Europe 1 with AFP 9:20 p.m., January 26, 2023, modified at 9:22 p.m., January 26, 2023
The France team will have "little room" to qualify for the World Cup final on Friday against Sweden at home in Stockholm, coach Guillaume Gille said on Thursday, however convinced that the Blues have "enough to compete".
France will thus try to win a place in the final to glimpse a seventh world title.
The French team challenges Sweden, Friday January 27 at 8:30 p.m., in the semi-finals of the world handball championships.
A match to live in full on the
Europe 1 Sport program
(every evening from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.).
Eliminated by this same opponent in two of the last three international competitions, the Blues are aware of the task at hand.
Guillaume Gille, the coach of France, believes that there will be "little room to qualify" but believes in it however.
Journalist
: You find Sweden, who eliminated you at this stage of the semi-finals in two of the last three international competitions (World 2021 and Euro 2022)…
Guillaume Gille
: "It's a wink in history, quite comical. We do indeed have negative memories of the Swedes. We are in a completely different context, committed to their cause. We have plenty to do, to be at the rendezvous to compete and to do everything to get into the final."
Journalist
: Can you learn from these two eliminations?
Guillaume Gille
: "This negative experience has inevitably left its mark. Now, the contexts are completely different, it's complicated to refer to the past. A new battle is looming against an opponent who has made us thwart lately. It's up to us to show a better face to win."
Journalist
: Are you outsiders?
Guillaume Gille
: "We don't care. We're in the last four with just the desire to extend the adventure and win. That's what interests us, whether it's Sweden or anyone from everyone else has a chance tomorrow, the team that is able to deliver the most consistent, complete game will advance to the final."
Journalist
: You will have to deliver your best match, not yet produced so far?
Guillaume Gille
: "We played great matches but all were inconsistent at times, with phases of lesser quality. There, clearly, playing the second host country (with Poland) at home to fight for a place in the final, we know that there will be little room. that this fight will be fierce which will require us to be at our best level. It does not matter whether what we have done so far has been enough, that's what we will be able to do tomorrow which will be decisive."