Neighborly duel with a lot of prestige

The show is over, at least as far as the important decisions in this main round Group II are concerned. The two semi-finalists have been decided. There won’t even be any major shifts in the rankings. However, our Norway vs Sweden betting tip makes it more than clear that not all remaining matches are without significance

The only thing left to decide in this pool is whether Slovenia or Portugal will travel to Cologne to play for fifth place. Denmark wins the group, Sweden is second. Both will therefore advance to the semi-finals and fight for the medals in the Final Four. Norway will finish fifth in this group, with the Dutch at the bottom of the rankings. So there are no longer many unanswered questions.

And yet the two opponents will be going all out once again in the Scandinavian neighborhood duel. For the Moose, the aim is to say a proper farewell to a disappointing European Championship 2024, while this clash will be a real endurance test for the Swedes ahead of the semi-final against Olympic champions France

The odds at our tested betting provider Betano make it clear that the reigning European champions are relatively clear favorites in this derby. We take the same line. We think that there is currently no way around predicting a Swedish victory between Norway and Sweden. It’s a shame that the two Scandinavian neighbors are no longer competing for a place in the semi-finals on this final group matchday

Norway – statistics & current form

The Norwegians are perhaps the disappointment of this European Handball Championship, alongside the Spaniards of course, who were eliminated early. Jonas Wille’s team actually has the personnel to fight it out with their Scandinavian colleagues from Denmark and Sweden for a place in the semi-finals. However, it was clear early on that the Moose had dropped too many unnecessary points

Negative record of the Norwegians at the European Championship

The Norwegians were not really convincing in almost any game. They only won two out of six games at these championships. There was the opening win against Poland, who are currently uncompetitive, and a success against the Netherlands, who had little to play for in terms of personnel and physical strength after numerous injuries

But there was an embarrassing draw against the Faroe Islands and unexpected defeats against Slovenia and Portugal. With a performance like that, they really don’t deserve to be playing for medals. The Moose will play their last game on Tuesday and then travel back to their clubs. However, we would also tend to ignore the odds on a Norwegian success in the Scandinavian derby between Norway and Sweden.

On Sunday, Jonas Wille’s team had no chance against world champions Denmark. The game was already over at 5:13. The Danes then took things noticeably easier and spared the Norwegians a very clear defeat. In the end, the 23:29 defeat was still in line with what could have been expected.

Predicted Norway line-up:

• Goal: Saeveras, Bergerud
• Back line: Överjordet, Gröndahl, O’Sullivan, Sagosen. Thorsteinsen Toft, Johannessen, Lyse, Reinkind, Röd
• Left wing: Barthold, Blonz
• Right wing: Björnsen, Gulliksen
• Circle: Jakobsen, Överby, Gullerud
• Coach: Wille

Sweden – Statistics & current form

The Swedes still have a lot to play for at this European Championship. Of course, defending their title is the primary goal. But if that doesn’t work out, they should at least qualify directly for the Olympic Games. The Scandinavians would already be a certainty in an Olympic qualifying tournament, but the best team at this European Championship, with the exception of the qualified teams from Denmark and France, can save themselves the hardship of another qualification.

Convincing Swedes go for derby win

It’s actually quite pleasing that second place in this main round group has already been decided. Glenn Solberg’s team could actually save some energy on the final matchday if it wasn’t for the derby against Norway. The Swedes are desperate to win this one and the Norwegian coach will also be doing everything he can to secure two points against his home country

The Swedes have certainly impressed at the European Championships. Alongside Denmark and France, the defending champions were among the big favorites for the medals and the European champions lived up to their billing. The Swedes won five of their six European Championship matches. In total, they have won eight of their last nine international matches. Only against world champions Denmark did they lose 27:28 in Hamburg.

However, Glenn Solberg’s team had already shaken off this narrow defeat two days later against the Portuguese. It was a final match for a place in the semi-finals. It was correspondingly close, at least in the first half. In the second half, however, the Swedes showed all their quality and won by a clear 40:33 in the end. If the European champions perform in the same way on Tuesday, we cannot avoid predicting a Swedish victory between Norway and Sweden.

Predicted line-up of Sweden:

• Goal: Palicka, Thulin, Möller
• Back line: Claar, Gottfridsson, Edvardsson, Carlsbogard, Johansson, Wallinius, Lagergren, Sandell
• Left wing: Wanne, Pellas
• Right winger: Pettersson, Karlsson
• Circle: Darj, Bergendahl, Nilsson
• Coach: Solberg

Norway – Sweden head-to-head / H2H result

Norway vs Sweden is a classic in any sport. The rivalry between the two nations is not only extremely strong in winter sports. The direct duels also have a very long tradition in handball. Since the 1999 World Championship, these two teams have faced each other a total of 20 times in a handball match. In the direct comparison, the Moose are ahead with 11:8 wins and one draw.

Of the last eight duels, the Swedes have only won one. However, this victory came in the last match between the two neighbors. At Euro 2022, this pairing was also on the program on the last matchday of the main round. At the time, it was a direct duel for a place in the semi-finals. At 24:23, the Swedes had the better end on their side and became European champions shortly afterwards.

Norway – Sweden betting tip

The Norwegians will give their neighbors nothing on Tuesday. The rivalry between these two nations is too great. But if we’re honest, the Norwegians haven’t really impressed throughout the tournament. It’s not for nothing that they will finish this European Championship in ninth or tenth place and that is a clear indication that Jonas Wille’s team has disappointed.

It’s a completely different story for the Swedes. After five wins in six games at this European Championship, their mission to defend their title is still in full swing. The derby has no significance for this goal, but of course the European champions want to get the win so that they can travel to the semi-finals in Cologne with a good feeling. We think that the betting tip between Norway and Sweden should certainly go in favor of the defending champions

We also expect a lot of goals to be scored. Both teams have a powerful back line and strong wingers. More than 58.5 goals should therefore certainly be scored. We have combined our assessment of this match and have therefore decided to play the odds on a Swedish victory between Norway and Sweden with a total of more than 58.5 goals