Croatia And Spain Are Group B Favourites

The group also includes Sweden which has realised humble results in the 90s and now has the chance to return to the top.

Group B is the most powerful group of the upcoming World Handball Championship with four teams competing for the next round, which will carry points to the next group. According to experience from earlier competitions, Croatia, Sweden and Spain will surely pass through to the next round, while South Korea will be fighting for the last position with Kuwait and Cuba.

Swedes want to return to the top

Although they have not been present in the best handball competitions, Sweden deserves respect, which it has spent years attaining. It was absolutely the best squad of the 90s, having won four golden medals at two European and two world competitions. They added two third positions at world champions and two Olympic silver medals. They won their last gold medal in 2002, at the European Championship held in Sweden and the downfall followed. Next year, at the World Championship, they won a humble 13 th spot, while they did somewhat better two years later, as they were 11 th.

Sweden is preparing for better days and has a shot at a successful comeback. Kim Andersson (26) will cause problems for the Croatian defence, an excellent shooter from Kiel, who has so far scored 53 goals for the national team. The second player which should be watched for is pivot Marcus Ahlm, Kim Andersson`s 2-metre team mate and a Chemistry student. He was capped 114 times and scored over 114 goals.

Spaniards have one of the most powerful leagues

The Spanish team did not directly qualify for the World Championship, but had to outplay Greece. This however does not lessen their power, which they proved by winning the World Championship in Tunisia in 2005. Spain has one of the most powerful leagues in the world with best world handball players, plus they have the current European champion, Ciudad Real. The Spanish team is most dangerous from the wing position, where Juanin Garcia and Rocas are threats. Barrufet is in front of the goal, who is a real night mare for the rival team, while Romero and Alberto Entrerrios are also singled out.

Fast and technically good South Korea

South Korea has always been an unpleasant team, which has won only one medal so far, silver Olympic medal at Seoul in 1988. They did not do that well at world championships. They realised their best results in 1997, winning 8 th place and were 12 th four times even. The Koreans are fast, which can cause trouble for the opposing team.

Their best players are Kyung-Shin Yoon, Won-Chul Paek, Lee Yae Woo nd Kim Tea Hoon. Yoon was one of the best Bundesleague strikers, but he no longer plays there, while Won Chul Paek has been playing in Europe for quite some time now and is clearly their biggest threat.

Kuwait and Cuba the weakest teams, according to statistics

Kuwait has never recorded any significant results at big competitions. They ranked best at the 1982 world championship, when they took the 15 th position, an they once qualified for the Atlanta Olympic Games. South Korea and Kuwait are Asia`s best national teams, but they need a more powerful league to gain more experience and have better results.

One of the best teams of the American continent is the Cuban national team, which was American champion eight times, once was silver and once won bronze, thus qualifying for the Word Championship in Croatia.

They realised best results during the 1999 world championship, winning 8 th place, which was their last WC performance. Arriving at a big competition after 10 years, Cuba wants good results and America`s best striker Franky Carol, goal keeper Misheal Iglesias and Ramon Fonts might do something about it.

Croats want a medal on home ground

Double winners of the Olympic Games and world champions in 2003, Croats are prepared for another excellent result, which would crown the generation which has been ruling the world handball scene since 2003. The only gold medal that Croatia lacks is from a European competition, which it will have to wait for, but with young hopes like Duvnjak and Cupic, this is a realistic option. The young duo will have excellent team mates at this world championship, like Petar Metlicic, Igor Vori and two-time best player in the world Ivano Balic.

An important factor in the squad is coach Lino Cervar who always finds a way to motivate the team, which has proved its power several times, catching up with the opposing teams and their advantages. The chances of Croats winning are greater, because they are in for unconditional support of the loudest fans in the world, seeing how they will be playing on home ground.