Austria’s handball players left for Bratislava yesterday, where Poland (8.30 p.m. live on ORF Sport Plus) will start tomorrow with an editing game for entry into the main round. When determining the 16-man squad – goalkeeper Florian Kaiper and left-hander Marin Martinovic fell victim to the last reduction yesterday – team boss Ales Pajovic was able to draw on the full. Leading figure Nikola Bilyk, who was missing every nook and cranny at the 2021 World Cup due to a torn cruciate ligament, and Alexander Hermann are fit. That fuels optimism – even if only on a small scale.
“Even after a generation change, Poland has so much quality that it is not enough that everyone is just healthy,” says ÖHB sports director Patrick Fölser. After that it will hardly be easier against a rejuvenated Germany (Sunday) and Belarus (Tuesday).
Fölser also started the trip to Slovakia. Even if a major event is guaranteed to be labor-intensive, he still hopes that the days will be quieter than with the ÖHB women at the World Cup in Spain in December. When Corona was rampant within the selection, which took 16th place, the Linz native had to step in as an assistant trainer and even a training partner. “I should be spared that at the EM now,” says the long-time national team runner.
Third stitch
For the upcoming men’s tournament, lessons have been learned from the World Cup cluster. “The virus grazed everyone in the women’s team who had not been vaccinated three times,” explains Fölser. Although they were all vaccinated, some were about to receive the third dose because of a late second vaccination or infection. Accordingly, an appeal has been made to the gentlemen, whose third-stitch rate Fölser now puts 95 percent.
In order not to take any unnecessary risk, the two preparation games were canceled last week due to an infection with opponents Slovakia. Austria’s last country match so far was almost two months ago with the doubles against the Czech Republic at the beginning of November. “It wouldn’t have been bad to have at least one game,” said Bilyk. The 25-year-old threw Austria two years ago with 46 goals – third in the tournament ranking – to eighth place, the best result in ÖHB history. The goal this time has been the main round.
Source: Nachrichten
