The four teams contesting the placement matches will undoubtedly be nursing fresh scars from their recent quarter-final defeats. 

But they cannot afford to wallow in self-pity, as they placement matches go a long way in determining which teams will compete for a ticket to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. 

These games therefore, are just as important as the semi-finals with regard to the future for all these teams. 

Croatia-Germany 16:00, Ali Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah Arena

Croatia were defeated only in the last minutes against their quarter-final opponent: Poland, while Germany did not do themselves justice against Qatar, playing well under the performance level seen from the wild card entry throughout the championship. 

Both will be determined when they step on the court on Friday night, and an exciting match between two nations deep with handball tradition can be expected. 

Each side has a few key players that really stand out. For Germany, captain Uwe Gensheimer is one of the biggest dangers, while goalkeeper Carsten Lichtlen has proved himself very influential on the outcome of a match if he has a good day. 

For Croatia Igor Vori and Domagoj Duvnjak make a formidable centre back-line player pairing, while Ivan Cupic’s fast breaks are a lethal weapon for his team. 

The winner of this match will meet the winner of the Denmark-Slovenia duel to fight for 5/6 on the final ranking. 

Denmark-Slovenia 18:30, Ali Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah Arena

Denmark and Slovenia will both be fresh with disappointment from their quarter-final losses, but Denmark’s defeat probably stings a little more than Slovenia’s. 

Denmark played an outstanding game against Spain to be level in the last minute, but a devastating goal from Spain just seconds before the buzzer ended Denmark’s dreams of making up for their last performance at the World Championship. 

Denmark may have won silver in Spain 2013, but their loss in the final was an unforgettably shocking one. 

Spain have done it to them again at a World Championship, albeit in an earlier stage. Denmark will certainly be looking to finish on the strongest ranking they can in the hope of one day proving their last few results at major tournaments are not all they are capable of. 

Danish stars such as Niklas Landin and Mikkel Hansen were outstanding against Spain in the quarter-final, and they will surely do everything they can to perform in that way again. 

Slovenia do not have the depth in their squad that Denmark do, but they have the tournament top scorer in Dragan Gajic, who has netted 56 goals in the tournament.