What: Sweden–Slovenia, first match in the intermediate round of the European Handball Championship.
Where: Malmö Arena.
When: Friday at 8:30 p.m.
The standings in Sweden's group: 1) Sweden 2 points (+8 goal difference), 2) Slovenia 2 points (+3), 3) Iceland 2 points (+1), 4) Hungary 0 points (–1), 5) Switzerland 0 points (–3), 6) Croatia (–8).
What's next: Now there are matches against Slovenia, Iceland (Sunday), Hungary (Tuesday) and Switzerland (Wednesday). The top two in the intermediate round will advance to the semi-finals, which will be decided in Herning, Denmark, where medal matches will also be played.
Dream position for the semi-finals: Sweden not only has two points in its bag from the first group game, but also eight plus goals, which could be important if several teams end up with the same points total when the intermediate round is summed up.
Previous meetings: Sweden has won twelve of 22 meetings with Slovenia (three have ended in a draw), but most recently, in the Olympic group stage in Paris 2024, Sweden lost 24–29. The Slovenians made it all the way to the bronze medal match, but there they lost to Spain by one goal.
Sweden's squad:
Goalkeepers: Andreas Palicka, Mikael Appelgren, Fabian Norsten.
Left wing: Hampus Wanne, Felix Montebovi.
Pivots: Max Darj, Oscar Bergendahl, Felix Möller.
Right wing: Daniel Pettersson, Sebastian Karlsson.
Left back: Jonathan Carlsbogård, Eric Johansson, Nikola Roganovic.
Centre back: Felix Claar, Jim Gottfridsson, Axel Månsson.
Right back: Albin Lagergren, Lukas Sandell.
National team captain: Michael Apelgren.
