Demisive match for decimated DHB men
It’s crazy what’s happening at the current European Handball Championship. Some think that the tournament should have been cancelled. But this option is not on the table. The German Handball Federation has also made it clear that withdrawal is not an option. Therefore, the German men will play their second main round match against Norway on Friday.
In fact, anything is still possible for the German team. In the group of six, from which the first two qualify for the semifinals, Spain is on top with 4:0 points. Germany, Norway, Sweden and Russia are battling it out for second place with 2:2 points each. The Poles, who still have no points, will hardly be able to finish second.
If Alfred Gislason’s team wants to reach the semi-finals, they will have to win against Norway on Friday. However, that will be the next very difficult task for the decimated German team.
It’s no wonder, given the personnel changes the DHB is currently having to make. It has to be said that all the players who have been nominated have great qualities. The only problem is that they can hardly or not at all train because of the circumstances. These are not good conditions to place a bet on a German victory in the match between Germany and Norway.
Germany – Statistics & current form
The surreal nature of the entire situation in Slovakia is made clear by the story surrounding Christoph Steinhart. The back player had to be quarantined because of a positive test. The German team was already in the hall to play Spain when Steinhart was informed about a false test. He packed his sports bag and walked into the hall to support his astonished colleagues and actually play against the Spaniards.
Without training into the game
Therefore, it is hardly predictable with which players the German team will be able to play against Norway. What is certain, however, is that the routines can’t work if you don’t train together. That’s why we think it’s very risky to play the odds on a DHB men’s victory between Germany and Norway.
Alfred Gislason’s team also played well against Spain for at least one half. The decisive factor was that too many easy mistakes were made, and so the Iberians kept pulling away in the second period. But there’s no other way to put it: Germany came off very respectably in the 23:29 defeat.
The spirit in the team is right. This team has become a conspiratorial bunch and maybe that is an indication that we can expect a lot from the German handball players in the future. Given the circumstances in Slovakia, however, it would be a miracle if this team reached the semi-finals now. We will refrain from providing much information on the available players at this point, because things can change by the minute in this respect.
The Germany squad:
Goal: Wolff, Birlehm, Klimpke, Bitter, Rebmann
Back: Köster, Weber, Ernst, Witzke, Heymann, Kühn, M’Bengue, Häfner, Steinert, Drux, Wiede
Left wing: Schiller, Mertens, Dahmke
Right wing: Zerbe, Kastening, Zieker
Circle: Golla, Wienczek, Kohlbacher, Firnhaber
Coach: Gislason
Last matches of Germany:
European Championships Main Round Grp. 2
01/20 2022 – Germany 23 – 29 Spain
European Championships Preliminary Round Grp. D
01/18 2022 – Poland 23 – 30 Germany
01/16 2022 – Germany 34 – 29 Austria
01/14 2022 – Germany 33 – 29 Belarus
Friendlies
01/09 2022 – Germany 35 – 34 France
Norway – Statistics & current form
The Norwegians were considered before the European Championship as one of the candidates to compete for the medals at the tournament. However, the Elks had a harder time than expected in the preliminary round. Against Slovakia and Lithuania, they struggled for a long time before they could defeat their opponents. There was also an unexpected defeat against the Russian team.
Hitless Elks
Christian Berge’s team started the main round without any points, but after the first match against the Poles it is already clear that the team around superstar Sander Sagosen will be a force to be reckoned with. The Norwegians really turned up the heat and showed the overtaxed Polish team every trick in the book. Especially Sebastian Barthold from Aalborg was extremely goal-hungry with ten goals.
In the end, it was a magnificent 42:31 victory. This is the first time in the long history of the European Championships that a team has managed to score 42 goals in a match. If the Elks can even come close to repeating this feat, then a prediction of over-goals between Germany and Norway should be almost without alternative.
A big advantage for the Norwegians is that they have remained virtually untouched by the virus at this European Championship. Not a single player of the Elks is in isolation. Whether it is luck or the Norwegian bubble has worked better is hard to say. So the only players missing from Christian Berge’s team are the two injured Flensburg players Magnus Röd and Göran Johannessen.
The squad of Norway:
Goal: Saeveras, Heieren, Bergerud
Back: Eck Aga, Sagosen, Överjordet, O’Sullivan, Thorsteinsen Toft, Pettersen, Tönnesen, Reinkind, Rambo
Left wing: Barthold, Blonz
Right wing: Björnsen, Gulliksen
Circle: Överby, Gullerud, Solstad
Coach: Berge
Last matches played by Norway:
European Championships Main Round Grp. 2
01/20 2022 – Poland 31 – 42 Norway
European Championships Preliminary Round Grp. F
01/17 2022 – Lithuania 29 – 35 Norway
01/15 2022 – Norway 22 – 23 Russia
01/13 2022 – Norway 35 – 25 Slovakia
Friendlies
01/08 2022 – Denmark 35 – 25 Norway
Germany – Norway Direct comparison / H2H balance
The selection teams from Germany and Norway now have 53 direct duels. The direct comparison is clearly in favour of the DHB men, who are 36:13 ahead after victories. Four games ended in a draw. However, the Norwegians have only really advanced to the top of the world in recent years. In the last eight games, for example, the record speaks in favour of the Elks with 5:3 victories.
Bitter from the German point of view is still the defeat at the 2019 World Cup semi-final, when the Norwegians got the upper hand with 31:25 in Hamburg and ended the German dream of World Cup gold. The DHB men, however, already had the opportunity to take revenge. In the preliminary round of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the German team won clearly with 28:23.
Germany – Norway tip
It’s terrific how the German team is selling itself at the World Cup. There are no complaints about the numerous setbacks that have to be accepted. Alfred Gislason’s team has probably already earned the fairness trophy. Nevertheless, they still hope to make it to the semi-finals. The focus is there, but the conditions are not.
Without training sessions and with a mixed team in every game, you simply can’t expect too much. We do not expect Alfred Gislason’s team to take a step towards the semi-finals on Friday.
We even assume that a possible defeat of the German men could be similar to the one against Spain. The Elks showed their best side in the first main round match with full band and set a new record at a European Championship with 42 goals. Therefore, we have decided to play the betting odds on a Norwegian handicap win (-4.5) between Germany and Norway.
