With the main round starting this Wednesday in Granollers, two preliminary round groups will mix and determine the quarter-finalists. 

Germany and Denmark coming in strong with three straight wins from their previous games, while Hungary and Republic of Korea have a balanced account and Congo and the Czech Republic sit at the bottom of the group so far. 

Czech Republic vs Republic of Korea 15:30 CET 

Looking at the numbers only, Korea are the favourites in this game, carrying over two points from the preliminary round. However, even though the Czech Republic come in on zero points, they started their campaign in strong Group E. The European contestant secured their main group spot after a very close last game against Slovakia on Monday, having to rest well after this intense match. 

Now, Czech Republic look forward to the main round. “We will try to win as many matches as possible. We want to play our game, each opponent has a different style and we will want to concentrate on being able to play against different types of handball,” concluded coach Jan Basny.

Korea had their strongest game so far in their opening match when winning 37:23 against Congo. Against Tunisia, they won narrowly (31:29) and lost against European powerhouse Denmark (23:35). Therefore, it will be interesting to see how their next match against a European team will go. 

Germany vs Congo 18:00 CET 

The Germany team are entering the main round with lots of confidence after having won all three preliminary round games. Against African representative Congo, who had to take two losses along, Germany are heavy favourites. After the tight match against Hungary, the Germany side might suffer from tired legs as the game was literally decided in the last minute. “It did not have to be this exciting,” said Germany coach Henk Groener after the game. “But we deserved to win and are very happy.” 

Congo are equally happy, having written history at this championship already. Thus, the team surrounding captain Diane Gaelle do only feel joy and no pressure. That might be the key for the game against the Germans today. 

Denmark vs Hungary 20:30 CET

The Denmark team also come into this main round with a perfect record and will meet Hungary, who lost their last preliminary round match in a nail-biter to Germany. With their rich history, Denmark are the favourites in this game, but Hungary will make sure to make it as difficult as possible for coach Jesper Jensen’s side. 

Meeting Hungary and later on Czech Republic and Germany, Denmark will face European opponents after being only mildly challenged by Korea and Congo so far. 

Hungary are clearly not done at this tournament and will be eager to prove that the loss against Germany was only a temporary setback.