The 2020 Women’s European Handball Championships continues with 2 matches from Main Round Group II. Here are the standings, video links, odds and some preview articles that were written before these matches were played.
Saturday, 12 December All Times Local (CET) / US ET is -6 hrs) Odds courtesy of BetMGM
Main Round Group II (Kolding, Denmark)
Main Round Group II Standings (Prior to Matches on 12 Dec)
Hungary and Germany play their first Main Round match. Germany starts with 2 points and if they win out they can qualify for the semifinals. Hungary starts with no points and they will need some help in order to qualify. The second match features unbeaten sides, but there’s no doubt which team is considered the pretender and which one is the contender. Norway is a 9.5 goal favorite over Croatia. Main Round Group II Daily Preview at the Euro 2020 official site: Link
16:00 Hungary (-1.5) vs Germany (Live on ehfTV) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Clayton Lucas)
18:15 Croatia vs Norway (-9.5) (Live on ehfTV) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Clayton Lucas)
The 2020 Women’s European Handball Championships continues with 2 main round matches from Group I. Here are the video links, odds and some preview articles that were written before these matches were played.
Friday, 11 December All Times Local (CET) / US ET is -6 hrs) Odds courtesy of BetMGM
Main Round Group I (Herning, Denmark)
Main Round Group I Standings (Prior to Matches on 11 Dec)
Russia and France both hung on for victories yesterday and are tied at the top of the table. A win for either side doesn’t quite guarantee a semifinal, but it practically does. Denmark and Sweden play the nightcap and the winner there will keep their hopes for a semifinal berth alive. Main Round Group I Daily Preview at the Euro 2020 official site: Link
18:15 France (-1.5) vs Russia (Live on ehfTV and beIN Sports Xtra: How to watch Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Paul Bray)
20:30 Denmark (-1.5) vs Swedem (Live on ehfTV and beIN Sports Xtra: How to watch Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Paul Bray)
The Hueter brothers (Patrick and Ian) can be seen in action on Friday with their club Dormagen
Yes, the Women’s European Championship continues this weekend, but at the same time, there’s still plenty of Men’s pro club action. Odds courtesy of Bet MGM.
American Athletes in Action
Germany HBL 2: TSV Bayer Dormagen (pick em) vs Hamm-Westfalen (Friday, 1930 CET): Link (VPN required)
Ian and Patrick Hueter play for Dormagen. Dormagen had a disappointing lost last week and 2 points would put them level with Hamm.
You also might want to check out this video feature on the Hueter Brothers: Link (in German)
Hungary K&H League: HE-DO B. Braun Gyöngyös – Sport36-Komló 2020 (Saturday, 1800 CET): Link
Pal Merkovski plays in the #2 GK for Gyongyos.
France Pro Ligue: Sarrebourg (-1.5) vs Angers (Saturday, 1800 CET): Link Abou Fofana plays for Angers. If this was a U.S. league this battle between the last 2 teams in the standings would be meaningless. But, with a
Spain Liga Asobal: Leon (-2.5) vs Valladolid (Saturday, 1825 CET): Link
Circle Runner, Drew Donlin plays for Leon. Should be a good battle between 5th place Leon and 8th place Valladolid. Both clubs typically have aspirations for a European competition slot.
Other Matches this Weekend
EHF European Competitions: ehfTV
With the exception of some makeup games the European competitions will be off now until February. You might want to check out the Match of the week played earlier this week: Elverum vs Flensburg (English commentary)
Can surprise team, Croatia, get a little respect in the main round?
The 2020 Women’s European Handball Championships shifts to the main round with 2 matches each from Main Round Groups I and II. Here are the video links, odds and some preview articles that were written before these matches were played.
