Czechs on the edge

The Czech national team is nearing success in their EHF EURO 2014 qualification campaign.

Two matches against Germany in next week should decide where the Czechs stand in the reace for Denmark.

The entire Czech team believe in the unique support of their fans, which in recent history helped them to the huge win against France (EHF EURO 2010 qualification) in Brno, which is also the venue for Thursday´s game.

Coaches Vladimír Haber and Jaroslav Hudeček will  be missing two players from thesquad, Václav Vraný (Hamm, GER) and Tomáš Sklenák (Eisenach, GER).

Replacing these players and getting their chance in the 18-man squad is Michal Dostalík,  an experienced pivot from Brno, and also two young stars of Czech handball, 18-year-old back court player Michal Kasal from Barcelona and Tomáš Babák, top scorer of the Czech league and has signed for Swiss side St. Gallen.

Both young players are in the senior Czech team for the first time.

“We have to manage some changes after injuries of Sklenák and Vraný and we long time thinking about their substitutes.

“Some new young players get a chance to show us their quality in senior´s team, but also we want to bet on experience, like in the case of goalkeepers,” says Vladimír Haber.

Goalkeeper Michal Galia is in the Czech national team after more than one year away and will form a strong pair with Füchse Berlin’s Petr Štochl.

“We want to win first match on home ground, and we believe, that we have team to handle it.

“The result from first match will be important also for Sunday´s rematch, for the self-confidence of both teams,” says Jaroslav Hudeček.

Czech squad for the EHF EURO 2014 qualifiers against Germany on 4 and 7 April:

Goalkeepers: Petr Štochl (Füchse Berlin, GER), Martin Galia (Grosswallstadt, GER), Tomáš Petržala (Dukla Praha, CZE)

Backcourt: Filip Jícha (Kiel, GER), Pavel Horák (Göppingen, GER), Roman Bečvář (Rostock, GER), Ondřej Šulc (Ivry, FRA), Alois Mráz (Wetzlar, GER), Daniel Kubeš (Melsungen, GER), Martin Stržínek (Hranice, CZE), Michal Kasal (FC Barcelona Intersport, ESP), Tomáš Babák (Jičín, CZE)

Wingers: Miroslav Jurka (Hlohovec, SVK), Jan Sobol (Azoty Pulawy, POL), Jiří Motl (Lovosice, CZE), Jakub Hrstka (Tatran Prešov, SVK)

Line players: David Juříček (St. Raphael, FRA), Michal Dostalík (Brno, CZE)