All times are Egypt Local (CET is 1 hr behind; US ET is 7 hrs behind)
Odds courtesy of Bet MGM
If you want to watch the matches that aren’t available on ESPN+ check this article for how to watch geo-blocked matches on YouTube: Link
Main Round Group III
- 1630 Algeria vs Switzerland (-5.5) (YouTube)
- 1900 Iceland vs Norway (-6.5) (YouTube)
- 2130 Portugal (-1.5) vs France (YouTube)
The final match day has France, Norway and Portugal battling for 2 quarterfinal slots. Here are the 9 scenarios based on the possible results from the two matches that matter:
The chart depicts the final standings for the group based on the amount of points each team will have accumulated with 2 points for each win, 1 point for each draw and 0 points for a loss. Green indicates a team will qualify for the Quarterfinals, and red indicates the team will finish in 3rd or 4th place.
With the exception of one scenario (explained here) here’s what each team needs to do on Monday to qualify for the Quarterfinals.
- France: Win, draw and or lose by 6 goals or less vs Portugal
- Portugal: Win vs France or if Norway loses to Iceland, a draw will suffice
- Norway: Has multiple scenarios, but all of them involve finishing better or tied with Portugal on points. In most cases this simply means France beating Portugal. Yes, even if Norway loses to Iceland, France can still bail them out by beating Portugal
One dubious possibility that’s been talked about a bit is France being comfortable with a loss vs Portugal and slipping into 2nd place. Doing so wouldn’t have much impact on who they would play in the QF. They will play either Hungary or Spain, but that bracket would avoid a possible SF vs Denmark. That seems a little far fetched to me based on the revenge factor they have with a Portugal team that eliminated them from the European Championships last year.
Main Round Group IV
- 1630 Belarus (-6.5) vs N Macedonia (YouTube)
- 1900 Slovenia vs Egypt (-1.5) (on ESPN+) (YouTube) w/English commentary
- 2130 Sweden (-1.5) vs Russia (-1.5) (on ESPN+) (YouTube) w/English commentary
The final match day will see N Macedonia and Belarus play for 5th place and then the next two matches will decide who goes to the quarterfinals. Here are the 9 scenarios based on the possible results from those two matches:
The chart depicts the final standings for the group based on the amount of points each team will have accumulated with 2 points for each win, 1 point for each draw and 0 points for a loss. Green indicates a team will qualify for the Quarterfinals, and red indicates the team will finish in 3rd or 4th place.
What Each Team Needs to do to Qualify for the Quarterfinals
Sometimes what looks like it will be a jumbled mess turns out to be pretty simple. That’s certainly the case with Group IV and here’s what each team needs to do on Sunday to qualify for the Quarterfinals.
- Egypt: Win or draw vs Slovenia
- Slovenia: Win vs Egypt
- Sweden: Win or draw vs Russia
- Russia: Win vs Sweden
For more information on all the scenarios check out this summary: Link
President’s Cup Group II
Not whole lot to say here about the President’s cup other than you could probably replace Austria with the U.S. and contemplate how the U.S. might have fared vs Morocco, Chile and S Korea.
Betting Predictions
For this tournament we’ve doing some betting predictions using an imaginary starting bankroll of a 1,000 Euros. Joining me will be, Sharp Action, a former professional handball player from France.
Odds are either from the Bet MGM or the Bet Rivers online sportsbooks.
John’s Pick(s):
- Bankroll: $733 (Current Bankroll)
- Yesterday’s Result: N/A (No bets placed yesterday)
- Today’s Pick: France vs Portugal
- France to win (+165 or 2.65); Bet $100 to win $165
- I love Portugal and how they have burst onto the scene in the last 2 years. They’ve got a great team and two backcourt players in Martens and Gomes that are fun to watch. Last year it was incredible how they sent France home early in the Preliminary Round of the European Championship. And, they’ve since proven that it was no fluke. In fact, I would say that Portugal is just as good as France is now… Which is why I really like getting +165 on a 50-50 proposition. Yes, France is inconsistent. Yes, France doesn’t have to win this game like Portugal has to. But, they are still a very talented side. Player for player still better than Portugal. And, do you think France doesn’t remember getting sent home early last year? No way, no how. France is going to play extra hard to win this one.
Sharp Action’s Pick(s):
- Bankroll: $1,139.50 (Yesterday Start) + $111.50 (Yesterday’s win) = $1,251 (Current Bankroll)
- Yesterday’s Results:
- Qatar vs Bahrain; Youssef Ben Ali, Over 3.5 goals, (+3.5) (-118 or 1.85); Bet $100 to win $84; RESULT: Benali had one goal in limited action; Lose $100
- Qatar vs Bahrain; Qatar (-4.5) (-118 or 1.85); Bet $50 to win $42.50; RESULT: Qatar 28, Bahrain 23; Win $42.50
- Today’s Pick #3: Argentina vs Croatia Argentina (+2.5) Halftime (-115 or 1.87); Bet $100 to win $87; Result: HT Score Argentina 12, Croatia 12; Win $87
- Argentina (+4.5) Fulltime (-122 or 1.82); Bet $100 to win $82; Result: FT Score Argentina 23, Croatia 19; Win $82
- Today’s Picks:
- Pick #1: Egypt vs Slovenia; Egypt to win (-137 or 1.73); Bet $200 to win $146
- I was leaning towards Egypt all along, but when stomach flu reports came out on Gajic, Skube, Blagotinsek andMakovcek this became a major play opportunity.
- Pick #2: Hugo DESCAT over 2.5 goals (+120 or 2.20); Bet $100 to win $120
- I think Hugo DESCAT will have more minutes today and if he does he will have many opportunities to score in the game and on penalty shots where he’s very efficient.
- Pick #3: Ludovic FABREGAS over 2.5 goals (-155 or 1.65); Bet $100 to win $65
- Ludo FABREGAS is a monster of a pivot and France has a very pivot orientated game. When the backcourt shot opportunities aren’t happening, Ludo is the 2nd option.
- Pick #1: Egypt vs Slovenia; Egypt to win (-137 or 1.73); Bet $200 to win $146