The World Cup has commenced, and in ten days, Croatian handball players will kick off their campaign against Senegal in Gothenburg on the first day of December. Two days later, they will face China. However, the team believes that their most thrilling match will be a derby for first place, hosted by Sweden. This tournament marks a new beginning for Croatia’s handball team as they have a new coach, Ivica Obrvan, who has only ten days to get to know the team and for them to get to know him.
Training sessions have started in Podravka and will continue until they depart for Poreč. According to Obrvan, he believes that they will be ready for the World Cup despite some injury problems in recent weeks. He is confident that they can improve and refine small details before the tournament begins. He also hopes that Croatia can be among the top two teams in their group and reach the quarterfinals, which would mean qualification for the Olympic Games.
To prepare for the tournament, Croatia will participate in the Croatia Cup held in Novigrad against Congo and Montenegro. Despite some challenges such as Ana Debelić becoming a mother and having to adapt to some changes, Obrvan feels relieved because he knows that this group has been together for a long time. They are determined to make it to Paris as it is their greatest desire as a generation.
The group stage promises excitement as Croatian handball players face an unknown opponent with no prior experience of playing together. However, their focus is on qualifying for Paris and achieving greatness on the world stage once again.