Sweden might be facing some tough teams, but Fredrik Jonzen belives his country have a much better chance of qualifying for EuroBasket 2007 than two years ago.

Sweden will face Ukraine, Bulgaria and Poland in the qualification stages, but that suits Olympia Larisa center Jonzen, who remembers all too clearly being condemned to a relegation battle last time around after doing battle with Croatia and Russia.

"We had to play against very tough teams in our qualification two years ago," the 28-year-old told PA Sport.

"This year we have been given a much better draw, so we have a better chance of making it to EuroBasket 2007."

Ukraine and Bulgaria both made it to EuroBasket 2005 in Serbia & Montenegro and will be favourites to qualify again this year, meaning Sweden still face a tough task.

"We are definitely outsiders, as both Ukraine and Bulgaria are very strong teams," Jonzen admitted.

"But against Poland I think we can have a psychological advantage over them. We played against them in the relegation tournament and won, and when you only play these teams rarely, such a match will play an important role psychologically.

"We are equal with Poland, but we have the advantage."

Sweden begin in the hardest possible way, travelling to away games against Ukraine and Bulgaria, but Jonzen is happy to start in such a fashion.

"I really like our schedule," he said. "It feels good to play two away matches immediately, and if we can win one of them, we already have an advantage.

"I also like that we will finish the qualification stage by playing two games at home."

Kostas Flevarakis has planned a tight schedule for his team. They have already had a training camp in June, and are now getting ready for the Nordic Championship in Finland which begins on August 1.

Flevarakis has several experienced players in his squad, but can also count on some new younger players. Of those, it is Skyliners Frankfurt guard Rudy Mbemba who has caught Jonzen's eye.

"We have several young players who have impressed me, and especially Mbemba impressed me in the gathering we had in June," he said.

Jonzen has not yet seen Christian Maraker play, but is looking forward to meeting the youngster who has made his mark in college basketball in the United States.

"We need all the help we can get under the basket, and he can be a joker for our team," Jonzen said.

With so much fresh blood in the squad, Jonzen knows that he and his fellow senior players have an important role in helping the youngsters find their feet at international level.

"I belong to the most experienced players in the team, so that is what I will bring to it," Jonzen said. "I will try and get the young players settled into the team and bring them the international experience that is needed."

Over the years, Jonzen has seen much change about the Sweden team, and believes the most positive development has been a change of philosophy in defence.

"The big difference is in defence, and that is important to be able to compete at international level," he said.

"In the past we did not have the athleticism that was needed, but we have that now. I like how we have started to prioritise our defensive game."

Jonzen's own game has benefitted from his two years in Greece, but he has admitted he is unsure about his future with Olympia Larisa.

"I still have one year more on my contract with Olympia Larissa, but I do not know what will happen," he said. "I struggled last year with my shooting, and it was nothing like the first year in Greece where my shooting went very well."