Mandatory task for the world champions

In the German media, the water polo tournament at the Aquatic Center in Paris is running a little under the radar. This is because the German men have failed to qualify for the Olympic Games for the fourth time in a row. At least there are live streams available here and there that allow you to follow this tournament in moving pictures. In our Romania vs Croatia betting tip, we take a look at what the world champions will bring to the pool in their third group game

The Romanians have only South Africa to thank for the fact that they can show off their water polo credentials in Paris. The latter would have actually taken the African continental spot, but decided not to travel to France due to a lack of competitiveness. Now the Romanians are there, but from a sporting point of view they are nothing more than a stopgap.

The Croatians, on the other hand, have traveled to the French capital with great ambitions. The reigning world champions and 2012 Olympic champions want a medal. It is not yet clear whether they will win gold, as the competition is fierce. That’s why they must first look to get out of the six-team group and achieve one of the top four places to qualify for the quarter-finals

This leap alone is unlikely to be achievable for the Romanian team. Conversely, this means that the prediction in the duel between Romania and Croatia is clearly in favor of a victory for the world champions. We are even expecting a Croatian victory with a difference of five to eight goals and are checking the odds in this direction with our bookmaker Betano. In any case, we think that a successful match will almost guarantee Hrvatska a place in the play-offs

Romania – statistics & current form

The Romanians are the biggest underdogs in the men’s water polo tournament alongside Japan and it would be very surprising if Bogdan Rath’s team could make the play-offs. In fact, we believe that the Romanian team will not even manage a win and will return home after the preliminary round in last place in the group with five defeats

Two defeats at the start of the Olympics

Two defeats at the Aquatic Center so far. In the first match, the Romanians had no chance against Greece, losing 7:14. Things didn’t look much better in the second group match against the United States. Although they scored one goal more in the end, they still had to accept a defeat with a six-goal difference at 8:14

If we assume that the world champions can certainly perform at the level of their first two opponents, then the odds on a handicap win for Hrvatska in the duel between Romania and Croatia should be particularly interesting. It would be a great thing for the Romanian underdogs if they could keep the encounter with the world champions open for a long time.

The Romanians have lost six of their last eight international matches. In preparation, they beat Germany and had a somewhat surprising success against France. In line with the Olympic motto, however, the Romanian team should be ready to jump into the pool for the next three games in Paris, as they cannot expect any sporting success in the following duels against Croatia, Italy and Montenegro.

Romania’s probable line-up:
Tic, Dragusin – Iudean, Fulea, Neamtu, Prioteasa, Tepelus, Oanta, Colodrovschi, Georgescu, Oltean, Vancsik – Coach: Rath

Croatia – Statistics & current form

It’s strange, but the Croatians always seem to need a shock in the group stage of a major championship to advance far in the tournament. At the European Championship on home soil in January, they were defeated by Montenegro in the preliminary round before advancing to the final. A month later, the eventual world champions lost to Spain in the group stage at the World Cup in Doha

Obligatory defeat in the preliminary round

However, such results are not unique to the Croatians, but rather a general expression of the fact that the world’s top water polo teams are extremely close together. You could still name six or seven teams off the top of your head that could very well end up as Olympic champions, and of course Hrvatska belongs in this elite circle.

In the last eleven games, Ivica Tucak’s team have only suffered three defeats. Twice they were beaten by the European champions from Spain and one defeat came on Tuesday against Italy at the Aquatic Center in Paris. So when the Croatian Barracudas lose a match, it is only against very strong opponents from the absolute world elite.

After the opening victory against Montenegro at the games in Paris, the defeat against Italy was avoidable. For a long time, it was a match of equals before the Croatians gave away a potential victory with unnecessary actions and ultimately lost 11:14. Nevertheless, we can’t help but make a clear prediction of a big Croatian win between Romania and Croatia.

Predicted line-up of Croatia:
Bijac, Popadic – Loncar, Vrlic, Buric, Zuvela, Biljaka, Fatovic, Jokovic, Bukic, Vukicevic, Marinic Kragic, Kharkov – Coach: Tucak

Romania – Croatia head-to-head / H2H result

Romania v Croatia is not a match that has been played particularly often in recent years. A total of 17 games have been played. The direct comparison is a clear affair for the Croatians, who are 14:3 ahead after wins. There have been just three matches in the last six years, two in the World League and one at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Unsurprisingly, the Croatian Barracudas have won all three of these matches. Twice it was even extremely clear. At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, for example, the Croatians won 16:6 with a ten-goal difference

Romania – Croatia betting tip

We don’t expect a major surprise in this water polo match on Thursday. As world champions, the Croatians also want to secure a medal at the Olympic Games and are the heavy favorites in this encounter with the Romanians. For their part, they simply want to deliver a decent tournament and perhaps not lose all five games, but the chances of that are very slim.

Hrvatska should make sure that they don’t let themselves down after their defeat against Italy. However, the candidates from the parallel group for the quarter-finals are very strong overall anyway. However, the better the world champions do in the preliminary round, the less in form their opponents will be in the play-offs. We think that Ivica Tucak’s team will do their homework and would place a bet on a clear win for Hrvatska in the Betano app between Romania and Croatia

As is so often the case when a big favorite meets an underdog, it is important to have the right nose for the right handicap. You always have to bear in mind that a big lead at the end of the game always takes a bit of intensity out of the game. Nevertheless, we have decided to play the odds on a Croatian handicap win (-6.5 goals) between Romania and Croatia. We are also grateful that the world champions will only have a seven-goal cushion. Then a bet on a draw could also fit with the corresponding handicap