Fiery clashes in round 3 of EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers
A full card, with plenty of special matches between the top two teams in each group, is ready in the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers. Several powerhouses clash, with a clear objective in mind – improving their chances to progress to the final tournament in Germany next January.
Meanwhile, in the Men’s EHF EURO Cup 2024, the four teams which have already sealed their berths – hosts Germany and the 2022 medallists Sweden, Spain and Denmark – will provide exciting games in their quest to prepare for the final tournament.
GROUP 1
Luxembourg vs Türkiye
Wednesday 8 March, 19:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- both sides have lost their first two games in the group and face must-win situations to preserve their chances
- only three sides – Kosovo, Israel and Latvia – have scored fewe goals in the first two matches than Luxembourg’s 45 goals
- Luxembourg have failed to win a game at this stage of EHF EURO Qualifiers since 2002
- no team have conceded more goals in the EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers than Türkiye, 80, and only Latvia and Türkiye have conceded more goals in the first two matches than Luxembourg: 70
- Türkiye have won five of the six matches they played against Luxembourg, riding a four-game winning streak before this match
North Macedonia vs Portugal
Thursday 9 March, 19:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- Portugal, who won their first two games of the group, will set their longest winning streak in EHF EURO Qualifiers of five wins if they come through unscathed against North Macedonia
- a win for Kiril Lazarov’s side would be their fifth in a row in the EHF EURO Qualifiers, tying their best-ever winning run, set between 2001 and 2003 and between 2019 and 2021
- only Hungary have posted a better attacking performance in the first two games than Portugal, scoring 77 goals, one more than Paulo Pereira’s side
- a win should see Portugal in prime position to clinch a berth for the EHF EURO 2024, which would be their third tournament in a row and their seventh overall
- the two sides have split their wins in the eight matches played so far, with four wins each, North Macedonia coming on top each time they played on their home court
GROUP 2
Serbia vs Norway
Thursday 9 March, 18:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- Norway will break their own record for the largest winning run in the EHF EURO Qualifiers if they extend their streak against Serbia, currently tying their best run set between 1995 and 1997
- Serbia are in the same position, riding a four-game winning streak, their best in this competition
- Norway’s left wing Sebastian Barthold is one of the top scorers in the EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers, scoring 15 goals, being on the fifth place in the top goal scorer standings, only four goals less than the trio of leaders
- from the 24 games played at home in the EHF EURO Qualifiers, Serbia have lost a single match, 27:36, against Belarus in November 2016
- the two sides also met in January at the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship, with Norway clinching a 31:28 win in the main round of the competition
Finland vs Slovakia
Thursday 9 March, 18:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- Slovakia are in the middle of their worst losing run in the EHF EURO Qualifiers, 11 games in a row, in a streak dating back to May 2017
- only four teams have scored fewer goals than the hosts in the first two rounds, as Finland mustered only 46 goals in the first two matches against Serbia and Norway
- in this phase of the EHF EURO Qualifiers, Finland have won only once in the last 26 games, in an away match against Austria, in November 2016
- Slovakia’s new coach, Fernando Gurich, who replaced Peter Kukucka after Slovakia failed to qualify for the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship, is still searching for his first win in official matches, after conceding losses against Serbia and Norway
- Finland have never won against Slovakia, drawing once, in the first mutual game between the two sides in 2001, and losing the other five matches
I hope we will be able to challenge Slovakia better than Norway or Serbia [last autumn]. If we are able to play on our best level, I believe we have good chances to win, especially at home.
We are not feeling the pressure ahead of these games. Recent results have showed us that we can approach the games without feeling under pressure. We will try and stick to playing our game as it is our aim to get to the point where we play the way we do and the opponent has to adjust to our style.
We know that we still are young and still have a lot to learn, and that we must be able to perform our best in order make it a tough game for Romania. But we have proven that everything is possible in Torshavn, and that is our focus the coming days.
