Difficult opening match for Hrvatska
It is also the case in handball that not all groups at a World Championship are balanced and equally strong. Also at the current title fights, some pools are rather easier, while others lift several strong teams. In Group E, there will be a showdown for the group victory on the first day. It will be tricky to find the right tip between Croatia and Egypt, because both teams should be almost on a par with each other.
This doesn’t sound like it at first, but the Croats have not been as strong in recent years as they once were when they collected several medals and titles at major tournaments. The Egyptians, on the other hand, are in the best phase of their handball history. Therefore, we expect a close and very exciting match to develop over 60 minutes.
At the bookmaker Bet-at-Home, however, Hrvatska is traded much higher and almost all experts see the Europeans as favourites in this duel. However, there is hardly anyone who does not put a “but” behind the assessment of a Croatian victory. That is why we are holding back on a clear prediction of a victory for Hrvatska in this duel between Croatia and Egypt in Jonköping, Sweden.
The Egyptians travelled to Scandinavia as Asian champions and also made a splash at the last World Cup in their own country and also at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Therefore, the Africans have to be considered one of the best teams in the world. A victory by the Pharaohs would perhaps be a small surprise, but certainly not a sensation.
Croatia – Statistics & current form
The Croats have something to make up for. In recent tournaments, the two-time Olympic and 2003 World Champions have fallen short of expectations on several occasions. At the 2021 World Cup, they only managed 15th place, the worst result in the association’s history. Hrvatska did not even qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. In addition, the team was eliminated from the European Championship 2022 in the main round.
Good one year undefeated
That is why coach Hrvoje Horvat also talks about wanting to return to the circle of the best handball nations. However, it is doubtful that his team will make the big leap. There are numerous other teams at this tournament that are trading higher and that is why we are not even inclined to play the odds on a win for the Europeans between Croatia and Egypt.
After all, there have been eight wins and one draw in the last nine international matches. With the exception of Iceland and the Netherlands, however, the opponents were rather second-class. In the last preparation there were two victories against North Macedonia and Israel. There is definitely a big question mark over the Croatians’ performance at this World Cup tournament.
This is also due to the fact that some important players will not be playing. Halil Jaganjac, David Mandic, Domagoj Pavlovic, Marko Mamic, Ivan Cupic and Tin Lucin are all missing due to injury. Especially at the back Hrvatska is still exceptionally well-staffed, but on many other positions at least the alternatives are missing when the starting players need their breaks.
Predicted line-up of Croatia:
Goal: Kuzmanovic, Sunjic, Slavic
Back: Duvnjak, Karacic, Cindric, Gojun, Sarac, Severec, Srna, Sebetic, Martinovic, Klarica
Left wing: Mihic, Jelinic
Right wing: Kraljevic, Glavas
Circle: Musa, Grahovac, Susnja, Sipic
Coach: Horvat
Last matches of Croatia:
Friendlies
09/01/2023 – Croatia 37 – 23 Israel
07/01/2023 – Croatia 40 – 34 North Macedonia
30/12/2022 – Croatia 40 – 26 Italy
European Championships Qualification Grp. 5
16/10/2022 – Belgium 27 – 30 Croatia
12/10/2022 – Croatia 33 – 25 Greece
Egypt – Statistics & current form
Egypt have gone through a tremendous development. It is not for nothing that many of the Pharaohs are signed to very big European clubs. The rest play for Zamalek or Al Ahly at home at two of the strongest clubs on the African continent. It is not for nothing that two years ago at the home World Cup they only failed to beat the eventual world champions from Denmark in the quarter-finals after a penalty shoot-out.
Small defeat in the last test match
A good year and a half ago, the Egyptians narrowly missed out on the medals by finishing fourth. The North Africans’ upswing is mainly linked to coach Roberto Garcia Parrondo, who also coaches MT Melsungen in the German Bundesliga. The overall package is right and that is why we might be tempted to make a prediction on a win for the Africans between Croatia and Egypt.
In the last six months, the Egyptians have repeatedly proven their supremacy in African handball. The Pharaohs have won eight of the last nine international matches. Only in their dress rehearsal did they suffer a slight setback, but they were able to leave the pitch with their heads held high in a narrow 32:33 defeat against the Olympic champions and World Cup favourites from France.
Unfortunately, Roberto Garcia Parrondo will have to do without his best player at the World Cup. Back player Yahia Omar from Telekom Veszprem is missing due to a cruciate ligament rupture. In addition, Ahmed El Amar, who once played for Flensburg-Handewitt, has ended his career with the national team. Nevertheless, Egypt have a strong squad that can go far at the World Cup.
Predicted line-up of Egypt:
Goal: Hendawy, Aly
Back: Kaddah, S. El Deraa, Abdou, Y. El Deraa, Zein, Ramadan, El Sayed
Left wing: Homayed, El Wakil
Right wing: Saad, Sanad
Circle: El Masry, Nasralla, Shebib
Coach: Garcia Parrondo
Last matches played by Egypt:
Friendlies
07/01/2023 – France 33 – 32 Egypt
04/01/2023 – Egypt 33 – 30 Czech Republic
29/12/2022 – Egypt 33 – 29 Slovakia
28/12/2022 – Egypt 38 – 27 Algeria
Summer Olympics Final Stage
07/08/2021 – Egypt 31 – 33 Spain
Croatia – Egypt Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
Only five times to date have the teams from Croatia and Egypt crossed paths. In the direct comparison, Hrvatska is clearly ahead with 4:1 victories. Three of the five matches were played at World Cups and all three duels went to the team from the Balkans. The only time the North Africans came out on top was at the Mediterranean Games in 2013.
The last encounter was in the round of 16 at the 2017 World Cup. At the time, the Croats won 21:19, a reasonably narrow victory, with Hrvatska leading for the entire match and at times pulling away by as many as seven goals. In the meantime, however, the balance of power has shifted a bit, so that we see both teams on about the same level on Friday.
Croatia – Egypt Tip
The Croatians have lost touch with the world’s best so a little bit in the last few years. Many players from great generations have now ended their careers. The last top performers are getting on in years. In addition, coach Hrvoje Horvat has to do without many injured players. That’s why we don’t think the Balkan team will be as strong this year.
Egypt will also have to do without their top player, but the Africans still have an extremely good team that plays extremely physically and believes in its own strengths. We therefore expect it to be close and both teams to score a lot of goals.
As for the outcome of the match, we think a surprise is possible. After all, Egypt finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics. Roberto Garcia Parrondo’s team has enormous qualities and that is why we have decided to play the betting odds on a victory for the African champions between Croatia and Egypt.
