Fourth SEHA - Gazprom League Final 4 participants will be decided on Thursday with Eurofarm Pelister welcoming Meshkov Brest in Bitola. And while Meshkov hasn’t missed a single final tournament ever since they entered the League back in its second season. Eurofarm will on Thursday look for what would be the ticket to their first ever SEHA Final 4 tournament.

Both rosters underwent significant changes during the summer which means coaches, who will also have SEHA debuts on Thursday – Dzmitry Tsikhan and Lars Walther, will have a really good chance to see where their players are in terms of form at the moment.

Teams met four times so far in SEHA - Gazprom League with Belarussian Meshkov Brest coming out as a winner all four times. In two matches that were played in Bitola however, Meshkov never managed to open the gap to more than four goals. From what we’ve seen so far in three quarter-final matches, at this point of the season anything can happen so definitely make sure not to miss this one.

The match is scheduled for Thursday (20:15 CEST) and will be broadcasted on MRT (North Macedonia), Belarus 5 Internet Channel, MAXSport (Croatia), and Sport TV (Slovenia).

Dzmitry Tsikhan, Meshkov Brest coach:
Eurofarm Pelister is surely going to be a good rival for us at this point in the season. I watched them at the tournament in Struga to prepare a bit better for what is waiting for us, to learn more about their players and tactics. Their coach Lars Walther obviously likes to play quick-paced handball and we must be ready for this. Goalkeepers have to be on the right level and defense has to perform in the right way.

Aliaksandr Padshyvalau, Meshkov Brest player:
Eurofarm has a lot of good players in the back line as well as a good goalie and solid goalies. It will be an interesting match surely, I’m looking forward to it. The goal is to focus on our game. I truly believe we’re capable of reaching the final.

Lars Walter, Eurofarm Pelister coach:
After the preparation, we are ready for the official matches. We worked a lot this month, played some control games, and our target was this match against Meshkov Brest. This team is an experienced team, with many matches like this and we respect them. We are ready for this challenge and I hope we can win and play the Final 4.

Nenad Kosteski, Eurofarm Pelister player:
We are starting the new season, the first official match is coming up. We have been preparing hard for this important match. A very important match for all of us. With a victory, we will qualify for the SEHA Final 4, and that would be a great success for all of us. Meshkov Brest is a great team. Regardless of the changes in the roster, the almost complete Belarusian national team is still in this team. They are well played, they play together and it is a respectable team. We expect support from the stands, our "eighth player" will be the most needed. I do not doubt that the hall will be full. Bitola lives for this sport and I believe that with our good play and their support, we will look forward to reaching the SEHA Final 4.

Photo credit: kolektiffimages