Photo: Tamás Csonka
The last of the EURO 2012 group’s is Group D. Let’s take a look on the chances here. Eduarda Amorim shares her opinion about it.
The European Championship is coming up and I am excited to follow one of the strongest handball championships in the world.
It is a championship where there is no place for weak teams since they passed through a strong qualification to get here…
Most players are exhausted coming from one tournament directly to another CL, Olympics, CL again and now in December the ECh without proper rest… It will be in the hands of the coaches to use and rotate their players so they can reach the top places and get to the podium with a perfect performance.
It starts a new cycle of four years for all the national teams, I am looking forward to see the new players and the surprises that this event will bring.
It is difficult to give some guess about which teams are going to be in the top of this ECh, but I believe that Norway again, together with Russia, France, Spain and Romania belongs to the favorites.
Group D: Romania, Russia, Montenegro, Iceland
Photo: Björn Kenneth Muggerud
It will be great fight in group D for the first place. I believe it will be Romania, who takes the first qualifying spot.
They are a competitive team, with high level players, having good shooters and line-players as well, and there is no negative point in their attack. They have as well fast wings , adding that Cristina Neagu and Paula Ungureanu will make their come-back in a championship, Romanians will have a really strong team and perhaps they will be able to repeat the good position they had in last ECh (bronse medal).
Russia is coming disappointed after last WCh and Olympics, but with a new coach I believe the team will show a new face.
They have a team that is constantly putting pressure at the opponent, having very powerful and experienced players as Ludmila Postnova and Maria Sidorova in the goal. This is the team where despite rotating all the players , the high level on the field could be preserved. My guess is that they will get the second spot of this group.
Photo: Björn Kenneth Muggerud
Montenegro are the big fighters of this group. They are coming with a confident team after the Olympic silver, and their team are training and playing together the hole year.
I don’t have high expectations for Montenegro this time, because they will miss Bojana Popovic on the field but I know they are well trained team and are willing to get as much points as they can.
Well, about Iceland ( getting EURO spot after Netherlands withdrawal as organiser) : I think they have no chance to beat any of the other three teams.
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