Ukraine and Germany to battle it out in Heidelberg

In other groups, a number of sides are also determined to make a step towards reaching the EHF EURO 2024, like Czechia and Portugal in group 3, Slovenia in group 4, and Kosovo and Poland in group 8.

Elsewhere, Norway will host Hungary in the EHF EURO Cup. The Norwegians can secure top position with one match to go even with a draw.

GROUP 1

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Romania
Thursday 4 April, 20:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• after taking four wins in as many matches, Romania secured their EHF EURO 2024 berth with two matches remaining
• the Romanians have won six straight games at the EHF EURO Qualifiers, which is their joint best winning run in history, and they are looking to extend it
• Bosnia and Herzegovina sit bottom of the group with no points, having lost all four matches
• in the reverse fixture, Romania claimed their biggest victory in history at the EHF EURO Qualifiers, 49:18
• in rounds 3 and 4, the Bosnians fought harder in both matches against Greece, but lost 24:22 and 27:23

GROUP 2

Israel vs Slovakia
Thursday 4 April, 16:30 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Israel are yet to claim their maiden points at the EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers after losing all three previous matches
• Slovakia are ranked third in the group, having two points after four encounters
• the Slovak team won the first-leg match between the two sides 31:22, as Barbora Lancz scored nine goals
• overall, Slovakia won all five mutual encounters with Israel, starting with 1997
• Israel have won only four of their 19 matches in the EHF EURO Qualifiers and are on a five-game losing streak  

Highlight Match: Ukraine vs Germany
Thursday 4 April, 19:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• the winner of the match in Heidelberg will secure their ticket to the EHF EURO 2024
• the teams are level with six points each, but Germany have played three games and boast a 100 per cent record, while Ukraine have played four matches
• the German team beat Ukraine in round 1, 31:24 in Wetzlar, but the Ukrainians went on to win their next three games
• Alina Grijseels, who netted eight times in the reverse fixture, is Germany's top scorer at the EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers with 19 goals
• overall, the teams have faced off 12 times, with Germany winning nine games, and Ukraine three

GROUP 3

Finland vs Czechia
Thursday 4 April, 17:30 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Finland are last-placed in the group with zero points, as they lost all four matches
• Czechia currently take the third position, with four points after four games
• Czechia's right back Charlotte Cholevová is ranked fourth among the EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers top scorers, with 25 goals
• in the first leg between the two sides, Cholevová scored eight goals, helping her team win 31:21
• Finland have struggled in attack at the EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers so far, scoring just 77 goals in four matches (19.3 on average)

Portugal vs Netherlands
Thursday 4 April, 20:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• the Netherlands have a maximum of eight points after four matches and have already booked their ticket to the EHF EURO 2024
• the Netherlands are currently on their longest-ever winning streak in the EHF EURO Qualifiers, 13 matches in a row, dating back to 2018
• Portugal have four points and are ranked second, ahead of Czechia on goal difference
• the Portuguese team improved their position after defeating Finland twice, 28:21 and 38:22, earlier this year
• in the reverse fixture, Angela Malestein's eight goals propelled the Dutch team to a 38:27 win

GROUP 4

Latvia vs Slovenia
Thursday 4 April, 18:10 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Slovenia, who are second in the group with four points, will make another step towards booking their EHF EURO 2024 ticket with a win in Dobele
• Slovenia’s goalkeepers have made 67 saves at the current campaign and are only behind their French colleagues, who boast 71 saves
• last-placed Latvia have lost all four matches at the EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers, including the reverse fixture in Celje, 13:51
• the Latvian team are on a 16-game losing run and have never won a match at the EHF EURO Qualifiers
• Latvia have scored the fewest number of goals among all the participants of the EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers who played four matches, 43 (10.8 on average)

GROUP 8

Kosovo vs Poland
Thursday 4 April, 17:45 CEST, live on EHFTV

• while Denmark are already through and have ended their campaign, Kosovo and Poland are fighting for second place in the three-team group 8
• both sides have no points after two matches, and the match in Prishtina will be the first of their two meetings this week
• Poland are currently ranked second, as they have a -12 goal difference compared to Kosovo's -48
• Kosovo have scored just 36 goals in the current campaign (18 per match on average) and conceded 84 goals (an average of 42)
• the teams met at the IHF Women's World Championship 2023 Qualifiers, and Poland won both matches, 36:22 and 32:20

EHF EURO CUP

Norway vs Hungary
Thursday 4 April, 19:15 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Norway boast a perfect record of four wins in as many games and top the table with eight points
• Hungary are second-placed with six points; they suffered their only defeat so far in the reverse fixture against Norway, 38:31
• even with a draw, the Norwegian side will secure finishing top of the EHF EURO Cup 2024
• Hungary’s Csenge Kuczora is the third-best scorer of the competition with 22 goals
• Norway have by far the best attack in the tournament with 164 goals, and Vilde Ingstad is their top scorer with a tally of 19 goals

Photos © Marco Wolf; Romanian Handball Federation