The men’s handball world championship starts next week in Croatia, Denmark and Norway. Lukas Mertens from SC Magdeburg has high goals for the German national handball team.
“We are the German national handball team. We don’t need to hide,” Lukas Mertens made clear in an interview with “Sport Bild”.
The left winger further emphasized: “The expectations are high – and we want that too! We also set the bar high. That’s why we are there, to show performance and to advance the sport of handball in Germany.”
The DHB team wants to “somehow confirm” the silver medal from the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris at the Handball World Cup. It will be “difficult. We know that,” noted Mertens and added: “But we have a good, broad, young and talented squad. A lot can happen.”
The German national handball team is a “close-knit team”. Many players have been there for a long time. “That was exactly Alfred’s (Gislason, national coach; editor’s note) plan: players who are well-rehearsed and have developed over the years,” explained Mertens.
Handball World Cup: Lukas Mertens wants to “perform very well”
The 28-year-old emphasized that his personal goals for the new year are a good World Cup and a title with SC Magdeburg: “I want to do a very good performance at the World Cup. We want to continue to focus on German handball I want to attack the SCM in the Bundesliga and Champions League.”
The German national team starts the Handball World Cup against Poland on January 15th.
Coach Alfred Gislason’s team is currently preparing for the final tough tests on Thursday (6:30 p.m.) in Flensburg and next Saturday (4:20 p.m.) in Hamburg against World Cup participants Brazil.
In the interview, Mertens also commented on his future for the club. When asked about a possible move abroad, he replied: “I have a contract with SCM until 2027.”