Kian Gadsby
Handball returns to Nottingham, as Team GB take on Latvia in the first leg of their critical Preliminary Euro 2028 Qualifying Playoff match at David Ross Sports Village on Wednesday 7th January.
Team GB come into this tie as underdogs. The 41st ranked team in Europe are five places below their opponents in the standings, with Latvia having the pedigree of previous qualification for the Euros having secured their place at Euro 2020.
However, the squad is confident of an upset after a stellar 2025. They lifted the Emerging Nations trophy for the first time ever, before a victory over Kosovo in the previous round solidified their belief that they can make the leap and achieve their dreams of qualifying.
Head coach Richard Vasconcelos is cautious about playing higher ranked opposition, but in an interview given to the GB Handball federation he expressed that he feels like the process is necessary if Team GB are to advance towards a first ever European Championships and grow as a handball nation.
“Playing more games against teams like this will expose us a little bit more. But will also force us to improve, and make us improve, because it promotes a reflection process that will support our next process.”
With the return leg taking place on Sunday 11th January, Team GB will need to capitalise on a raucous home atmosphere to take an advantage back to Jelgava. The winner of this tie takes their place in the main qualifying phase, with the ultimate target being qualification for Euro 2028 in Switzerland, Spain and Portugal.
Kian Gadsby
Featured image courtesy of Unsplash. Image use license found here (Unsplash). No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of British Handball via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
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