For left winger Lukas Mertens, games against his neighbors from Austria also have a certain explosiveness in handball.
“I’m up for it. It’s always a nice classic. Maybe not quite as important as in football, but the trend is going that way,” said the DHB professional before the prestigious duel in the evening (8.30 p.m./ARD and Dyn ).
The previously undefeated ÖHB selection is the surprise team at this European Championship in Germany. After the win against Hungary at the start of the main round, coach Ales Pajovic’s team is even ahead of the Germans in the table, who are currently in fourth place. Only the two best teams qualify for the semi-finals.
“Austria has earned a lot of respect,” said Mertens about the successful run of their upcoming opponents. The Austrians had wrested a draw from co-favorites Spain in the preliminary round and were thus eliminated from the tournament. The team around Kiel backcourt ace Mykola Bilyk also fought for a draw against the strong Croatians.