Thursday, 10 December All Times Local (CET) / US ET is -6 hrs) Odds courtesy of BetMGM
Main Round Group I (Herning, Denmark)
Main Round Group I Standings (Prior to Matches on 10 Dec)
Russia and France carried the maximum 4 points with them from the preliminary groups and with victories today they will be one step closer to qualifying for the semifinals. Main Round Group I Daily Preview at the Euro 2020 official site: Link
18:15 Montenegro vs Russia (-5.5) (Live on ehfTV and beIN Sports Xtra: How to watch Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Paul Bray)
20:30 France (-3.5) vs Spain (Live on ehfTV and beIN Sports Xtra: How to watch Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Paul Bray)
Main Round Group II (Kolding, Denmark)
Main Round Group II Standings (Prior to Matches on 10 Dec)
Norway will take on a Netherlands side that almost didn’t make it to the Main Round. Surprising Croatia will take on Romania. And, here’s a fun fact for you: Undefeated Croatia has yet to be favored in a match at the European Championships. As Rodney Dangerfield used to say, “I can’t get no respect.” For more on Croatia check out this podcast interview with Larissa Kalaus and Dora Krsnik: Link Main Round Group II Daily Preview at the Euro 2020 official site: Link
18:15 Croatia vs Romania (-1.5) (Live on ehfTV) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Clayton Lucas)
20:30 Netherlands vs Norway (-6.5) (Live on ehfTV) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Clayton Lucas)
The 2020 Women’s European Handball Championships continue with the final preliminary matches in Groups A and C. Here are the video links, odds, standings, scenarios for advancing and some preview articles that were written before these matches were played.
Tuesday, 8 December All Times Local (CET) / US ET is -6 hrs) Odds courtesy of BetMGM
Group A (Herning, Denmark)
Group A (Standings Prior to Match Day 3)
Group A is real simple. Denmark and France will play for 2 points in the Main Round, while Montenegro and Slovenia will play to see who takes third and advances. Group A Daily Preview at the Euro 2020 official site: Link
18:15 Montenegro (-1.5) vs Slovenia (Live on ehfTV) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Paul Bray)
20:30 France (-1.5) vs Denmark (Live on ehfTV and beIN Sports Xtra: How to watch Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Paul Bray)
Group C (Kolding, Denmark)
Group C (Standings Prior to Match Day 3)
Going into the tournament Croatia was a 50-1 underdog to win Group C. That bet is looking pretty good right now and their surprise showing is the talk of the tournament. Check out this podcast for more on Croatia and how they have pulled this off so far: Link Meanwhile, the current World Champions could get bounced out of the tournament if they don’t beat Hungary today. Group C Daily Preview at the Euro 2020 official site: Link
18:15 Serbia (-1.5) vs Croatia (Live on ehfTV and beIN Sports Xtra: How to watch Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Clayton Lucas)
20:30 Netherlands (-1.5) vs Hungary (Live on ehfTV and beIN Sports Xtra: How to watch Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Clayton Lucas)
Here are the 9 possible outcomes for the 2 matches today.
Group C Scenarios
Here is what each nation needs to do to advance to the main round:
Croatia: Already qualified, but they will still want to take 2 more points into the Main Round.
Serbia: If Serbia wins or draws vs Croatia they will qualify for the Main Round. If they lose to Croatia they can still qualify if the Netherlands does not win their match vs Hungary
Hungary: If Croatia beats Serbia in the first match, Hungary qualifies for the Main Round. If, however, Serbia beats Croatia or the match is a draw, Hungary will need a win or a draw in their match vs the Netherlands.
Netherlands: For the Netherlands it’s quite simple: Beat Hungary and they will qualify regardless of the outcome of the first match.
A side note on a mathematical possibility*
You might have noticed in the chart that if Croatia beats Serbia and the Netherlands beats Hungary there is actually a 3 way tie between Hungary, Serbia in the Netherlands. However, thanks to Hungary’s 38-26 win over Serbia, Serbia would need need the Netherlands to beat Hungary by 20 goals to turn the tide on the 3 way Goal Differential tiebreaker. That may be a mathematical possibility, but, it’s just not going to happen. See below:
The 2020 EHF Women’s Handball European Championships is in full swing, but there’s still plenty of Men’s club action to watch this week as well. Here’s a summary of the next 3 days.
Last Tuesday these two teams played to a draw in Austria. Leon will look to get 2 points at home in Spain Side note: Several players on the Fivers side will likely be part of the Austrian national team side that will the U.S. on 14 January at the World Championship
Tatran Presov vs IFK Kristianstad (-1.5) (Tuesday, 2045 CET): Link
Six matches on tap this week. Veszprem vs Kiel is the big match on Wednesday. If Kiel is going to make a run for a round of 16 bye they need to start that run with a victory here. On Thursday Paris S-G is pretty much in the same situation. They are a disappointing 3-0-3 in Group Play and a victory vs Group leaders Kielce could jump start a return to the top. No spoiler preview: Link
Szeged (-3.5) vs Meshkov Brest Brest (Wednesday, 1845 CET)
Nantes (-4.5) vs Motor Zaporozhye Wednesday, 2045 CET)
Elverum vs Flensburg (-3.5) (Thursday, 1845 CET) <<English Commentary>>
Liga Asobal
Liga Asobal: Nava vs Aranda (-4.5) (Wednesday, 2000): Video Link
Lidl Starligue
Creteil vs Chambery (-1.5) (Tuesday, 1900 CET) Link
In order to reach the Main Round Poland needs to win by 4 goals vs Germany
The 2020 Women’s European Handball Championships continue with the final preliminary matches in Groups B and D. Here are the video links, odds, standings, scenarios for advancing and some preview articles that were written before these matches were played.
