Some scraped through with narrow wins while others demolished their Eighth-Finals opponents, but however they arrived, the top teams at Qatar 2015 are ready to contest the Quarter-Finals that can bring them one step closer to the ultimate prize.

Croatia-Poland 18:30, Ali Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah Arena

Croatia defeated Brazil in a tight match that saw Brazil in front by two goals at half-time, only to come back from the break and suffer defeat at the hands of the tactical Croats.

Poland come to the Quarter-Finals after what some consider quite the surprise win against Sweden in their Eighth-Final match.

Sweden had lost only one match – against Denmark – prior to meeting Poland on the court, but the Poles played an excellent game in which they were one goal down at half-time then managed to turn the score around and record a four-goal win that booked them their spot in the Quarter-Finals.

Tonight’s meeting should be a thrilling one between two sides dominated by big, backcourt players, strong defence, and solid goalkeepers.

Despite their size, both Poland and Croatia play agile fixed attack and favour counter attacks heavily to put points on the scoreboard.

Domagoj Duvnjak has directed the Croatian attack superbly throughout the tournament, proving his value over and over against every different playing style the team have encountered.

He will once again be key to a Croatian victory, but the Croats must be wary of Poland’s big defence.

Poland suffered a blow prior to the Eighth-Finals when Krzysztof Lijewski tore a muscle in his foot to side-line him for the rest of the tournament.

But Poland were able to win against Sweden without him, which could mean trouble for Croatia.

Qatar-Germany 18:30, Lusail Multipurpose Hall

The tournament hosts, Qatar, take on unstoppable Germany in what is Qatar’s first World Championship Quarter-Final ever.

Germany arrived at the tournament on a wild card, but have proved to be one of the strongest sides in the competition, topping the Group D table at the end of the preliminary round and destroying Egypt in their Eighth-Final (23:16).

Qatar will need to look out for players such as captain Uwe Gensheimer, who is always one of Germany’s top goal scorers.

Goalkeeper Carsten Lichtlein is also a big threat, recording an enormous 56% save rate against Egypt to contribute greatly to his side’s victory.

Qatar have been playing strong matches that have seen them progress steadily through the preliminary round.

Zarko Markovic has been his team’s biggest scorer, with 49 goals so far in the competition to put him at second spot behind Dragan Gajic on the top scorers’ list.

Slovenia-France 21:00, Ali Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah Arena

Slovenia defeated FYRO Macedonia in a close, hard-fought Eighth-Final match that came down to the wire, while France had a comfortable win against Argentina to book their ticket to the Quarter-Finals.

France looked every bit the championship-winning side they are on the court in the Eighth-Final, and should present a big challenge for Slovenia tonight.

France have one of the strongest squads in the competition, with depth that allows them to swap players around and still dictate the game.

Their defence is superb with the Karabatic brothers in the middle, their goalkeepers in top form with Thierry Omeyer making many big saves against Argentina, and their attack is widespread and difficult to predict.

Slovenia therefore, should be very wary – particularly as they are led by one star player and are reliant on his performance.

Dragan Gajic has been outstanding for Slovenia, consistently scoring somewhere around ten goals and topping the scorers’ list with 52 goals at 75% efficiency.

He will be a challenge for France, but is Gajic enough for Slovenia to take the victory.

Denmark-Spain 21:00, Lusail Multipurpose Hall

Titans Spain and Denmark meet in their knockout Quarter-Final match tonight for a rematch of the World Championship 2013 Final.

Spain are looking very strong, having progressed through the tournament undefeated with intelligent play that has ensured their players conserved as much energy as possible for the business end of the competition. Now, they are more than ready to rumble.

Players like Valero Rivera, Joan Canellas and goalkeepers Jose Manuel Sierra and Gonzalo Perez De Vargas have all been performing superbly – though it is difficult to pick stand-out players in a world-leading side such as Spain.

Spain are certainly one of the top contenders for the ultimate prize, but then many would consider Denmark to be also – at least prior to the beginning of the tournament.

Denmark had a slow start to the championship, but have arrived at the Quarter-Finals nonetheless and have been looking stronger every time they step on the court.

Mikkel Hansen is still one of the most valuable players in the team; he may not be on the top scorers’ list, but his assists record for the tournament is well ahead of any other player, making him possibly even more dangerous.

Denmark’s strong start in their Eighth-Final against Iceland is what booked them the ticket to the Quarter-Finals, so Spain should be prepared for Denmark to come out of the blocks sprinting.

If they can keep the Danes under control early on, Spain could be on their way to another Semi-Final.