A first series final awaits on Friday evening when Sweden and Denmark face off in the second round of the main round. The winner secured a place in the semi-finals in training – but for Sweden to have a chance, Danish left-hander Mathias Gidsel must be stopped.

During the week, he plays with the Swede Max Darj in Berlin.

– He is a very good duel player and he is perhaps the best in the world in his position at the moment. We need to come up with a plan to stop him. even if you know how to do it, it's hard to stop it. It will be fun to meet him and not just play with him, says Darj.

MVP at the Olympics and World Championships

Gidsel was named Most Valuable Player at the Olympics and World Championships. The 25-year-old has dominated the German league, where he is second in the league in shots and third in the league in assists with second-placed Füchse Berlin.

Darj will be involved in the Swedish tactics to stop Gidsel.

– We are a very good team. If someone is playing with someone we are going to play against, then you are sharing the knowledge you have about the players. Of course, I will share what I know about Gidsel. But I think everyone who sees Denmark and Gidsel knows what he wants to do and how he wants to do it, says Darj.

See themselves as outsiders

Just Gidsel is a name that even Lukas Pellas defends.

– In today's handball there are a lot of duels and then they have Gidsel who is incredibly good. We arrive a bit like outsiders. It's been a long time since we had this imprint on us. It will be a difficult match but we have every chance, absolutely, said Pellas.

Max Darj:

– We have made stable efforts, but I think we still have a few steps to go and we can prepare a little more. If we don't change, we have no chance against Denmark. We have to play at our best for 60 minutes.