HP WCh 2017 PREDICTION: Spain and Germany to attack France for the gold! | Handball Planet
FRANCE 2017

HP WCh 2017 PREDICTION: Spain and Germany to attack France for the gold!

It’s time for the first big event in the new Olympic cycle. Even on the day of the opening ceremony, there is no doubt that France 2017 will break all the records in handball. A real PHENOMENAL HANDBALL days are ahead of us. As always, Handball-Planet.com will be there to give you closer insight into the clashes of 24 best national handball teams in the world.

We start with our traditional prediction of the tournament winners and losers.

BIG FOUR – Hungry Spaniards and Germans who are waiting for revenge

The first event after Olympic Games is always dangerous for the biggest teams because of “emotional exhaustion” after the longest summer in four years. As they are missing a big success at Olympics for, now, two decades, Spaniards are always more than fired up on the World Championship after it, as tradition showed in 2005 and 2013, when they won gold medals. TOP Spanish players are now even more motivated after collapse in qualification for Rio, to show from which material they are structured. This could be THEIR tournament.

The “last party” of Dagur Sigurdsson, the WORLD BEST COACH 2016, will have to show that three good tournaments, good players and strong logistic behind, aren’t just a case. Germany will have to find the way to the final over France. And, they were close in Rio to take the biggest scalp. Despite home fans, in direct encounter with two beginners from the other side Dinart and Gille, Icelander has a huge advantage and much lower pressure.

It is tough to say something except superlative about the team which have Nikola Karabatic, Thierry Omeyer and a lot more amazing players, but more than ever, they will have to fight with pressure of historic event and all the rivals who came to France where they have nothing to lose. It could be tough for the team with two coaches – newcomers.

The last team of TOP 4 should be Denmark. Their way to Paris Bercy would be the easiest over Belarus and Russia (maybe Norway). Don’t expect anything spectacular from Gudmundsson’s team until the final weekend, where they are going to chase Spain (according normal prediction). There everything is possible, but even after Olympic winning way, Danes are favorites “from the shadow”.

SECOND ROW – Balkan guys, “old Hungarians”, “Russian comeback?”

For the first time since 2003, when they made the biggest surprise in the history of Handball, by winning gold medal in Portugal as the last team of European Championship 2002, Croatia are out of the first row of favorites for the medals! Olympic quarter-final wasn’t something what made happy their fans’ army after years of fantastic results, but Balkan team now facing another reality. They lost authority. Domagoj Duvnjak is the only real star of the team. Goalkeepers’ problem for a years, injuries of Sliskovic and Maric, absence of Cupic, Alilovic and Karacic, most of PPD Zagreb, who have lack of experience for such important battles, are something which put Croatia in the “second row” alongside Slovenia.

Slovenians made step forward in Rio, where Veselin Vujovic’s boys played the most beautiful handball until quarter-final defeat over Denmark. They are probably not ready for more without Zorman, Bombac and Skof, but even TOP 8 is great success for such a small country.

Is it time for Russia? Team is full of routiners and fantastic players like Dibirov, Gorbok, Zitnikov, Atman, is always potential to explode. Torgovanov’s team has a nice chance to come closer to quarter-final by winning second place in the group ahead of Norway, Brasil and Poland like Hungarians.

It looks that spanish coach on Hungarian bench Xavi Sabate has much more clear situation than in Veszprem. Hungarians have very experienced roster with the players who knows each-others for a decades. With some fresh approach of younger guys, Hungarians could make some step forward in comparation with two last years of absence from Qatar 2015 and average EHF EURO 2016, where they lost a chance to play in Rio.

THIRD ROW: Qatar into reality – Scandinavians to keep the level

Qatar have no quality to chase the best team in the world. Fullstop. Valero Rivera did great things with the best Asian team by winning silver at WCh 2015 and getting into Olympic quarter-finals, but that was the pick of his work in Doha. Quarter-final in France would be dreaming result, but more realistic is to see the end in 1/8 finals. Sweden with the new coach and without some older players are on the new beginning, probably not ready for something big. Norway have more chances than neighboors to survive first knock-out battle, but Harald Reinkind is the guy who will miss them a lot.

HANDBALL-PLANET.COM PREDICTION – TOP 16
1. Germany
2. Spain
3. France
4. Denmark
5. Croatia
6. Slovenia
7. Russia
8. Hungary
9. Sweden
10. Norway
11. Qatar
12. Tunisia
13. Iceland
14. Brasil
15. Argentina
16. Belarus

Fight for PRESIDENT CUP – Poland, Egypt and Macedonia

Talant Dujshebaev will have to show the best of his coaching knowledge to avoid catastrophe of Polish team in France. There are no comparable situation with Polish in terms of “rejuvenation” drama further increased with injuries. If Poles reach 1/8, that would be like a final. In similar situation is another coaching giant Lino Cervar, who will sit on Macedonian bench for the first time on big event. Ristovski, Mojsovski, Pribak and Jonovski are now “history”, and some young guns are in the team to help Lazarov, Manaskov and Mirkulovski. Egyptian team will have a big fight for TOP 16 place with Qatar and Argentina. They can stay under the line easliy.

  1. Macedonia
    18. Egypt
    19. Poland
    20. Saudi Arabia
    21. Japan
    22. Chile
    23. Bahrain
    24. Angola

ENJOY! HANDBALL TIME!

8 Comments

8 Comments

  1. LOL

    27. January 2017. at 00:38

    What a fool journalist you are. Germany and Spain before France. Are you sure that you know handball ?

    It was really obv the french is the best team, even during the olympic games. They lost but they should have won 90% of times.

    Now they play at home with the revenge of Olympics so it’s an easy win !

    You are probably German to put them on the top. Last time they won the Championships was at home with the referees as everyone knows.

  2. PHIMB

    25. January 2017. at 14:45

    So… everyone was wrong after all ! Danemark, Germany and Spain out before the semifinals !

  3. Didier

    20. January 2017. at 23:35

    You kidding me .
    Final Four prediction
    1 France
    2 Denmark
    3 Germany
    4 Spain

  4. Rafa Fresno

    16. January 2017. at 22:12

    France is always a great team but this is not its best version at all, but always being the host of the tournament is an advantage in handball. Denmark is the favourite in my humble opinion, it’s the most complete team. Spain and Germany should be the other semifinalists. If Spain defends as they know and use fastbreaks as a lethal weapon, the Hispanos could wear their third star on their shirts. Germany’s defense is too aggressive and they will receive lots of suspensions which will be a handicap. Their wings are all superb but their left right and center backs are not as good!

  5. Dal

    14. January 2017. at 13:07

    Denmark is of course favourite after winning the OL-Gold, the only thing that really threatens their winning-position is the absurde rule made in the last moment against the Danish very important defense player René Toft Hansens use of a elbow-rail and thereby excluding him from the Danish team. He has for six years used this elbow-rail without no problems for his opponents in the matches. Excluding him from the Danish team shall give the other teams an unjustified advantage! There is here a case for protest for HANDBALL PLANET to take up!

  6. Frederik

    13. January 2017. at 15:28

    Denmark must be gold favorites after The Olympics, M. Hansen for the win!

  7. T44

    11. January 2017. at 21:20

    AhA LOL
    Germany and Spain before France you’re so funy

  8. Pingback: HP PROGNOZA: Nemci i Å panci napadaju Francuze u borbi za zlato | Balkan Handball

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