Hopefuls versus experienced EHF EURO stalwarts as round 1 concludes
Round 1 of the Women’s EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers will conclude on Thursday with four games, following an action-packed start to the phase on Wednesday. Eight teams will play their first qualifiers as they vie for the 20 berths available for the final tournament in Hungary, Austria and Switzerland at the end of next year.
Remembering the time when I played in the Second Bundesliga, I can imagine what it might be like in the First Bundesliga. German players are very well developed physically, they are enduring. They have quick transitions and very strong technical shots. They have great chemistry, almost everyone is in good shape. So we have something to prepare for. First of all, we need to think about defence. It is also very important to work on our confidence and game control. We have to prepare mentally, as it is difficult to change something drastically physically in a few days.
I expect an exciting game against Portugal. I know that Portugal are rising, they’ve had some good results last year. But I think we are the favorites in this game and we want to show our fans our best way of playing. I think it’s always an advantage to play in front of your own fans.
I have been looking forward to this week and I expect us to win twice this week. We focus on our game and will do what we can to get better and stronger before the championships on home soil in December. It is also great to have some really good players back in the team after injuries.
Firstly, I'm really looking forward to playing with the national team again as it's always a great pleasure. Secondly, I expect that we will have a good match against Kosovo, where we will have the opportunity to test slightly different constellations in both our attack and defence. I’m also looking forward to feeling the support from all the fans here in Denmark again.