DHB-Ladies still unblemished?

The sport moves fast. The preliminary round of the Women’s Handball World Cup in Spain is almost over. Now, at the latest, the shuffling of chairs towards the medals begins and the German team around national coach Henk Groener is in the middle of it. Actually, it is said that the tasks become more and more difficult in the course of a tournament, but that does not apply to the DHB women for the time being.

On Wednesday, Germany has to face the team from Congo in Granollers. That should certainly be a challenge in terms of style of play, but in the end, we are very sure, a clear success for the German women will be on the cards. So it seems to be all about how high Germany will win this match.

In the main round group C, Germany is on top with Denmark and four points each. Hungary and South Korea follow with two points. The Czech Republic and Congo (currently without points) will have a hard time to reach one of the first two places that entitle them to participate in the quarter-finals. But we won’t go too far out on a limb if we make a prediction before the match between Germany and Congo that the DHB ladies will make it into the play-offs.

Germany will have to do everything to win the group. Then the opponents in the quarter-finals would probably be Brazil, Japan or Argentina – all quite manageable tasks. Therefore, every goal could count in the race for first place in the main round.

Germany – Statistics & current form

The German camp already knew that something might be possible at the World Handball Championship in Spain. However, their ambitions only really developed in the preliminary round. The Hungarian team was considered the favourite, the DHB ladies slightly stronger than the Czech Republic and Slovakia. But after two wins with a double-digit lead, Henk Groener’s team was really well in the tournament.

With a clean slate into the Main Round

In the run-up to the decisive group match against Hungary, the German team was considered the favourite by the bookmakers tested and the team around Emily Bölk and Co. once again lived up to this role. Basically, the DHB ladies were ahead for the entire duration of the game, with short and rare exceptions. By half-time it was 14:9 and the game seemed to be over already.

After the break, however, the Magyar women got into the game better and it was soon close again. In the end, it was Julia Maidhof and Meike Schmelzer who pushed the match in the German direction with five goals each. After the 25:24 win, Germany is 4-0 up in the main round and, just like two years ago in Japan, the quarter-finals are already within reach. Germany have also lost only one match in their last eleven matches.

On Wednesday, the odds should be on a German success in the duel between Germany and Congo. If a success against South Korea follows on Friday, the quarter-finals could already be in the bag. In any case, this German team is fun to watch. Perhaps we can still expect great things from this team in the Advent season.

The squad of Germany:
Goal: Eckerle, Filter
Back: Grijseels, Petersen, Zschocke, Smits, Bölk, Kalf, Stolle
Left wing: Lauenroth, Stockschläder
Right wing: Maidhof, Berger
Circle: Schmelzer, Antl, Schulze
Coach: Groener

Congo – Statistics & current form

It can definitely be seen as a surprise that the Congo women’s handball team have advanced to the main round and do not have to play on in the Presidents Cup of the group last. As the fourth-placed team in the Africa Cup, the Congolese women are the supposedly weakest team in Africa and have only just jumped on the World Cup bandwagon.

Surprise Congo

But you can’t completely underestimate this team. Around half of the squad still plays at home, but all the other players are under contract in France. Not all of them are top-class players, but some of them earn their money with strong clubs. Nevertheless, the defeats against Denmark (-15) and South Korea (-14) were befitting of the occasion.

In the group final, the Congolese team had to play Tunisia and needed a win against the team against which they had lost by 5 goals in the third-place match at the Africa Cup less than half a year ago. At the World Cup, however, the Congolese got their revenge. Coach Younes Tatby’s team pulled away early on.

Congo was already 18:9 ahead at the break and did not let this lead be taken away. After four defeats in a row, there was finally a victory again and this leads the Congolese women into the main round as third in the group. Of course, one should not expect to score easily there. Before the match between Germany and Congo, the prediction is that the Africans will end up without any points.

The Congo squad:
Goal: Kodia, Bazekene
Back: Ntondele, Okabande, Diagouraga, Hendo
Left wing: Rutil, Divoko, Nkou, Jappont
Right wing: Yimga, Ngombele
Circle: Obangue, Dorson, Saraiva
Coach: Tatby

Germany – Congo Direct Comparison / H2H Balance

The Republic of Congo is rather a blank slate on the handball map. When Germany and Congo meet, it is really only at the Olympic Games and World Championships. In 1980, for example, the then GDR defeated the Congo team 28:6 at the Olympics in Moscow. Only two years later, the FRG and Congo faced each other at the World Championships in Hungary.

At that time, the German women won 32:10. The third encounter we found in our research was not so long ago. At the 2009 World Cup in China, Germany won 36:23, which means that Congo have never won an international match against a German team.

Germany – Congo Tip

The performances of the German team at the World Cup in Spain were extremely positive. It was not to be assumed beforehand that they would win their group with three victories in the preliminary round and now have the best prospects of qualifying for the quarter-finals.

With only one defeat from the last eleven international matches, the team of national coach Henk Groener seems to have really fired up in the meantime. The team knows what it is made of and will be looking for its fourth World Cup win in its fourth match on Wednesday. There is no doubt that the only way to win in the duel between Germany and Congo is to bet on a German success.

The only question is how high this German success will be. The Congo defeat against Denmark with 15 goals can serve as a reference. We think that the match on Wednesday will also be in this range. Therefore, we have decided to play the betting odds on a German handicap victory (-12.5) in the match between Germany and Congo.