Danish skipper Niels-Kristian Iversen is determined to take Polands FIM Monster Energy Speedway World Cup crown after ending their years of dominance at Swedish track Malilla on Thursday night.

Denmark won the Race Off on 42 points to join hosts Sweden, Russia and Australia in the Final, which also takes place at Malillas G&B Arena on Saturday.

Poland finished second on 38, while Team Great Britain tallied 30 and the Czech Republic accrued 19.

It is the first time Poland have failed to reach the World Cup Final since 2006. They have lifted the Ove Fundin Trophy five times in the past seven years and were aiming for their fourth gold medal in a row.

But Denmark, the last team to deny the Poles top spot when they triumphed at Vojens in 2008, are ready to reclaim their crown.

An elated Iversen said: It would mean a lot. Weve had a few tough years where weve been close. We were close in 2010 at Vojens, but we were beaten by the Poles who have been strong.

Theyve been struggling a little bit with injuries and stuff and havent had their strongest team. We had to win the Race Off to go through to the Final, so winning the Final on Saturday would be a massive achievement for Denmark.

Iversen, who won World Cup gold with his country in 2006 and 2008, was joined by triple world champion Nicki Pedersen in Malilla.

Pedersen sat out Event 1 at Bydgoszcz last Saturday after opting to take a holiday in Gran Canaria in the middle of a hectic season.

FIM Monster Energy SWC newcomers Michael Jepsen Jensen, Leon Madsen and Mikkel B Jensen, who made way for Pedersens return, all impressed in the Danish champions absence in Poland.

But Iversen admits there is no substitute for experience. He said: It was good to get some more experience and that is important at this level.

We did well in Poland as well when Nicki wasnt there, but he has a lot of knowledge. People listen when he is talking, so he definitely benefits the team.

Danish boss Anders Secher faces a big decision ahead of the FIM Monster Energy SWC Final as he must decide whether to stick with his Race Off-winning quartet, or draft Mikkel B back in.

With Madsen managing just four points, his spot could be under threat. But Iversen declined to be drawn on the decision Secher must make no later than 30 minutes after practice on Friday afternoon.

He said: I dont know what will happen. Youll have to ask Anders. Leon did look better in his last race.

He had some problems during the night, but he can be sharp from the gatesthats his thing. He is quick from the tapes. If he makes better gates, Im sure hell be alright in the Final.

Iversen was proud that the Danes achieved top spot, despite their three rival teams all scoring a maximum six points from their tactical joker outings.

It was a bit exciting along the way, he said. But I think we had the best team on the night. We were riding better and winning most races. We didnt play our joker either. We deserve to be there and we did what we came for.

It was important we did well from the beginning and we only won by four points, so it wasnt really a big win. But the jokers played a part for the other teamsthey all got maximum points from their joker and we didnt play ours.

Polish team boss Marek Cieslak was philosophical in defeat and, after going into the tournament without injured stars Jarek Hampel and Janusz Kolodziej, he was proud of his sides spirit.

He said: I think the team showed big heart. We had a very bad start to the meeting, but we found some good setups, sprockets, everything.

Weve had big problems this year because weve had lots of injuries. Jarek is not riding, Kolodziej too and theyre going very well. But Im happy. We cant win every year. We have a job for next season; to be world champions again.

Team GB skipper Chris Harris was disappointed to see the Lions slip out of contention in the latter stages, despite Tai Woffinden winning a joker ride in heat eight to put them two points behind Denmark.

The Cornishman, who finished on 11 points from six rides, said: Id have liked to have scored a few more and I should have scored a few more. I think Team GBs gating wasnt at its best. We were in there to start off with and there was a little bit of dirt.

But when the track went slicker, we all seemed to go a bit slower. Its disappointing really when youre that close; we all tailed off towards the end really.

It was a tough night for the Czech Republic, who made their first Race Off appearance since 2005. But one positive was the fast-gating Josef Franc, who scored 11 of his sides 19 points.

He said: Its about the luck. None of the guys in our team are bad riders. They just didnt have any luck for a couple of hours. I had a good night and thats how things go sometimes.

Its a shame and I hope we have more luck in the future and maybe get a better team together. We werent really expecting to do too much, but its not too bad. I am happy with my result. Id always like a couple more points, but Im happy.

The draw for the FIM Monster Energy SWC Final pitches hosts Sweden into the red helmet colours. Russia line up in blue, Australia race in white and Denmark don yellow.

FIM MONSTER ENERGY SWC RACE-OFF SCORES:

1 Denmark 42: Nicki Pedersen 12, Michael Jepsen Jensen 13, Leon Madsen 4, Niels-Kristian Iversen 13.

2 Poland 38: Tomasz Gollob 15, Piotr Protasiewicz 5, Maciej Janowski 7, Krzysztof Buczkowski 11.

3 Team Great Britain 30: Scott Nicholls 2, Tai Woffinden 14, Danny King 3, Chris Harris 11.

4 Czech Republic 19: Lukas Dryml 3, Ales Dryml 4, Josef Franc 11, Matej Kus 1.