Three points the clear goal for Russia's women

On the club level Russian women’s handball is back on the international map, with two teams each having reached the semi-finals of the Women's EHF Cup (Astrakhanochka and Lada) and the Cup Winners' Cup (Rostov and Zvezda) respectively.

And on 26 and 29 March it is up to the women's national team to become one of the first teams to clinch the EHF EURO 2014 berth. 

Head coach Ewgeny Trefilov has already started a twelve-day preparation camp in Navagorsk to get his team in a perfect shape for the double-header against FYR Macedonia on 26 March in Rostov and 29 March in Skopje.

The team's goals, after they to the surprise of many failed to qualify for the World Championship 2013 in Serbia, are clearly set out.

If they take at least three points from the two matches, the ticket to the final tournament in Hungary and Croatia is secured, regardless the results of the final encounters between FYR Macedonia and Germany in June.

In the first two duels of Group 7 Russia took 2 points against Germany (29:28 at home, 27:32 away).

Trefilov nominated 29 players for this preparation camp excluding those who play abroad such as Tatiana Khmyrova, who just qualified for the  Women’s EHF FINAL4 with Vardar Skopje, and Irina Nikitina, who also made it to Budapest with Buducnost.

After an almost full transition of the squad, only some world champions from 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2009 are among the nominated, with playmaker Liudmila Postnova and goalkeeper Maria Sidorova being two of them.

The position between the posts is the current problem of Trefilov as some of the best goalkeepers in the Russian Super League come from abroad like Montenegrin Sonja Barjaktarovic or Brazilian Maissa Pessoa, and some Russians are injured.

So after having recovered from a long-term injury Victoria Kalinina from Trefilov’s club Krasnodar will share the goalkeeping together with Sidorova. Furthermore Victoria Zhilinskaite (Lada) will celebrate her comeback after having recovered from a knee injury.

Among the nominated players are some highly talented youth and junior stars such as Daria Dmitieva (Dinamo Volgograd), who won gold with Russia at the Women's 19 EHF EURO 2013 in Denmark.