Paris (AFP)

Two young goalkeepers, Catherine Gabriel (25) and Roxanne Frank (21), were called in the selection of twenty players for the World Handball Championship in Japan, from 1 December, to support the N.1 Amandine Leynaud .

Most of the 2018 and 2018 European champions are in this group, but coach Olivier Krumbholz is without the two goalkeepers who had successively served as lining in the cage during the two previous major competitions, Cléopâtre Darleux (2017) and Laura Glauser (2018).

To join the final list of sixteen, the coach should make his choice between Gabriel and Frank during a preparation tournament in Tokyo, which will serve as a "test event" to the organizers of the Olympics 2020, the week before the World Cup. France will face Brazil, Japan and Slovenia on 21, 23 and 24 November.

For the rest, all major players have responded to defend their title, leaving the stalemate as the coach had proposed to some. The only absent of mark is the wingman and captain Siraba Dembelé because of pregnancy.

We find Grace Zaadi and Estelle Nzé-Minko at the half-center position, Alexandra Lacrabère and Manon Houette on the wings or Béatrice Edwige in defense.

The Blue will start the World Cup with a match against South Korea on November 30 at 18:00 (Japan time). All meetings will take place in Kumamoto, in the south of the archipelago, or in the surrounding area.

The world champion team will win a ticket for the Games, unless it is France that qualified by becoming European champion last year.

The Blue fell in "the hen the most raised", according to Krumbholz, with also Denmark, Germany, Brazil and Australia, the only weak opponent.

The new formula requires finishing in the top three to reach the main round, which also looks difficult since there should be two other favorites for gold, Norway and the Netherlands, Russia being isolated in the another part a priori more open of the table.

"We arrive of course with full confidence but let us forget that our opponents will be full of aggressiveness because they are not yet qualified for Tokyo," said the coach.

The group of 20 French women:

Goalkeepers: Amandine Leynaud (Györ / HUN), Catherine Gabriel (Nantes), Roxanne Frank (Besançon)

Left backs: Orlane Kanor (Metz), Estelle Nze-Minko (Györ / HUN)), Gnonsiane Niombla (Siofok / HUN)

Right back: Camille Ayglon (Nantes), Océane Sercien Ugolin (Paris 92), Alexandra Lacrabère (Fleury-Loiret)

Half centers: Meline Nocandy (Metz), Allison Pineau (Paris 92), Grace Zaadi (Metz), Tamara Horacek (Paris 92)

Left wings: Manon Houette (Metz), Chloé Bouquet (Besançon)

Straight wings: Pauline Coatanea (Brest), Laura Flippes (Metz)

Pivots: Beatrice Edwige (Györ / Hun), Astride N'Gouan (Metz), Pauletta Foppa (Brest)

© 2019 AFP