Licking the wounds of the disappointed

In the main round of a European Championship, you meet the best teams in the world. Regardless of the name of the opponent on the day, it takes a focused performance to get a win. Two teams who are certainly only outsiders in the current phase of the European Handball Championship 2024 in Germany are experiencing this first-hand. Our Slovenia vs Netherlands betting tip shows that the train to the semi-finals will probably leave without these two nations

The Slovenians still have a theoretical chance of advancing to the semi-finals. However, this is only possible if they beat the Dutch on Sunday and then go one better and beat the world champions from Denmark. We do not expect the Slovenian team to pull off this feat.

They currently have 2:4 points. However, two more points should at least be possible on Saturday, as Oranje are slowly but surely running on empty. Staffan Olsson’s team currently have 0:6 points. The semi-finals are definitely out of reach. We believe that the first prediction between Slovenia and the Netherlands is that the Dutch will lose

However, there is still a spark of motivation left, because in the last two games it is still important to get past the Portuguese, because that would most likely be at least a ticket to the Olympic qualifying tournaments and that is a goal that must be achieved at all costs. Participation in the Games in Paris would be a first for the Dutch and would put this team in the history books.

Slovenia – statistics & current form

A European Championship is perhaps the most demanding tournament in handball. There are no easy opponents and a tough match every two days. In the main round at the latest, it becomes clear how much substance there is in a team and how broadly the line-up has been put together. And that’s exactly where the Slovenian team’s problems seem to lie at the moment

Preliminary round top, main round so far flop

The preparation was extremely successful for Uros Zorman’s team, which is why they were allowed to go into the tournament with high ambitions. And it worked. In the preliminary round, the Slovenians secured three wins over Poland, the Faroe Islands and Norway. They had two points in their luggage when they went to Hamburg for the main round. In the meantime, however, the many withdrawals due to injury have made themselves felt.

First, they suffered the expected defeat against the European champions Sweden with a six-goal difference. On Friday, however, they had at least expected something against Portugal. However, the Portuguese had more to play for and won 33:30 in the end. Once again, they will have to stretch themselves to see if the semi-finals are still possible

The Slovenians will hardly have to worry about a slot in the pre-Olympic qualifying tournaments. If the direct ticket to the European Championship goes to Sweden, Germany, Norway or Hungary, i.e. if one of these teams is the best team outside Denmark and France, and Egypt become African champions, which is very likely, then Slovenia will still qualify for the Olympics as tenth in the World Cup anyway.

Predicted line-up of Slovenia:

• Goal: Vujovic, Ferlin, Lesjak
• Back line: Zarabec, Ovnicek, Bombac, Vlah, Henigman, Mackovsek, Dolenec, Cehte, Kliun
• Left wing: Jovicic, Mazej, Kodrin
• Right wing: Marguc, Novak
• Circle: Blagotinsek, Horzen, Drobez, Suholeznik
• Coach: Zorman

Netherlands – Statistics & current form

It is said that envy has to be earned and pity is a gift. If we apply that to the Dutch handball team, it’s not quite true. The Dutch also worked hard for pity at the European Championships in Germany and actually more than deserved it. In every game, the team in Oranje pushes itself to its limits and has to put up with one setback after another

Unlucky with injuries

In general, the Dutch don’t have an inexhaustible reservoir of top players In the run-up to the European Championship, several players have already had to cancel their participation. The next setbacks came during the EURO. Thomas Houtepen and Samir Benghanem both tore their cruciate ligaments. At some point, these losses can no longer be compensated for

Many players barely have the chance to rest and catch their breath during matches. Of course there are still Dutch players on the bench, but almost none of them are at the level required for the main round of a World Cup. For this reason, the oddsmakers are rightly predicting a Slovenian victory in the duel between Slovenia and Holland. However, we still have our remaining doubts, because the energy that the Dutch players bring to the pitch is very impressive.

We also believe that Rutger ten Velde will score a lot of goals again this time. The left winger scored eight times against Norway and, with a total of 36 goals, is one of the top scorers at this tournament. Of course, he was not able to prevent the 32:35 defeat. But the energy with which the Dutch are fighting for their Olympic dream, which is now hanging by a very thin thread, is truly remarkable.

Predicted line-up of the Netherlands:

• Goal: Ravensbergen, A. Versteijnen
• Back line: Stavast, Steins, Houtepen, Baijens, Blaauw, Schoenaker, Smits, Sluijters, N. Versteijnen
• Left wing: ten Velde, Geenen
• Right wing: Schagen, Smit
• Circle: Benghanem, Kooij, Claessens
• Coach: Olsson

Slovenia – Netherlands Direct comparison / H2H result

The only encounters between the handball teams from Slovenia and the Netherlands have actually taken place in the last five years. There have been five games in this period, none of which the Dutch have won. Three wins went to the Slovenians and twice the two opponents drew.

This was also the case in the last direct duel. They met in the final group stage of qualifying for the 2022 European Championship. In Slovenia, the two teams drew 27:27, which was enough for both teams to secure a ticket to the finals and finish ahead of Poland and Turkey

Slovenia – Netherlands betting tip

There is certainly not much at stake in this duel. Perhaps it also depends a bit on how you look at it. The Slovenians still have a theoretical chance of reaching the semifinals. After all, they are only two points off second place. However, they will have to get past three teams, some of whom are still on points against each other, while Uros Zorman’s team still have world champions Denmark to face on Tuesday. However, participation in the qualifying tournament for Paris 2024 should be a certainty.

And that is exactly where the Dutch want to go. They will no longer reach the semi-finals at EURO 2024. The last three games were simply not successful enough for that. Keeping up with Sweden, Denmark and Norway for a long time is one thing, scoring points is another. Even if Staffan Olsson’s team is running on empty, we can imagine placing a bet on an Oranje victory between Slovenia and the Netherlands. This would potentially give the Dutch a real final against the Portuguese for the Olympic slot

We have the impression that the Dutch will is still unbroken after the numerous bad news. However, it is clear that Oranje will not get anything for free from the Slovenians either. Nevertheless, we have decided to play the odds on a Dutch victory with a slightly smaller bet between Slovenia and the Netherlands