Portugal’s biggest handball match
You can be excited and fascinated by the 2025 Handball World Cup. We have experienced a few surprises. With Spain, Sweden and defending champion Norway, for example, three hot candidates for a medal had to pack their bags early. The DHB men are still in the running. Our Germany vs. Portugal tip shows that although a very tough opponent is waiting in the quarterfinals, Alfred Gislason’s team has what it takes to make it to the semifinals.
The Portuguese have played an outstanding tournament so far. Alongside world champions Denmark and European champions France, the Iberians are the only team at this World Championship that is still unbeaten. However, it has to be said that Portugal had a much tougher program to complete than the two top favorites. It is fair to say that Paulo Pereira’s team has what it takes to take home a medal.
One advantage of the German selection is definitely that they had a day longer break before the quarter-finals kick off. On the other hand, the team of national coach Alfred Gislason had to travel to Norway, while the Portuguese were already allowed to play in the preliminary round and the main round in the Unity Arena in Oslo and should have been acclimatized for a long time.
The betting providers expect a quarter-final that will be completely even. Before the game between Germany and Portugal kicks off, the odds show that the role of favorites only goes slightly in the direction of the DHB men.
Germany – Statistics & current form
So now it’s full steam ahead. If the German team has been strong at this World Cup, it has been in the crunch time of the individual games. Now it’s crunch time for the entire tournament, and as early as Wednesday it will be decided whether the DHB men can continue to dream of their first World Cup medal since the 2007 World Cup title. After silver at the Olympic Games last summer, this would be another big exclamation mark.
Germany last lost only to the world champion
After world champion Denmark, the Portuguese are probably the toughest opponent the German team has faced in this World Cup so far. However, it is not the case that Germany has nothing to throw into the balance. In the last 15 internationals, the DHB men have won a whopping 13 of them. They only lost twice to world and Olympic champions Denmark.
A big advantage is definitely the depth of the squad. Numerous players have what it takes to be the decisive person on the court. In addition, the German team has one of the best goalkeeper duos at this tournament with Andreas Wolff and David Späth. And yet we would not bet on a German victory between Germany and Portugal.
A lot will depend on how fit Juri Knorr is again after being ill recently. At least the playmaker from the Rhein-Neckar Löwen has already given the green light for the game and has traveled to Oslo. Lukas Stutzke and Rune Dahmke should also be back in the team for the quarter-finals. For Franz Semper, however, the World Championship is already over after just one match due to injury.
Provisional line-up for Germany:
- Goal: Späth, Wolff
- Backcourt: Lichtlein, Witzke, Knorr, Köster, Stutzke, Grgic, Uscins, Michalczik
- Left wing: Dahmke, Mertens
- Right wing: Zerbe, Kastening
- Circle: Golla, Fischer
Portugal – Statistics & current form
Sometimes there is a defining moment that brings a team together. For Portugal, that moment was February 2021, when goalkeeper Alfredo Quintana died of a heart attack at just 32 years old, leaving a mental legacy that is a crucial piece of the puzzle in understanding why the Iberians have taken a giant leap forward and are now making such a big impact at the World Cup.
Portugal with a tight-knit group into the world class
The Portuguese team is a tight-knit group, but that’s not all. Coach Paulo Pereira also has some players in his ranks who already embody world class or are on the right track to get there. First and foremost are probably the Costa brothers Martim and Francisco, who are currently both scoring goals for Sporting Lisbon but should soon find their place in the best teams in the world.
Already, reaching the quarterfinals of the World Cup is the greatest success in the history of handball for the Portuguese and is certainly more valuable than sixth place at the 2020 European Championship. The Iberians are also in outstanding form and have only lost to France in their last twelve games in preparation for the World Cup.
Considering the opponents Paulo Pereira’s team have faced in this World Cup, they deserve great credit. They beat the secret favorites from Norway and Spain, and managed a draw against Sweden. If you don’t lose to these three teams, you don’t have to be afraid of the DHB men either, and somehow it looks to us as if you should take advantage of the odds for a Portuguese victory between Germany and Portugal.
Expected line-up for Portugal:
- Goal: Rema Marques, Capdeville
- Back row: Silva, Sousa, M. Costa, Oliveira, Cavalcanti, Salvador, Magalhaes, F. Costa, Gomes
- Left wing: Fernandes, Branquinho
- Right wing: Portela, Areia
- Circle: Iturriza, Frade, Brandao
Germany – Portugal Head-to-head / H2H record
The first handball international between Germany and Portugal took place in January 1970. At the time, the German men won 36-20. To date, the two teams have faced each other 18 more times. In the direct comparison, the DHB men are clearly ahead with 16-3 wins. It is particularly interesting that there has not yet been a draw, especially before the upcoming quarter-final.
Eleven of the last twelve duels were won by the German team. The last time the Portuguese won was in a friendly in November 2021. The last two encounters were just over a year ago. In preparation for the 2024 European Championship, the two opponents faced each other in two matches in Flensburg and Kiel. Both times, the DHB men won by a narrow margin.
Germany vs. Portugal tip
It is the fourth and final quarter-final at this World Handball Championship. We think it is possible that it will be a cracker. In the run-up to the game, it is fair to assume that it is the encounter that could perhaps be the closest. The quotes for handicaps at our tested betting provider Betano suggest that there will hardly be a landslide victory for either team on Wednesday.
However, we believe that some goals will be scored. Both teams are characterized by the fact that the number of goals is spread across many different players. Even if not all players get into the game as they would like, we would tend to place a bet on more than 60.5 goals in the quarter-final between Germany and Portugal.
With that in mind, there are also some odds to keep an eye on. If we assume that the Portuguese will continue to remain undefeated and combine a victory of the Iberians with more than 60.5 goals, then there are remarkable quotes on this outcome. The bottom line, however, is that we want to reduce the risk a little and have decided to play on the betting odds of a Portuguese victory (1X2) between Germany and Portugal.
