After 27-21 in the premiere, group stage match number two awaits today for the Swedish handball ladies.

The opposition is represented by Slovenia, who started the championship by beating Denmark.

Slovenia came 17th in the last championship, WC 2021, where Sweden finished fifth.

But the ruckus in the premiere shows that the home team should not be underestimated.

- Many may think that Slovenia is a team that will finish last in the group.

But I spoke to Ana Gros and she says they really believe in themselves.

So it will be very tough, says middle six Linn Blohm.

Slovenia comes with a full team

Ana Gros – Slovenia's big star and one of the world's best right-handed nines – plays together with Blohm in Hungarian Györi.

- We have shared rooms a few times when we played the Champions League here now, and she has great expectations for this championship.

Apparently there are many who have turned down the national team before, who felt that it is not as much fun with the national team.

But now she says everyone is back and injury free, so now they have a full team.

And then they have their home ground, so they have really ramped things up here in Slovenia, says Blohm.

Assistant national team captain Johanna Wiberg sees both pros and cons with the supposed crowd pressure against the host nation.

- The atmosphere is something that you can enjoy and get extra energy from.

But there can also be pressure that can put pressure on us as a team and can create other kinds of emotions.

It's something we have to prepare for, home audiences who can boo and whistle with all the horns they have, she says.

"Our biggest weakness"

Sweden, which wants to play with speed and quick changes, expects that Slovenia will want to slow down the pace.

Therefore, patience becomes an important key.

- That is perhaps our biggest weakness.

That we get a little eager and then instead you do something just because you feel like doing something.

It's hard when you face attacks that might start and then you stand there and just "come on".

But that is typical for these countries and we will play against that several times during this championship, says Blohm.

Sweden finishes the group stage against Denmark on Sunday.