After an unexpected 11th place at the World Championship, the Swiss handball team will continue their European Championship qualifying campaign this week with two games against Turkey. Two wins are a must.
12.03.2025, 05:00
12.03.2025, 06:44
SDA
Although the Swiss are the clear favorites, the Turks have proven that they are not to be taken lightly. In the first two games of the European Championship qualifiers, they performed very well. They only lost 28:31 in Austria and in their home game against Germany (29:36) the score was 27:30 in the 52nd minute.
Switzerland and Turkey have played each other five times so far, with the SHV team winning four times and drawing once. However, the last duel was more than 16 years ago. Swiss national coach Andy Schmid describes the Turks as an "unpredictable opponent".
Rubin absent for the first leg
To make matters worse, Lenny Rubin, who excelled at the World Cup, will not be available. The powerful forward from Bundesliga club Stuttgart was involved in a car accident last week through no fault of his own and is still struggling under pressure. For this reason, no risks are being taken and he will remain in Switzerland. The aim is for him to rejoin the team on Thursday and be in the squad for the home game in Winterthur on Sunday at 4.00 pm.
The away game takes place on Wednesday at 8.30 pm local time (6.30 pm in Switzerland) in Diyarbakir, around 2800 km from Zurich, not far from the Syrian border. The journey on Tuesday was correspondingly long, and there was hardly any time for training sessions. "I want to focus on us," said Schmid in an interview with the Keystone-SDA agency. "It's a head game. If we can defy the odds and do our thing, then I'm convinced that we'll win both games."
So far, the Swiss have picked up one point in Group 7 of the European Championship qualifiers thanks to a 29-29 home draw against Austria. The game in Germany was lost 26:35. The top two teams in each group (8 in total) plus the four best third-placed teams will qualify for the 2026 European Championship finals.
Schmid senses the positive momentum after the World Cup. "All the players had a role that they fully identified with," says the former top player, looking back on the successful tournament. "The belief in the concept, the belief in our strength, that's what set us apart in January and must continue to do so in the future. The aim of us coaches is to quickly give the players the feeling of being in a kind of oasis again."
Schelker back after a period of illness
Schmid will have Jonas Schelker available again, who suffered a torn cruciate ligament in his left knee at last year's Yellow Cup in Winterthur. "Logically, he won't have a huge role yet, because physically and above all in terms of his handball he can't yet be at the level he was at. However, he should get the national team feeling back, because he is a very important player for the future," says Schmid.
Schelker told Keystone-SDA: "The year was extremely exhausting, so it's all the nicer to be back in the national team." The 25-year-old playmaker from Kriens-Lucerne used his time of suffering to put on muscle mass. What is still missing to get back to 100 percent? "It's the little things. I'm not afraid, but I've noticed that I'm lacking a bit of confidence in tackles. The jumps are also still difficult. But on the whole, I'm making good progress."
Did he follow the good performances at the World Championships with a smile and a tear in his eye? "I wouldn't say a crying eye. Of course the World Cup is a very cool tournament. But I knew that it would hardly be enough for me to take part, everything would have had to go more than perfectly."
