The quartet of Andy Triggs Hodge, George Nash, Moe Sbihi and Alex Gregory finished comfortably ahead in their semi-final, a day after setting a European best time in the heats, and are fastest qualifiers.

Greece, with three of the four rowers who finished fourth at the London 2012 Games, looking their closest likely challengers, having won the other semi-final in which world champions the Netherlands, troubled with injuries, had to settle for second.

World champions from Italy and Norway look like coming under pressure on Sava Lake tomorrow after outstanding performances by two German crews in today's semi-finals.

Italy's world champions in the women's lightweight double sculls, Laura Milani and Elisabetta Sancassani, won their semi-final but will have a massive challenge on their hands against Lena Mueller and Anja Noske of Germany, fastest performers in the heats, who finished ahead of Britain's Olympic champion Kat Copeland and her new partner Imogen Walsh in the other semi.

Italy's lightweight women's double sculls world champions Laura Millani and Elisabetta Sancassani are under pressure from Germany in tomorrow's European final ©Getty Images

Meanwhile, the Norwegian men's double sculls world champions Nils Jakob Hoff and Kjetil Borch will be under pressure in their first meeting with Germany's Hans Gruhne and Stephan Krueger, who already have a European best of 6min 11.56sec to their credit and who won again today.

Home spectators will be hoping for a medal-winning performance in the men's pair from Veselin Savic and Dusan Bogicevic, who looked impressive in qualifying for a final where strong opposition awaits in the form of the German and Dutch crews.

Norway's Nils Jakob Hoff and Kjetil Borch, pictured celebrating their men's double sculls world title last year, are also under pressure from a German crew in today's finals ©Getty Images

Germany's men's eight, the Olympic champions who lost their world title to Britain last year, are set on returning to the gold standard and look favourites to do so despite the presence of a strong Polish crew.

Greece, meanwhile, will have high hopes in the lightweight women's single sculls, where Aikaterini Nikolaidou beat the previous day's outstanding individual performer, Marie-Anne Frenken.

The Dutch woman took four seconds off the European best time in the heats, but was left trailing as Nikolaidou took almost another four seconds off that mark with 7:38.77.

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