Finland lost its first match of the EC qualifiers against Switzerland in Turku 2–3. Today the team plays in Schwerin and faces the home team Germany.
Germany is a strong preliminary favorite for the match. The team is sixth in the European ranking, while Finland is 27th on the same list. Germany had to qualify after finishing in 12th place in the previous European Championships.
However, the home team has been successful over the years. For example, in 2009–2013, the team took silver twice in the European Championships and was also in the top ten in the World Championships twice. Switzerland’s Germany won last weekend 3–0 (38–36, 25–18, 25–9).
– Germany is clearly the favorite for this match and for our entire group. However, games are not played on paper and Germany also has its weaknesses, like all teams, Finland’s head coach Nikolas Buser said in the Volleyball Association’s press release.
– I am convinced that if we play well, we have the opportunity to challenge them. We don’t go to Schwerin to see what happens, we go there to play to win.