The first hurdle will be the weak sister Azerbaijan, which they will fight on February 6 in the COREtec Dôme in Ostend. In the first confrontation in group C, the Belgian Cats already won 28-136, and they would like to do that again: “We not only want to win against Azerbaijan, but also by a wide margin,” says general manager Koen Umans.
“This way we can leave for Lithuania with confidence. The great support in Antwerp was unforgettable, and we hope that the fans will come to support us en masse again in Ostend. This hall brings back wonderful memories, such as our qualification for the Olympic Games in 2020 in front of an enthusiastic audience,” said Umans.
The crucial match in and against Lithuania is scheduled for February 9, who are in the lead with the Cats, but have a lower goal difference. Poland follows with 6 points, just a point behind the two leaders.
There is also a discount promotion on tickets for the match against Azerbaijan until December 31. Tickets in category 1 sell at €10 each.
Preselection
More news from the Belgian camp: Billie Massey is putting her international career on hold for the time being for personal reasons. As a result, there have been some changes in the preselection for the last two qualifying matches. With Zhen Verburgt and Laura Vilcinskas, the Cats welcome two new faces to the preselection. Strong holders Vanloo and Meesseman are of course there, as are Allemand and Linskens. The full preselection can be found below:
Julie Vanloo, Julie Allemand, Elise Ramette, Wivine Defosset, Maxuella Lisowa-Mbaka, Sarah Dossou, Antonia Delaere, Nastja Claessens, Marie Vervaet, Zhen Verburgt, Becky Massey, Bethy Mununga, Ine Joris, Emma Meesseman, Kyara Linskens and Laura Vilcinskas.