Finishing touches before the home European Championship

The first highlight for the men’s handball teams kicks off on January 10. The IHF EURO 2024 in Germany kicks off in just a few days. The participating teams will play one or two test matches beforehand to fine-tune their automatisms. In our Germany vs Portugal betting tip, we take a look at how far two of the European Championship participants are shortly before the start of the tournament

The Portuguese are the DHB team’s last opponents before the opening game of the European Championship. On Thursday, the Iberians will first be guests in the Campushalle in Flensburg. Two days later, these two teams will meet again in Kiel. These will be the last two opportunities for the two coaches to test a few more processes under competitive conditions.

The ambitions of both teams at the EURO are completely different. For the Portuguese, the first priority is to get through the preliminary round. In the eight groups of four, one of the first two places must be occupied in order to remain in the running. For the DHB men, this task should basically be a formality. The medals are the ambitious goal

This also shows that the prediction for the test match between Germany and Portugal should be a home win. However, you have to be a little careful with your bets, especially in a preparation match, because the findings are often more important for the coaches than the result.

Germany – Statistics & current form

Alfred Gislason has a contract with the DHB as national coach until the summer of this year. Until then, however, the Icelander still has a lot planned. A successful home European Championship is the primary goal, as well as qualifying for the Olympic Games. A slot for Paris 2024 will be awarded at the European Championships. In view of the fierce competition, this will certainly be difficult, but because France and Denmark have already qualified, third place could theoretically be enough

Many highlights for the German handball team

If qualification via the European Championship does not work out, a qualifying tournament is still on the agenda in March. The tasks in the coming weeks and months will be very exciting for the German selection. It is also important to develop a young team. Numerous U21 world champions from the previous year have made it into the European Championship squad. However, they first have to prove that they can reach the very top level of international handball

In the last six months, Germany has played just two international matches against African champions Egypt in November. The first was a 31:31 draw. Two days later, the DHB men won 28:27. If we add last April’s win against Spain, the German men are unbeaten in three games. We think this streak will be extended on Thursday and are looking at the odds between Germany and Portugal, which have something to do with a home win.

There was one piece of bad news for Alfred Gislason at the turn of the year. Marian Michalczik has suffered a muscular injury and will miss the European Championship at home. However, no further players will be called up to replace the Hanoverian. The national coach will have to come up with a plan B, especially in defense.

The Germany squad:

• Goal: Späth, Wolff
• Backcourt: Lichtlein, Knorr, Weber, Heymann, Köster, Hanne, Uscins, Häfner, Steinert
• Left wing: Dahmke, Mertens
• Right wing: Groetzki, Kastening
• Circle: Golla, Fischer, Kohlbacher
• Coach: Gislason

Portugal – Statistics & current form

The Portuguese have made significant progress with their club teams in recent years. At times, this progress has also reached the national team. However, it has to be said that the Iberians are still a long way from the European and therefore world elite. The group stage of the European Championship alone will be a challenge

Good results on the way to the European Championship

World champions Denmark should be out of Portugal’s reach. A win against the newcomers from Greece, on the other hand, should be firmly on the cards. The direct duel against the Czech Republic will determine whether or not they advance to the main round. The games against Germany can definitely help them to gain the necessary competitive toughness

The latest results for Paulo Pereira’s team are impressive, however. The Portuguese have won six of their last seven international matches. However, most of their opponents were not top shelf. You have to win against Luxembourg, Turkey and Tunisia if you want to progress to the main round of the European Championship.

There were also some personnel decisions to make for the Portuguese side. Fabio Silva and Miguel Espinha Ferreira were left out of the final European Championship squad. Rui Silva will probably not be able to play in either match against the DHB team as he will become a father at the beginning of the year. However, the absence of these three athletes in the duel between Germany and Portugal will have no influence on our prediction.

The Portugal squad:

• Goal: Rema Marques, Capdeville
• Back line: Cavalcanti, Duarte, Vieira, Salvador, Costa, Nazare, Costa, Martins
• Left wing: Fernandes, Oliveira
• Right wing: Areia, Portela
• Circle: Salina, Frade, Brandao
• Coach: Pereira

Germany – Portugal head-to-head / H2H record

International matches between Germany and Portugal have a tradition of more than 50 years. The two teams have faced each other in a total of 17 matches to date. There has never been a draw between the two teams. The direct comparison favors the German team with 14:3 victories. However, the last two games in November 2021 have shown that the Portuguese are not far away on a good day.

First, Germany prevailed 30:28, but two days later the Portuguese returned the favor with a 32:30 victory in Düsseldorf. However, the DHB team also had a total of seven newcomers in this international match. The defeat in the second international match after the Olympic Games in Tokyo must therefore be seen as part of a realignment of the German team

Germany – Portugal betting tip

The main aim for Germany in the next two test matches against Portugal is to create a certain amount of anticipation for the European Championship. In addition, all the players want to recommend themselves so that they can get as much playing time as possible at the European Championship opener in front of 50,000 spectators in Düsseldorf. In the last three international matches, they have looked very respectable against Spain and twice against Egypt.

However, the Portuguese are also in good form and have won six of their last seven international matches. The Iberians also showed after the Olympic Games that they can be a threat to the German team when they won their last head-to-head match.

However, we do not expect this to be particularly high. The reason for this is that Alfred Gislason’s squad is not yet well-rehearsed and needs these two test matches in order to be able to rely on automatisms at the European Championship. However, it should still be enough for a win, which is why we have decided to play the betting odds on a handicap win (2.5) for the German men between Germany and Portugal