Monday, 7 December All Times Local (CET) / US ET is -6 hrs) Odds courtesy of BetMGM
Group B (Herning, Denmark)
Group B (Standings Prior to Match Day 3)
Everything is pretty straightforward in Group B. Spain and the Czech Republic will play first to determine who will be the 3rd qualifier from the group. The Czech Republic needs to win while Spain will go through with a win or a draw. Russia and Sweden have already qualified, but their match will result will carry through to the Main Round standings. Group B Daily Preview at the Euro 2020 official site: Link
18:15 Spain (-3.5) vs Czech Republic (Live on ehfTV) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Paul Bray)
20:30 Russia (-3.5) vs Sweden (Live on ehfTV) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Paul Bray)
Group D (Kolding, Denmark)
Group D (Standings Prior to Match Day 3)
Norway and Romania have both qualified for the Main Round and they will play a match that will carry through in the standings. Norway steamrolled over Poland and Germany by 13 and 19 goals respectively, so they are huge favorites to get another 2 points. Assuming Romania loses to Norway, Poland has a chance to qualify by beating Germany and creating a 3 way tie with (GER-ROM-POL) all level on 2 points. The tiebreaker for 3 way ties is Goal Differential among their common games and the table below shows why Poland needs to win by 4 to qualify. Germany qualifies with a win, draw or loss by 1-3 goals.
Tiebreaker Scenarios if Germany, Romania and Poland are level on points
Group D Daily Preview at the Euro 2020 official site: Link
18:15 Germany (-4.5) vs Poland (Live on ehfTV and beIN Sports Xtra: How to watch Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Clayton Lucas)
20:30 Romania vs Norway (-10.5) (Live on ehfTV and beIN Sports Xtra: How to watch Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Clayton Lucas)
The 2020 Women’s European Handball Championships continues today with 2 matches each from Groups A and C. Here are the video links, odds and some preview articles that were written before these matches were played.
Note for U.S. fans: Today there are no live matches on beIN Sports Xtra.
Sunday, 6 December All Times Local (CET) / US ET is -6 hrs) Odds courtesy of BetMGM
Group A (Herning, Denmark)
Group favorites France pulled out a win in their first match against Montenegro and a win vs Slovenia will set up a showdown vs Denmark on Tuesday. Hosts Denmark will also try to stay undefeated against the same Montenegrin team that gave France trouble. Group A Daily Preview at the Euro 2020 official site: Link
18:15 Slovenia vs France (-5.5) (Live on ehfTV) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Paul Bray)
20:30 Montenegro vs Denmark (-3.5) (Live on ehfTV) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Paul Bray)
Group C (Kolding, Denmark)
Match Day 1’s upsets have mad Group C really, really interesting as the standings are currently upside down with underdogs Serbia and Croatia with 2 points and favorites Netherlands and Hungary trailing. Will order get restored today? If so, the final match day could be real entertaining with every side having a clear chance to advance. Group C Daily Preview at the Euro 2020 official site: Link
16:00 Serbia vs Hungary (-1.5) (Live on ehfTV) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Clayton Lucas)
18:15 Croatia vs Netherlands (-5.5) (Live on ehfTV) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Clayton Lucas)
The 2020 Women’s European Handball Championships continue with match day 2 for Groups B and D, plus a catch up match in Group C between the Netherlands and Serbia. Here are the video links, odds and some preview articles that were written before these matches were played.
