Denmark seek revenge against Hungary
Round 3 of EHF EURO 2018 Qualification will conclude with six matches on Thursday. Those matches are headlined by the World Championship 2017 rematch, when Hungary beat Olympic champions Denmark.
Now the Danes are out for revenge, while Poland want to cheat the gallows, and Romania hope to continue their series of success under the guidance of Xavi Pascual.
Thursday will also see the debuts of two new coaches: Nikolaj Jakobsen for Denmark and Raul Gonzales for FYR Macedonia.
GROUP 1
Hungary vs Denmark, Thursday 4 May, 20:00 local time, live on ehfTV and EHF EURO Facebook page
Hungary are out to pull off another sensation, while Nikolaj Jacobsen will have his first appearance on the Danish bench – a combination that makes this an explosive duel.
The final match for former Denmark coach Gudmundur Gudmundsson (now national coach of Bahrain) was the Olympic champions’ Last 16 defeat against Hungary at the World Championship. Now, Jacobsen will make his debut against the same opponent.
Hungary are boosted by Veszprém’s qualification for the VELUX EHF FINAL4, though some Danish players, such as Jesper Nöddesbo (Barcelona), Mikkel Hansen and Henrik Møllgaard (PSG), also made it to Cologne.
Barca right back Lasse Andersson is ruled out of the double header with Hungary by an injury, but the new coach managed to persuade left wing Anders Eggert to cancel his farewell from the national team.
Both sides won their first two matches against Latvia and Netherlands easily – and both are the group favourites. If one team wins both encounters this week, it would mean the ticket to Croatia is booked.
The match on Thursday opens the ‘week of handball’ in Budapest, which will be headlined by the TIPPMIX EHF FINAL4 to decide the Women’s EHF Champions League title.
GROUP 2
Belarus vs Poland, Thursday 4 May, 17:00 local time
It is already crunch time for coach Talant Dujshebaev and Poland when they travel to Minsk. After losing against Serbia and Romania in November, the Rio 2016 semi-finalists need to win both encounters against their neighbours to remain in the race for the EHF EURO 2018.
Belarus pulled off a surprise win in their away match against Serbia, but were defeated on home ground by Romania. At the World Championship 2017 in France, Belarus qualified for the Last 16, while Poland sensationally missed the knock-out stage and finished 17th.
To end the dark series, Karol Bielecki and Michal Jurecki will return to the national team after they had officially retired. Another defeat would continue the losing streak for Polish teams, after 2016 champions Kielce (also led by Dujshebaev) were eliminated in the Last 16 stage of the VELUX EHF Champions League by Montpellier.
Belarusian coach Iouri Chevtsov can count on his strongest squad for the match, including some fresh blood from Meshkov Brest.
Romania vs Serbia, Thursday 4 May, 20:00 local time
Xavi Pascual has something like the ‘Midas Touch’. Like the ancient Greek king, he can touch whatever he wants and turn it to gold.
After a one-year absence from the VELUX EHF FINAL4, Pascual steered Barcelona back to Cologne and his debut on the Romania bench in November was more than impressive as they recorded two victories against Poland and Belarus.
With the optimum of four points and plenty of confidence, the Romanians are out to continue this series on home ground, hoping for the first ever participation at an EHF EURO final tournament after 1996.
On the other hand, the rejuvenated Serbia side beat Poland, then surprisingly lost against Belarus on home ground – and therefore have some high hurdles ahead.
GROUP 3
Finland vs Bosnia-Herzegovina, Thursday 4 May, 18:30 local time
After their two defeats against Austria and Spain, Bosnia-Herzegovina are under more pressure than the hosts of Thursday’s match, who took a surprise opening win in Austria.
Finland clearly proved their development under coach Kai Kekki, and on home ground they might have the chance for another upset against a strong nation.
Following their qualification for Qatar 2015, Bosnia-Herzegovina have been seeking another major success. But the transitioning team lost a great chance for points against Austria in November, when they were defeated 22:23 at home.
The aggregate winner of this duel can have high hopes for a ticket to Croatia.
GROUP 4
FYR Macedonia vs Iceland, Thursday 4 May, 20:00 local time
All teams in this group start the round of double headers with two points – and thus everything is open.
Iceland count on the comeback of their mastermind Aron Palmarsson, who missed the World Championship in France due to injury.
After rebating the Czechs and being defeated by Ukraine, Iceland have another difficult task ahead.
Boosted by Vardar’s qualification for the VELUX EHF FINAL4 at Cologne, the Macedonians should be in good spirits on home ground with the debut of their new coach Raul Gonzales, who also leads the club side.
Goalkeeper Borko Ristovski, who will take the court in Cologne alongside fellow Macedonian Kiril Lazarov (Barcelona), makes his return to the squad for the EURO Qualification matches.
GROUP 5
Switzerland vs Portugal, Thursday 4 May, 19:00 local time
Switzerland were close to a major sensation against EURO champions Germany in November, but finally lost 22:23 on home ground.
This result was nevertheless a boost for world-class playmaker Andy Schmid and his young team-mates. Now they hope for their first points of the qualification against Portugal, who took a draw against Slovenia after a clear opening defeat in Germany.
Both sides are considered the underdogs, but depending on the results of the top duel between Germany and Slovenia, the gate to Croatia could open a little for the aggregate winner.
TEXT: Bjorn Pazen / cg
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