German must-win on the road to Paris?

The anticipation of the Olympic Games is always closely linked to how many teams from one nation have qualified. The teams are also the common thread running through the Summer Games in Paris 2024. So far, things are looking very good for Germany with six qualified teams from basketball, volleyball, field hockey and soccer. In our Germany vs Algeria betting tip, we take a look at whether the men’s handball team will also take another step towards Paris

Three qualifying tournaments with four teams each will be held this week. The slots were awarded at the 2023 World Cup and the continental championships. The two best teams from each of these three tournaments will take part in the Summer Games. The German selection has the advantage of hosting this four-nation tournament.

In the ZAG Arena in Hanover, Germany and Algeria as well as Croatia and Austria will battle it out for a total of two Olympic tickets. As hosts, the German team is certainly in a good position and should have the best chance of securing one of the top two places. However, they drew against Austria and lost to Croatia at the recent home European Championships. Alfred Gislason’s team should therefore not be too confident

We don’t expect any major problems in the opening match. Before the kick-off between Germany and Algeria, we dare to predict that a home win will only be a matter of height. If we look at the quotes in the popular betting apps, odds of just over 1.00 are offered on the German team winning. That sounds like an easy start for the DHB men in this tournament

Germany – Statistics & current form

Alfred Gislason should continue to drive forward the upheaval in the German team and gradually integrate the U21 world champions into the senior team. The national coach’s contract has now been extended until after the 2027 home World Cup, but under one condition. Qualification for Paris 2024 must be achieved, otherwise the contract extension will become obsolete and the DHB will have to look for a new coach

A detour via the qualifying tournament

However, the chances of participating in the Summer Games are relatively good. Germany advanced to the semi-finals at the European Championship on home soil. In the matches against Denmark and Sweden, the DHB men missed out on direct qualification for Paris 2024 and now have to take a detour via the qualifying tournament. However, it can be assumed that the atmosphere in Hanover will be just as exciting as it was at the European Championships

We can certainly live well with reaching the semi-finals of the continental championships, but somehow the overall result was mixed with four wins, four defeats and a draw. In addition, there were three defeats in the last three international matches. Therefore, one can certainly have concerns about the Olympic qualification. However, these hardly apply to the tournament opener, as we are only looking at the odds for a relatively high handicap victory for the hosts between Germany and Algeria.

In terms of personnel, there are a few changes to the European Championship squad. Martin Hanne and Kai Häfner are injured and will not play in Hanover. Justus Fischer is also certain to miss out. There was still a question mark over Jannik Kohlbacher. However, the all-clear has now been given for the Rhein-Neckar Löwen pivot. Marian Michalczik, Franz Semper and Luca Witzke have been named as replacements.

Predicted line-up for Germany:

• Goal: Späth, Wolff
• Back line: Heymann, Köster, Knorr, Lichtlein, Michalczik, Witzke, Uscins, Semper, Steinert
• Left wing: Dahmke, Mertens
• Right wing: Kastening, Zerbe
• Circle: Golla, Kohlbacher
• Coach: Gislason

Algeria – Statistics & current form

The Algerians were once among the best handball teams in Africa. The Egyptians have now taken over the supremacy. The Algerian team’s participation in this Olympic qualifying tournament alone is a great success. After all, Farouk Dehili’s team finished second at the African Championship in January, at the same time as the European Championship

Strong performance at the African Championship

The Algerians won all of their first five matches at the continental championships before suffering a clear 21-29 defeat to the Egyptian Pharaohs in the final. Overall, the last results are certainly impressive, although it must be said that the opponents in Africa cannot be compared with the teams that the Algerian team will now face in Hanover.

However, the seven-time African champions also have some quality players in their ranks. Numerous players are under contract in the French league. A lot will depend on Hichem Daoud. The left-back, or left winger, plays for Limoges in France and is mainly responsible for Algeria’s goals. However, we expect his team to score around ten goals less than the German team and therefore we are sticking to our prediction of a clear home win between Germany and Algeria.

The Algerians traveled to Germany very late. A test match at third division club TSV Anderten was actually planned for Tuesday. However, due to visa problems, the North Africans were unable to arrive on time and this match had to be canceled. As a result, the first match against Germany will serve as a test on the way to their first Olympic participation since 1996 in Atlanta.

Predicted Algeria line-up:

• Goal: Ghedbane, Hachemi
• Back line: Abdi, Berkous, Daoud, Benhalima, Sadok, Meddahi, Hacene-Djaballah
• Left wing: Fodil, Djedid, Boulehsa
• Right wing: Saker
• Circle: Bendjilali, Kaabeche, Zennadi, Khermouche
• Coach: Dehili

Germany – Algeria head-to-head comparison / H2H result

Germany vs Algeria is not exactly a game you see all the time in world handball. After all, there have been seven head-to-head meetings to date. It will hardly surprise anyone that the DHB handball team have won all of these matches. The first encounter took place in 1993 at a four-nation tournament in Valladolid, Spain, when Germany narrowly prevailed 20:19.

However, it was not to be that close again after that. The last time they met was in 2021, also at a qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games. The German team won by eight goals in Berlin. The last match was at the 2023 World Cup in Poland. Germany won the preliminary round in outstanding style with a 37:21 victory, but it was not to be quite so clear-cut on Thursday

Germany – Algeria betting tip

On the way to Paris, the opening match at this qualifying tournament in Hanover should be nothing more than a formality for the German team. A clear victory should be expected, even if Alfred Gislason has had to make a few changes to his European Championship squad. Nevertheless, the Algerians will not yet be the big test. This will come in the upcoming matches against Austria and Croatia.

However, it must also be said that the German team had major problems in their last three games at the European Championship in January and lost them all. Their opponents were Croatia, Denmark and Sweden. These are different calibers than the North Africans and therefore we tend to place a bet between Germany and Algeria with an Intertops bonus on a double-digit handicap victory

The Algerians have already proven their quality by finishing second at the African Championship, but at a much lower level than they show in Europe. For example, they have lost seven games against the DHB men, most recently at the 2023 World Cup with a 16-goal difference. Because goal difference could also be important in the qualifying tournament, we have decided to play the betting odds on a German handicap win (-11.5 goals) between Germany and Algeria