Finishing eighth on home ground in 2020 was the best result for the Austrian team at an EHF EURO final tournament. Since then, several Austrian players have become key players at international top clubs.
But will it be enough to stand the heat in Bratislava, facing Poland, Germany and Belarus in the preliminary round of the EHF EURO 2022?
Three questions ahead of the Men’s EHF EURO 2022:
- Can Austria make it to the main round, like two years ago?
In 2020, Austria were flying on the wing of success on home ground, boosted by their fans. This time, just behind the border at Bratislava, the situation might be different. And this time, the opponents look a bit tougher compared to 2020, when Austria faced Czech Republic, North Macedonia and Ukraine. Beaten twice clearly by Germany in the qualification indicates the favourite role in this match, and against Belarus they luckily tied in the 2020 main round. If stars such as Nikola Bilyk, Lukas Hutecek and Sebastian Frimmel will be on their high, Austria have chances to finish second, but their campaign could also end with an early elimination.
- Will Nikola Bilyk be the mastermind again?
A severe knee injury sustained in August 2020 prevented Austrian top star Nikola Bilyk from playing for the national team until November 2021. He returned for two test matches against Czech Republic in November when the left back underlined his importance for the team. Bilyk is the clear leader, gained experience at his club THW Kiel and seems to be in top form. He is the game changer, who was missing at the World Championship 2021 when Austria failed to make the main round.
- Can Golub Doknic follow the footsteps of Thomas Bauer?
For more than a decade, Thomas Bauer was a regular between the posts, especially after the retirement of Nikola Marinovic. The goalkeeper and globetrotter, currently playing in Qatar, quit his national team duties after World Championship 2021. At that time, Montenegrin-born Golub Doknic had just received his Austrian passport. Playing for Austrian side Hard for more than 11 years, Doknic quickly became an important international in the crucial qualification matches against Bosnia-Herzegovina. The 39-year-old is now the undisputed No. 1 in the Austrian goal.
Under the spotlight: Sebastian Frimmel
The left wing went a different way compared to most of his national teammates, as they usually start their international career at German clubs. He went to Kadetten Schaffhausen in Switzerland and made the next step in the summer of 2021, when he joined Hungarian champions and Champions League participants Pick Szeged. He settled quickly while replacing predecessor Jonas Källman with a high scoring efficiency from the wing position but mainly from counter attacks. Besides Lukas Hutecek, Frimmel is the Austrian player with the steepest upswing in the last years.
Self-esteem
Counting on a mixture of young players – like Hutecek – and experience – like Robert Weber – Austria aim for the second spot in their group. But the short time of preparation and the fact that all players from Bundesliga clubs will join the team even later, is a problem for head coach Ales Pajovic, who had not trained with the team from April to November 2021. “We need to get rehearsed in a quick time if we want to be successful. Mainly we have to work on our efficiency in attack,” Pajovic says.
Fun fact
Austria’s second match against Germany will mark the fifth time the two neighbours meet over the past two years. Just before EHF EURO 2020, Germany won a test match in Vienna (32:28) before beating Austria again in the main round (34:22). Germany also won both matches when the teams shared a group in the EHF EURO 2022 Qualifiers (36:27 and 34:20).
What the numbers say
Austria are going into their fifth EHF EURO final tournament – and two of the previous four times they didn’t have to qualify as host nation, in 2010 and 2020. Austria have not missed a European or World Championship since 2018.
Past achievements
Men’s EHF EURO participations (including 2022): 5
Best result: 8th (2020)