Ukraine vs Austria
Thursday 9 March, 19:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- Ukraine will play once again on a neutral court, trying to kickstart their EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers campaign in Coburg, Germany
- two of the best scorers in the first two rounds will collide in this game, with Austria’s Robert Weber currently tied with Arkadiusz Moryto and Kay Smits on the top of the standings, with 19 goals, while Ukraine’s left back Ihor Turchenko is fifth, with 16 goals
- a win would see Austria tie their longest winning run in the EHF EURO Qualifiers, five games in a row, twice set in 2003 and 2005
- with a win, Austria would open a four-point gap ahead of Ukraine in the lead of the group, all but sealing their fourth consecutive berth for the EHF EURO and their sixth in history for the competition
- Austria have won two of the three matches played against Ukraine, including one at the EHF EURO 2020 in Vienna, 34:30, in the preliminary round
Our mood is fighting, our goal is to win. We want to advance to the European Championship. We carefully analyse the opponents' game, their strengths and weaknesses. In particular, we have to cope with a powerful lineman and prevent Nicolas Bilyk from showing his best game, and we must also be ready to counter their fast wingers
I think Lithuania is a great team and they have been moving forward in recent years. Unfortunately, we lost against them an important game back in 2014, so now we would like to take revenge and show our maximum in this game. We didn't have a great game against Hungary, as they are one of the best teams in Europe, but the team is feeling confident and the players are ready for the challenge.
No question that the matches against Switzerland are our biggest challenge in the qualifier series. The best teams in the group will face each other this week, so we can secure our qualification for the EURO and we would like to be successful and be at the 1st position in the group, because it would mean a better place for the European championship draw
Switzerland vs Hungary
Thursday 9 March, 19:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- no team has scored more goals than Hungary in the first two rounds of the EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers, as Chema Rodriguez’s side had 77 goals
- Switzerland started the EHF EURO Qualifiers with two wins in two matches for the first time since 2008, trying to seal their first berth since 2020 and the fifth in history for the final tournament
- Switzerland have already announced that legend Andy Schmid will take up the coaching position from 2024 onwards, but the centre back will still be on the court, needing 59 goals to become the all-time top scorer of the national team
- both of Switzerland’s wins against Lithuania and Georgia came by the slightest of margins, by a single goal each
- the two sides have met 12 times in history, with the last game coming in the EHF EURO 2002 play-offs, as both Hungary and Switzerland registered six wins each
GROUP 7
Kosovo vs Bosnia Herzegovina
Wednesday 8 March, 20:15 CET, live on EHFTV
- Bosnia will be trying to secure their third consecutive participation at the EHF EURO, after making the cut in 2020 and 2022, but will need two wins in the doubleheader against Kosovo in the next week
- Kosovo have won only one of the 11 home matches played in the EHF EURO Qualifiers, 27:24, against Israel in April 2019
- only Latvia and Israel have scored less goals than Kosovo – 44 - in the first two rounds of the EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers, as Bosnia’s 45 goals are a small uptick in the standings
- the guests have lost four away games in a row, but face a crunch tie against Kosovo, needing a crucial win to improve their chances of qualification
- Bosnia have won both matches played against Kosovo, 33:29 and 41:25, in the 2018 World Championship Qualifiers
Montenegro vs Slovenia
Thursday 9 March, 18:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- Vlado Šola will make his debut as the Montenegro head coach, after replacing Zoran Roganovic, who resigned after finishing 18th at the 2023 World Championship
- Montenegro can win their 30th game in the EHF EURO Qualifiers, having played only 54 matches in their history in the competition
- a single team – the Czech Republic – has conceded less goals than Slovenia in the first two matches of the group, with Uros Zorman’s side shipping only 44 goals
- Montenegro’s left wing, Milos Vujovic, was the team’s top scorer in the first two rounds, putting 16 goals past Montenegro’s opponents, enough to be the fifth best scorer in the EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers
- Slovenia have won three of the last four meetings between the two sides, including a clear 31:23 win in the main round of the 2023 World Championship
We know a lot about them, as they do with us, there won't be many secrets. I can say that it is a well-managed team, they have top individuals, their greatest strength is that they know how to play together , they are patient in attack, they know how to play one on one, their collective game is at the top level, certainly a national team that is on the rise. I expect a real spectacle.
European qualifications have their specifics. In the past, even the best national teams were left empty-handed in Montenegro or North Macedonia. Surprises are always possible in these types of qualifications.
Surely this is one of the most important moments of our journey in these qualification path. At this point, we know well the formula and we know that to try to get the qualification against Poland in April we have to make a positive result now. We are aware of the importance of these matches against Latvia, an opponent we really respect. It is true that Italy has a young team but not only in a future perspective, it’s a very competitive group for the challenges of today.
It will be a very interesting match. Sweden is going to demand a lot from us since we have just played for bronze against them at home and have won them. Two different styles come together, but with a very high competitive level, so we will have to start very focused and work hard to get a good result
I would like to use the matches for taking a look at some of our younger talents, who I hope and think can be part of the future on the national team.
