Will Spain pull off the title hat-trick?

It is the last act of an absurd European Handball Championship. Many teams failed to achieve their goals because they were simply unlucky with too many positive test results. In some cases, more than ten players from one team were quarantined at the same time. Nevertheless, it cannot be said that these title matches have no sporting value.

The best teams in the world were in the semifinals in the end. But the favourites also prevailed because they were less affected by the virus than other teams and because the absences could be better compensated by the high quality in the squad. All in all, it has to be said that the final between Spain and Sweden is more than worthy. After all, the defending champions will meet the runners-up.

The odds on both teams to win are almost identical. Therefore, the form of the day will be decisive on Sunday in Budapest. In the run-up to this final between Spain and Sweden, it is very difficult to make a concrete prediction on the outcome of the match.

But if both finalists come close to performing as well as they did in their respective semi-finals, the neutral spectator will be treated to an absolute handball treat. We can imagine that an overtime will have to decide in this final. All in all, however, we are slightly inclined to bet on a win for the Iberians between Spain and Sweden.

Spain – statistics & current form

The European Men’s Handball Championship has actually only been held since 1994. Between 1998 and 2002, Sweden won the title three times in a row. The Spanish can now copy this feat on Sunday. The Iberians have also come up trumps at World Championships and Olympic Games in recent years, but their hobbyhorse currently seems to be the European Championship after winning the title in 2018 and 2020.

Olympic revenge successful

Since losing to Denmark in the semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympics, Spain have won 12 of their 13 games. However, like all teams at this European Championship, Jordi Ribera’s team failed to reach their top form in at least one match. They lost to Norway in the main round. Nevertheless, they won the group and had to face the Danes in the semifinals. The revenge for the defeat in Tokyo was on the agenda.

But at the beginning it didn’t look like it at all. Midway through the first half, the Danes had already pulled away with four goals, but as the game progressed, Gonzalo Perez de Vargas became stronger and stronger and perhaps the best keeper in the world at the moment kept his team in the game. As the game progressed, the Spaniards became more confident in attack and took the lead for the first time at 17:16.

The European champions did not let this lead slip away and slowly but steadily increased their lead. In the end, Jordi Ribera’s team entered the final with a 29:25 victory. Aleix Gomez alone scored a staggering eleven times. On Sunday, the European champions will still have to do without the isolated Ferran Sole and Sergey Hernandez. Old master Daniel Sarmiento has joined the team in the meantime.

The Spain squad:
Goal: Perez de Vargas, Corrales, Hernandez
Back: Casado, Tarrafeta, Canellas, Garcia, Marquez, Gurbindo, Maqueda, Sarmiento
Left wing: Fernandez, Arino, Sanchez-Migallon
Right wing: Sole, Gomez, Odriozola
Circle: Pecina, Figueras, Guardiola
Coach Ribera

Last matches played by Spain:

European Championships Final Stage
01/28 2022 – Spain 29 – 25 Denmark

European Championships Main Round Grp. 2
01/25 2022 – Poland 27 – 28 Spain

01/23 2022 – Spain 23 – 27 Norway

01/21 2022 – Russia 25 – 26 Spain

01/20 2022 – Germany 23 – 29 Spain

Sweden – Statistics & current form

The Swedes are the record winners at European Championships. However, the Scandinavians have now waited 20 years for their fifth continental title. The Swedish team has only been this close once before. In 2018, they already made it to the final, but were defeated by the Spanish at the time. The perfect stage for revenge should be the final in Budapest.

Preliminary round defeat against Spain

The Swedes had their weak phase at this European Championship in the preliminary round, when they already had to give in to the Spaniards in the group phase and reached the main round with a draw against the Czech Republic by the skin of their teeth. In the second group phase, however, the Scandinavians were the only team to win all their matches, and the Swedes are now unbeaten in five games.

It sounds as if a prediction of a Swedish victory in this final between Sweden and Spain is quite conceivable. In the semi-final, Glen Solberg’s team made a precision landing and led the entire match against the Olympic champions France. Le Bleus came closer and closer and had the chance to equalise and go into overtime with the last throw.

Andreas Palicka, however, was on his game, secured the 34:33 victory for his team and thus brought the Swedes into the final. Jim Gottfridsson in particular left his mark on the game and could perhaps be voted MVP of the European Championship. However, the Scandinavians will be missing some players on Sunday. Niclas Eckberg, Felix Claar and Lukas Sandell are unlikely to be options in the grand final.

The squad of Sweden:
Goal: Johannesson, Palicka, Thulin
Back: Gottfridsson, Claar, Carlsbogard, Johansson, Wallinius, Lagergren, Sandell
Left wing: Mellegard, Wanne
Right wing: Ekberg, D. Pettersson
Circle: Darj, Möller, F. Pettersson, Bergendahl
Coach: Solberg

Last games of Sweden:

European Championships Final Stage
01/28 2022 – France 33 – 34 Sweden

European Championships Main Round Grp. 2
01/25 2022 – Sweden 24 – 23 Norway

01/23 2022 – Germany 21 – 25 Sweden

01/21 2022 – Poland 18 – 28 Sweden

01/20 2022 – Russia 23 – 29 Sweden

Spain – Sweden Direct comparison / H2H balance

Spain vs Sweden – this is an absolute classic in men’s handball. Already in 1998 and 2018 these two teams faced each other in the European Championship final. Both teams have won once. Since the 1998 final, the two opponents have met a total of 21 times. The direct comparison during this period clearly favours the Spaniards, who are 15:6 ahead after victories.

The last ten direct duels alone have all been won by the Spaniards. It is fair to say that the Swedes are now fearful opponents. The last encounter was just a fortnight ago. In the preliminary round, both teams faced each other in Bratislava. There, too, the Iberians kept the upper hand and won 32:28 in the end.

Spain – Sweden Tip

Both teams have fully convinced at the European Championship and lost only once in eight games. This means that Sweden and Spain will face each other in the final of a European Championship for the third time in total. The Iberians could achieve what the Scandinavians have already managed, namely to win three European Championship titles in a row.

Both teams have outstanding goalkeepers. Gonzalo Perez de Vargas in particular put in one world-class performance after another at the European Championship. With these two keepers, one could think about betting on less than 55.5 goals in the final between Spain and Sweden. We can imagine that this final will be decided in the defence and there we see slight advantage for the defending champions.

A further complication for the Swedes is that the Spaniards have developed into a fearful opponent in recent years. The Iberians have won all of the last ten direct duels, including in the preliminary round in Bratislava, at the Olympics in Tokyo and the European Championship final in 2018. That is then also the reason why we have decided to play the betting odds on a victory for the Iberians between Spain and Sweden.