Next tour de force for the DHB men?
From now on, at the latest, the European Handball Championship in Hungary and Slovakia will be in full swing. The two hosts have already fallen by the wayside in the preliminary round, but the German team is giving us a lot of pleasure so far. Hopefully it will stay that way in the main round, where Alfred Gislason’s team will face the defending champions from Spain on Thursday.
The main round will be played in two groups of six. The first two teams in each pool will punch their ticket towards the semifinals. Germany and Spain each took two points from the preliminary round and should be well on their way to the medal round. However, the German handball team will have to face Sweden, Norway, Russia and Spain in the main round.
In addition, the German men are extremely shaken by infected players. However, this circumstance seems to have strengthened the team’s will and fostered cohesion to an extreme degree.
The European champions are still one of the big favourites for the European Championship title. However, if the German team can build on their performance from the last match against Poland, then perhaps a small surprise is possible. Therefore, you might want to think about betting on a point win for the DHB men in the match between Germany and Spain.
Germany – Statistics & current form
There can be no talk of a working bubble at the European Handball Championship. Germany now has nine absentees after positive tests. Even Silvio Heinevetter, who was supposed to be nominated as a goalkeeper, has been affected at home. In the group final against Poland, Johannes Bitter was the only goalkeeper available.
Energy performance of the German men
But these are exactly the moments that shape a team. After the two top scorers Timo Kastening and Kai Häfner dropped out, other players stepped into the breach. Julian Köster and Christoph Steinhart in particular have performed outstandingly. With the new additions of Paul Drux, Fabian Wiede, Johannes Bitter, Rune Dahmke and now Patrick Zieker and Daniel Rebmann, there should at least be some alternatives available.
Everybody expected Germany to be defeated by the Poles, but it turned out differently. Alfred Gislason’s team showed a concentrated performance right from the start. In the end, Germany won 30:23, a victory they had never expected. The DHB men not only won the group, but also took two points into the main round.
The German camp can continue to dream of the semifinals. After all, they have now won five matches in a row. But the preparation for the Spain match has been disrupted again. Alfred Gislason leaves it open whether he should ask his team to train at all. Probably that’s why the odds on a win for the European champions should be the better choice between Germany and Spain.
UPDATE: Meanwhile, three more players, Sebastian Heymann, Christoph Steinhart and Djibril M’Bengue, have tested positive and been isolated from the rest of the squad.
The squad of Germany:
Goal: Wolff, Birlehm, Klimpke, Bitter, Rebmann
Back: Köster, Weber, Ernst, Witzke, Heymann, Kühn, M’Bengue, Häfner, Steinert, Drux, Wiede
Left wing: Schiller, Mertens, Dahmke
Right wing: Zerbe, Kastening, Zieker
Circle: Golla, Wienczek, Kohlbacher
Coach: Gislason
Last matches of Germany:
European Championships Preliminary Round Grp. D
01/18 2022 – Poland 23 – 30 Germany
01/16 2022 – Germany 34 – 29 Austria
01/14 2022 – Germany 33 – 29 Belarus
Friendlies
01/09 2022 – Germany 35 – 34 France
01/07 2022 – Germany 30 – 26 Switzerland
Spain – Statistics & current form
The Spaniards are the big surprise package of this tournament. Without the veteran internationals around Raul Entrerrios, Daniel Sarmiento or Julen Aguinagalde, coach Jordi Ribera is in the process of forming a new team. It must also be said, however, that the Iberians still have numerous top international stars in their ranks.
Winning streak of the European champions
In addition, the Spaniards always seem to be ready for anything at the European Championships. It is quite conceivable that the Iberians will win the third European Championship title in a row. Even the absence of the two injured Dujshebaev brothers didn’t make that much of a difference in the group stage, but even the Spaniards know that the tough matches are just around the corner.
In the preliminary round, the most important victory was against the runners-up from Sweden. The two victories against the Czech Republic and Bosnia-Herzegovina did not always look confident, but the Spaniards did not do more than was necessary. Mainly because of the performance in the Sweden game, the prediction between Germany and Spain is for another Spanish success.
The European champions last lost a match at the Tokyo Olympics. Since then, there have even been eight victories in a row. Whenever it comes down to it, the Spaniards know how to step up.
The Spain squad:
Goal: Perez de Vargas, Corrales, Hernandez
Back: Casado, Tarrafeta, Canellas, Garcia, Marquez, Gurbindo, Maqueda
Left wing: Fernandez, Arino, Sanchez-Migallon
Right wing: Sole, Gomez, Odriozola
Circle: Pecina, Figueras, Guardiola
Coach Ribera
Last matches of Spain:
European Championships Preliminary Round Grp. E
01/17 2022 – Bosnia and Herzegovina 24 – 28 Spain
01/15 2022 – Spain 32 – 28 Sweden
01/13 2022 – Spain 28 – 26 Czech Republic
Friendlies
01/08 2022 – Poland 25 – 26 Spain
01/06 2022 – Spain 36 – 22 Iran
Germany – Spain Direct comparison / H2H balance
Of the nations that currently field current handball teams, Germany has a negative international match record against only two countries. Besides the Swedes, these are the Spaniards. There have been a total of 69 duels between the two opponents. In the direct comparison, the Iberians are ahead with 37:27 victories. Five times there was a draw.
The two old rivals have played great matches. The 2016 European Championship final is unforgettable, when Germany beat the favoured Spaniards 24:17 in the final in Krakow. The last encounter was in the preliminary round of the Olympic Games in Tokyo. This time the Iberians had the better end on their side again and won narrowly 28:27.
Germany – Spain Tip
The big question will be whether Germany will be able to produce an energetic performance on Thursday and challenge the European champions. So far, one can be completely satisfied with the performances of the German men, but circumstances suggest that it will be extremely difficult against the Iberians.
Although Germany has won five international matches in a row, the Spaniards are also on eight wins in a row. While Germany has numerous absentees, Spain’s coach Jordi Ribera can still rely on his full squad. This is one of the reasons why we are still inclined to bet on a victory for the Iberians in the match between Germany and Spain.
Under the current circumstances, the German team has played some outstanding matches, but Spain is not Belarus, Austria or Poland. We think it might be a close one, but we have decided to play the odds on a handicap win (-1.5) for the defending champions between Germany and Spain.
