Fight for third place in Group D
On 18.01.2022 the two last-placed teams in Group D will meet on the final matchday of the 2022 European Handball Championship group stage in the encounter Belarus vs. Austria. So far, both teams have not been able to score any points and therefore have no chance to qualify for the main round of the tournament. Like all Group D matches, this one will be played at the Zimný štadión Ondreja Nepelu in the Slovakian capital Bratislava.
Despite the two defeats of both teams so far, their clash promises to be an exciting one, so interesting betting odds can be found in the Belarus vs Austria match at over/under bets. In general, however, a win for Team Austria seems to be the more likely outcome from a betting point of view.
While neither team has yet been able to reward themselves with a win or a draw, the Belarusians suffered a devastating defeat last Sunday against the current group leaders, Poland, with a points difference of nine.
Belarus – Statistics & current form
The Belarusians started this year’s European Championship very well and managed to make life difficult for the German national handball team on the first day of play. After twenty minutes, the score was 10:11, and at the break of 18:17, they were even leading by one point. In the end, however, the team from Belarus had to admit defeat with 29:33.
The game on Sunday evening against Poland, however, ended much less glamorously for the Belarusians. Even with the use of seven field players, the Polish defence could only be broken through with difficulty, and more often the substitution of the goalkeeper led to quick goals against by the Polish handballers. Shortly before the end of the game, Poland even managed to gain a ten-goal lead, from which the Belarusians could not fight their way back. Thus, the team from Belarus finally lost to their neighbouring country Poland with a goal difference of nine points in the clearest match of Group D so far.
Nevertheless not to be underestimated
In the match between Belarus and Austria, our prediction is that the spectators will be able to marvel at many goals. So far, the team from Belarus has definitely proven that they can react to the mistakes and weak points of their opponents and exploit them. In their match against Belarus, for example, the Germans only managed to parry the ball successfully once in the first half of the game.
It should also be pointed out that in the group phase of the European Handball Championship so far, the team from Belarus has been particularly strong in the first half. Against Poland, they scored 11 of their 20 goals in the first half, and against Germany they scored 18 of their 29 points. Thus, in the duel for third place between Belarus and Austria, we recommend keeping a close eye not only on the odds for the total points, but also for the individual halves of the game.
The Belarus squad:
Goal: Matskevich, Saldatsenka, Chernikau
Back: Kulak, Nialiauski, Gayduchenko, Kulesch, Samolla, Astrashapkin, Udavenia, Aliokhin
Left wing: Kryvenka, Yurynok
Right wing: Nikanovich, Vailupau
Circle: Zaitsau, Bokhan, Zhyla, Karalek
Coach: Shevtsov
Last matches of Belarus:
European Championships Preliminary Round Grp. D
01/16 2022 – Belarus 20 – 29 Poland
01/14 2022 – Germany 33 – 29 Belarus
European Championships Qualification Grp. 6
05/02 2021 – Belarus 30 – 26 Latvia
04/29 2021 – Italy 31 – 32 Belarus
03/13 2021 – Latvia 27 – 39 Belarus
Austria – Statistics & current form
The Austrian national team also fails to qualify for the main round of the European Handball Championship with their two defeats. So far, the Austrians have lost each of their games in the group stage with a deficit of five points, but still have a better goal difference than their upcoming opponent. This also speaks in favour of betting on a victory for the Alpine Republic in the match between Belarus and Austria.
The first matchday of the European Championship was not a glorious one for Austria. Against Poland, the Austrian handball players had to chase a deficit for 60 minutes, which they could not catch up with. Although they were able to score 31 goals themselves, the defensive deficits were noticeable, so Poland won the highest-scoring game in Group D so far with 36 points.
Against Germany on Sunday, the Austrians were even leading 3:0 at the beginning, and even at the break, with a score of 16:15, a lead of the Austrians could be seen on the scoreboard against all expectations. In the end, however, the Germans managed a well-deserved victory with 29:34.
Who gets a chance?
A big factor in the victory, apart from captain Nikola Bilyk, might be winger Sebastian Frimmel, who has scored the most goals for the Austrian national team in every match so far. He scored eight goals against Poland and nine against the Germans.
However, the Austrians under the leadership of coach Aleš Pajovič have not yet been able to fully exploit their squad. Against the Belarusians on the last matchday, younger players such as Julian Ranftl or Eric Damböck could get playing time for which the team from Belarus might not have prepared enough.
The squad of Austria:
Goal: Doknic, Häusle, Kaiper
Back: Martinovic, Zeiner, Bilyk, Hermann, Dicker, Hutecek, Bozovic, Zivkovic
Left wing: Frimmel, Damböck
Right wing: Weber, Ranftl
Circle: Posch, Herburger, Wagner
Coach: Paujovic
Last matches of Austria:
European Championships Preliminary Round Grp. D
01/16 2022 – Germany 34 – 29 Austria
01/14 2022 – Austria 31 – 36 Poland
Friendlies
11/07 2021 – Czech Republic 30 – 21 Austria
11/05 2021 – Austria 35 – 30 Czech Republic
European Championships Qualification Grp. 2
05/02 2021 – Austria 27 – 23 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Belarus – Austria Direct comparison / H2H-Balance
The Austrians and the Belarusians have only met six times so far, the statistics are exceptionally balanced. Both teams won two matches so far, two draws also happened in the past. The last encounter was almost exactly two years ago, when Austria and Belarus separated with 36:36 in the European Championship main round.
Belarus – Austria tip
Generally, however, the Austrians are the favourites in the upcoming encounter. It seems unlikely that the Belarusians have already fully recovered from their defeat against Poland
Therefore, in the match Belarus vs. Austria, our prediction is that the Austrian handballers will win.
