World Cup silver medalists Austria will be looking to put their hand up for a medal this week in Berlin as they travel to the women’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship with plenty of recent success to draw from.
They have only won a medal once before, all the way back in 1998 when they got bronze in Ourense but that World Cup and the Under-21 Euro gold shows there is lots to be optimistic about.
From the latter, Carla Kemper, Johanna Czech, Laura Kern, Katharina Bauer and Katharina Proksch all have a further year of experience under their belt.
On the more experienced front, Daria Buchta, Marianne Pultar and captain Miriam Gerö (pictured) provide plenty of know-how while Fiona Felber recently helped Mannheimer HC win the Bundesliga crown.
In final preparations, they shared the spoils from two challenge matches against Czechia, winning one 7-5 and losing the other 3-1.
They begin their campaign at 11.15am (CET) against promoted side Italy and voach Sven Lindemann is keen to get off on the right note.
“We are aiming to start the tournament strong with a win against Italy,” he said. “Initially, controlled defensive work will be crucial, followed by coordinated attacks to score goals, take the lead and keep the game safe.
“Our group represents a considerable challenge. Ukraine have appeared very well-coordinated at tournaments in recent years as they have been playing together with many of the same players for a long time, which is of course a big advantage in the hall.
“Italy is difficult to assess. I see Switzerland as a strong but beatable team on an equal footing. In the other group, Germany is probably the favourite; anything else would surprise me.
“Czechia could also play a role, but we know they can be beaten. For us, however, this is irrelevant; We are concentrating on our performance and aiming for a place in the semi-finals.”
** 28 of the games will be streamed live from Berlin on www.eurohockeytv.org
** To find out more about the stats, fixtures and teams, click here: https://tms.fih.ch/competitions/1551
