led by Spanish coach Alex Mumbrú, remains firmly on the present challenge. He emphasized that past wins, even five in a row, mean little now. “We have to win the next one to stay in the competition,” he stated directly.
Germany, the reigning world champions, had a flawless run through the group stage, winning all five of their matches to top Group B. They defeated Montenegro 106-76, Sweden 105-83, Lithuania 107-88, Great Britain 120-57, and Finland 91-61. Da Silva has been a key player, averaging 10.4 points and 3.6 rebounds over 21.0 minutes per game. He made it clear that while winning the championship is a shared ambition, it requires constant effort. “It’s the objective of everyone here,” he said, “We are not the only ones with that objective, so we have to keep winning.”
The knockout match between Portugal and Germany for the 2025 European Basketball Championship is set for Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:15 PM local time in Riga, which is 1:15 PM in Lisbon. The game will take place at the Xiaomi Arena.