Saturday, 5 December All Times Local (CET) / US ET is -6 hrs) Odds courtesy of BetMGM
Group B (Herning, Denmark)
Russia are huge favorites to move to 2-0-0 in the Group while Spain and Sweden will play in a match that could determine 2nd place in the Group and who will take points into the main round. Group B Daily Preview at the Euro 2020 official site: Link
18:15 Czech Republic vs Russia (-8.5) (Live on ehfTV ) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Paul Bray)
20:30 Spain (-1.5) vs Sweden (Live on ehfTV and beIN Sports Xtra: How to watch Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Paul Bray)
Group D (Kolding, Denmark)
Poland and Romania clash in a match that’s likely to determine 3rd place in the group while Germany takes on Norway in a battle of unbeatens Group D Daily Preview at the Euro 2020 official site: Link
16:00 Poland vs Romania (-3.5) (Live on ehfTV) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Clayton Lucas)
18:15 Germany vs Norway (-6.5) (Live on ehfTV) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Clayton Lucas)
Group C (Kolding, Denmark)
For awhile there it looked like Serbia’s two positive COVID tests results might lead to more positives and the team getting sent home. Fortunately, the rest of the team has tested negative twice and the match will go ahead, albeit a day later than planned.
20:30 Netherlands (-3.5) vs Serbia (Live on ehfTV) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Clayton Lucas)
Drew Donlin and Leon will take on the World’s top club, Barcelona at 6:00 AM (US ET). Worth getting up early for on a Saturday morning.
Yes, the Women’s European Championship continues this weekend, but at the same time, there’s still plenty of Men’s pro club action. And, get this Americans will be playing against Barcelona and Veszprem this weekend. I can hardly believe it. Odds courtesy of Bet MGM.
American Athletes in Action
Spain Liga Asobal: Barcelona (-12.5) vs Leon (Saturday, 1200 CET): Link
Circle Runner, Drew Donlin plays for Leon. Leon takes on undefeated and probably the best handball club in the world right now, Barcelona in Barcelona.
Hungary K&H League: Veszprem vs. Gyöngyös (Saturday, 1615 CET): Link (VPN may be required)
Pal Merkovszky is a backup GK for Gyongyos. Wow. Americans taking on 2 of the top clubs in the world on the same day. Who da thunk it.
Germany HBL 2: TuS Fürstenfeldbruck vs. TSV Bayer Dormagen (Saturday, 1930 CET): Link (VPN required)
Ian and Patrick Hueter play for Dormagen. 8th place Dormagen will look to pick up 2 points vs last place TuS Fürstenfeldbruck
Other Matches this Weekend
EHF European Competitions: ehfTV
There are no EHF club matches this weekend, but plenty of Women’s European Championships action. which will start this Thursday, 3 December. However, there are plenty of on demand matches from this past week’s Men’s Champions League. Options include Flensburg v Szeged (English commentary); Veszprem v Kiel; and Aalborg v Barcelona
Title holders France take on Montenegro in Group A action.
The 2020 Women’s European Handball Championships starts today with 2 matches each from Groups B and D. Here are the video links, odds and some preview articles that were written before these matches were played.
Note: While all the matches are on ehfTV you might want to consider watching the beIN Sports Xtra feed as well. beIN Sports Xtra is free and my experience is that the picture quality is better and more reliable. It also makes watching 2 matches at the same time easier. How to watch beIN Sports Xtra: Link
Friday, 4 December All Times Local (CET) / US ET is -6 hrs) Odds courtesy of BetMGM
Group A (Herning, Denmark)
18:15 France (-5.5) vs Montenegro (Live on ehfTV and beIN Sports Xtra: How to watch) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Paul Bray)
20:30 Denmark (-4.5) vs Slovenia (Live on ehfTV) (beIN Sports Xtra may pick up this match as well since the Netherlands – Serbia match was postponed) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Paul Bray)
Group A Daily Preview at the Euro 2020 official site: Link
Group C (Kolding, Denmark)
18:15 Hungary (-5.5) vs Croatia (Live on ehfTV) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Clayton Lucas)
20:30 Netherlands vs Serbia (Postponed to Saturday; A player for Serbia tested positive on Thursday (the rest of the team tested negative and will be tested today and Saturday prior to the match) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Clayton Lucas)
Group C Daily Preview at the Euro 2020 official site: Link
Spain was the big surprise team last December at the World Championship. Can they do it again? They take on a Russian team missing some star power in the match of the day.
The 2020 Women’s European Handball Championships starts today with 2 matches each from Groups B and D. Here are the video links, odds and some preview articles that were written before these matches were played.
