PARIS (2010 FIBA World Championship) – France are looking ahead to the 2010 FIBA World Championship with a lot of optimism, despite being drawn in Group D with Lithuania and the team that knocked them out of EuroBasket medal contention, Spain.

Canada, New Zealand and Lebanon are also in the pool and French playmaker Tony Parker believes the table is now set for Les Bleus to have a good tournament.

"I think the draw is not too bad,” Parker said.

“We have not been drawn in the group of death (Parker didn’t specify whether A, B or C is the Group of Death).

“(France coach) Vincent (Collet) says our goal is to finish in the top two places of our group and I share that aim.

“We have the means to get there.”

At the draw, French Basketball Federation President Yvan Mainini and Spanish Basketball Federation supremo Jose Luis Saez sat side by side and when the two teams were paired, each smiled at the other.

“It is not necessarily a bad thing to have Spain in the group as we will avoid them in the knockout rounds,” said Collet, whose French team went undefeated at the EuroBasket in Poland before going up against Spain in the Quarter-Finals.

“We do have the spirit of revenge although it is a shame to play them first as we would have preferred to meet them later on in the group as we look to grow in the tournament. However, this might create an opportunity to surprise them.”

FIBA