Gold medal hopes are soaring in Spain with the country looking to follow up last year's triumph at the FIBA World Championship with another title.

And Spanish National Team captain Carlos Jimenez knows all eyes will be on him and his teammates on Thursday evening in Gijon, where they will face Lithuania, the team that beat them in the EuroBasket championship game four years ago.

Jimenez said: "There is a great atmosphere in the team, and a lot of expectations among our fans, but this cannot be a distraction for us because what we want to do is to have a good tournament and be able to keep up the basketball spirit that is in the nation."

As for Thursday's opponents, Jimenez said: "Lithuania is one of the strongest teams competing in the EuroBasket. This will be a test for us in order to see where we are at in our preparations."

Jimenez and Co struggled against Portugal on Tuesday for three quarters before pulling away for an 82-65 triumph.

Lithuania beat Spain in the gold medal game at EuroBasket 2003, but Pepe Hernandez's men did gain a measure of revenge last year in Japan where they beat the Baltic giants in the quarter-finals en route to the title.