Thursday, 3 December All Times Local (CET) / US ET is -6 hrs) Odds courtesy of BetMGM
Group B (Herning, Denmark)
18:15 Russia (-1.5) vs Spain (Live on ehfTV and beIN Sports Xtra: How to watch) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Paul Bray)
20:30 Sweden (-5.5) vs Czech Republic (Live on ehfTV) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Paul Bray)
Group B Daily Preview at the Euro 2020 official site: Link
Group D (Kolding, Denmark)
18:00 Romania vs Germany (-2.5) (Live on ehfTV) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Clayton Lucas)
20:30 Norway (-11.5) vs Poland (Live on ehfTV and beIN Sports Xtra: How to watch) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Clayton Lucas)
Group D Daily Preview at the Euro 2020 official site: Link
The 2020 EHF Women’s European Handball Championships start Thursday, 3 December. Here’s some info on how to watch, what the odds are, and this time around, just one prediction.
How to Watch
All matches will be available for viewing on efhTV, the European Handball Federation (EHF) online web streaming platform. Availability, however, might be restricted in nations that have a TV network contract. Depending on how each contract is structured some matches on ehfTV might be geo-blocked in some countries. (Note: ehfTV is free of charge, but requires online registration.)
In the U.S. the beIN Sports network has the TV rights and to start the tournament they will be web streaming matches on both their free channel (beIN Sports Xtra) and their pay channels (beIN Sports Connect). As the tournament progresses some matches may be on their traditional cable/satellite channel. The beIN Sports schedule can be seen here: Link
There are multiple ways to watch beIN Sports Xtra including Roku, Xumo, Redbox, Samsung TV Plus, Fanatiz, Pluto TV and “Over the Air” in 15 U.S. markets. More info: Link
How to Watch on Roku
To watch on your Roku, go to your home screen and look for the “Roku Channel” icon. It’s a streaming channel just like Netflix or Hulu and should be readily available. (If not, you can add it just like you would any other channel.) Click on the Roku Channel icon and then scroll down until you see “beIN Sports XTRA” icon. Click on it and the channel should start playing. It’s live so, there are commercials just like what you would see on a TV channel.
So, why might you watch beIN Sports XTRA instead of ehfTV?: Well, your experience may vary, but last year my picture was crystal clear HD. Not to mention, no HDMI cable and laptop hook up.
All Matches with English Language Commentary
Paul Bray informs me that he will be providing commentary for Groups A and B in Herning while Clayton Lucas will be in Kolding for Groups C and D. Presumably that will continue for the Main Round and then Bray will likely cover the Finals as well.
Player Interviews: The Uninformed Handball Hour has conducted several interviews leading up to the tournament:
As with other recent tournaments I plan to have a short daily post with the schedule and odds for the matches that day. I will also include some direct links to articles previewing the matches. That way if you don’t have a chance to see the matches live you can always start with the daily preview without finding out the scores by accident. I will also post direct links to the on demand matches that were played that day as soon as they are available (typically a couple of hours after the match is played).
Tourney Format: The European Championships will start with round robin play in 4 groups (A,B,C and D) with 4 teams each. After the preliminary groups the top 3 teams from Groups A and B will form Main Round Group I and the top 2 teams from Groups C and D will form Main Round Group II. Matches with common opponents will carry though to the Main Round. The top two teams from Groups I and II will then qualify for the semifinals.
Overall Odds: The bookmakers have Norway as the clear favorite with France, Russia and the Netherlands projected to join them in the semifinals.
Matches in Herning: Here are the odds for Groups A/B and then for Main Round Group I. Group A is pretty straight forward while Group B is projected to have Sweden, Spain and the Czech Republic battling for the two spots behind Russia.
Matches in Kolding: Here are the odds for Groups C/D and then for Main Round Group II. With Croatia and Poland seen as big longshots to make the Main Round, one might argue that the Main Round starts immediately.
A Prediction
What can we say about this tournament… other than that it should be unpredictable. Why so?
Multiple top players missing due to injury
Very little real preparation for the teams participating
Sporadic individual preparation for players due to club match postponements
Potential for positive tests during the tournament
All of these factors should lead to a very wide open tournament. Why, if there are COVID problems in either the Herning or Kolding bubbles this tournament could get crazily unpredictable. Regardless, I don’t think we’ll get a good idea as to which teams have adjusted to these unique circumstances until a couple of matches have played. I could be wrong, but I think we could be in for some real surprises.
