Bratislava, 13 January – Quotes from Belarus head coach Iouri Chevtsov (BLR), right wing Mikita Vailupau (BLR) and line players Artsem Karalek (BLR) at a media call on Thursday.
Iouri Chevtsov (BLR) – coach
On their preparation:
“I hope we are well prepared for the tournament despite the fact that we could not play our final test matches against Hungary and Bahrain. In general, I am satisfied with our preparations. All of our players are fit and ready for the start.”
On the opener against Germany:
“Germany are the favourites in our group, despite their current transition. All players are experienced from Bundesliga, where they are challenged twice a week. I know German handball very well, but we will see if this knowledge is enough.”
On the Belarusian goals at the EHF EURO 2022:
“Our main goal is making it to the main round, this is the most important step for us, in terms of our development as a team. We were drawn into a tough and balanced group in which every team can beat any opponent. So we only focus on the three preliminary round matches and hope that we can make the next step. And of course it would be fantastic, if we could also make a next step in the final ranking after finishing 10th three times in a row.”
Mikita Vailupau (BLR) – right wing
On the atmosphere in the team:
“We count on a good team, including some young players who really can help us. We have trained very well, and I am sure we can show good handball regardless that we could not play our last test matches.”
On the Belarusian aims for the EHF EURO 2022:
“We will have to see what we are capable of. We only face high level opponents and have tough matches ahead. We go step by step, first we want to win our three matches in the preliminary round, then we look ahead. Maybe we have the chance to finish better than in 10th position.”
On the first opponent Germany:
“They have a strong team which can play for a medal this time. Especially they count on one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Andreas Wolff, the teammate of two of Belarusian players at Kielce. Besides, they have a strong defence.”
On his aim to finish on top of the scorer list after being runner-up in 2020:
“It is all about the team and my teammates. Without their passes I cannot score, same goes for the penalties. I have the chance to be better than in 2020, but in the end, it is all about the team.”
Artsem Karalek (BLR) – line player
On his expectations:
“The start is highly important and we face a very experienced German team with strong players on all positions. We are not the favourites in this match, but we will do our best to be successful.”
