[b]Last Week[/b]
Brest HC Meshkov vs [i]BM Ciudad Real (-7.5)[/i] Bet 200 on Ciudad Real at 1.85 (27-34) LOSE 200
RK "Bosna" Sarajevo vs [i]MKB Veszprém (-4.5)[/i] Bet 200 on Veszprem at 1.85 (25-31) WIN 170
[i]Chambery Savoie (-6.5)[/i] HB vs Wisla Plock S.A. Bet 100 on Wisla Plock at 1.85 (21-13) LOSE 100
[i]Crvena Zvezda Beograd (+5.5)[/i] vs KIF Kolding Elite A/S Bet 100 on Beograd at 1.85 (30-36) LOSE 100
Gain/Loss: -230 Euros

[b]Season[/b]
200 Euro Bets 2-2; -80
100 Euro Bets 1-3; -230
Current Bankroll: 690 Euros

Miguel had some tough losses last week, particularly Ciudad Real which let a 10 goal halftime lead evaporate into half goal handicap loss. I’m filling in this week, while he licks his wounds.

[b]This Week's Picks[/b]

Yuzhny vs Montpellier
You can call this match my “Ramadan” special. Montpellier now has 4 Arabic players from Tunisia. Wissem Hmam is a tremendous force, but with match time commencing at 17:00 CET, the effects of fasting could have a huge impact on his endurance, particularly in the 2nd half. The same goes for Issam Tej who is a force on defense. Couple this factor with the challenge of traveling to and playing in Ukraine and we could have the makings of an outright upset. Take Yuzhny and the 4.5 goals
[b]BET: 200 Euros on Yuzhny (+4.5 goals at 1.85)[/b]

Chehovskie Medvedi vs. Zagreb
I saw the tape of Chehovskie Medvedi against Flensburg last week and was very impressed with their performance. They were leading at halftime by 4 and if they had been able to finish their wide open shots in the 2nd half they might very well have come away with a difficult road victory in Germany. This match could very well decide who will take 2nd place in the group and they lost by 7 to Zagreb in the first match. Look for them to do everything possible to turn this match into an 8 goal victory. And if they play like they did at Flensburg they will do it.
[b]BET: 200 Euros on Chehovskie Medvedi (-4.5 goals at 1.70)[/b]

Svendborg vs. Constanta
I was not impressed with Constanta’s blow out loss to Kiel last week. Svendborg is a better team and they will pull out all the stops to win by 6 in Denmark and take the lead in head to head aggregate.
[b]BET: 100 Euros on Svendborg (-4.5 goals at 1.90)[/b]

Chambery vs. Belgrade
Will the “hot” or “cold” Chambery team show up to play tonight? My guess is that the cold version will play tonight resulting in another close game with Belgrade.
[b]BET: 100 Euros on Belgrade (+7.5 goals at 1.95)[/b]

Courtesy of NordicBet www.nordicbet.com here are the lines for week 4 of the Champions League. (Please note that some of these lines are preliminary and may not yet be officially posted at the Nordic Bet site)

Key to the betting line: Handicap, 1st Team Win, Draw, 2nd Team Win, 1st Team Handicap Price, 2nd Team Handicap Price
Need Help on Understanding European Betting Lines: Check this tutorial: https://teamhandballnews.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.15

Saturday, 21 October 2006
16:00 – Fram Reykjavik vs Celje 8.5 13.00 18.00 1.03 1.95 1.75
16:15 – Pick Szeged vs Brest 7.5 1.03 18.00 13.00 1.80 1.90
17:00 – Hammarby vs FC Barcelona 4.5 5.05 13.60 1.20 1.90 1.80
17:00 – Chehovskie Medvedi vs RK Zagreb 4.5 1.22 13.00 4.80 1,70 2,00
17:30 – MSK SIRS Povazska vs Veszprém KC 10.5 12.75 18.00 1.03 1.85 1.85
18:00 – Yuzhny vs Montpellier 4.5 5.10 13.50 1.20 1.85 1.85
18:00 – Kadetten Schaffhau… vs BM Ciudad Real 6.5 7.00 15.00 1.12 1.80 1.90
18:30 – Kozina vs Athens 8.5 1.03 18.00 12.90 1.75 1.95
18:55 – Sandefjord vs VfL Gummersbach 7.5 11.00 17.00 1.05 1.95 1.75
19:00 – Chambery vs Belgrade 7.5 1.03 18.00 12.80 1.75 1.95
20:15 – A1 Bregenz vs CBM Valladolid 5.5 5.40 14.00 1.18 1.90 1.80

Sunday, 22 October 2006
10:30 – Karvina vs THW Kiel 9.5 11.0 17.0 1.05 2.0 1.72
16:20 – GOG Svendborg vs Constanta 4.5 1.25 13.0 4.4 1.90 1.80
18:00 – Portland San Antonio vs Sarajevo 12.5 1.01 19.0 18.0 1.80 1.90

Week 3 has concluded and every team has now played everyone else in their group. For the most part, the groups appear to have played out as I predicted in July: https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?extend.121 The big surprises have been Kadetten Schaffhausen and Constanta.

Essentially the 8 groups can be divided into 2 categories

[b]Category 1: The top seed is all but decided; 2 teams are in a dog fight for 2nd place[/b]

5 Groups fall into this Category (Groups B, C, D, E, and G). Here’s some short analysis on each of these Groups

Group B: No need to write with a pencil here- Ciudad Real will win this group and probably with a 6-0 record. The big surprise here though is that Switzerland’s Kadetten Schaffhausen’s is in the driver’s seat to take 2nd place after securing an away draw at Hungary’s Pick Szeged. For Pick to advance they will likely need to Kadetten Schaffhausen in Switzerland.

Group C: Kolding is on track to win the Group and Chambery appears to have turned things around in time to avoid an early exit to their Champions League season. As they have been hot and cold, though, I wouldn’t be surprised for Wisla Plock to beat Chambery when they host them in November. As the Group play tiebrakers are head to head competition and then head to head goal differential 2nd place will likely come down to the Plock-Chambery aggregate, meaning that Plock will need to win by 9. Advantage- Chambery, but not out of the question for Plock

Group D: Flensburg will have two tough matches on the road (Zagreb and Chehovskie Medvedi), but they won’t lose both matches and they should keep a head to head goal differential lead against either team. 2nd place will likely come down to the Medvedi-Zagreb match next week. Zagreb currently has a 7 goal aggregate lead and will seek to maintain it.

Group E: Kiel was this group wrapped up and should finish with a 6-0 record. 4th seeded Constanta surprised 2nd seeded GOG Svendborg, beating them by 5 goals at home and is currently in 2nd place. They will try and keep this aggregate lead when they travel to Denmark this weekend.

Group G: Barcelona is in control. They may have a challenging match on the road at Sweden’s Hammarby, but they will still finish 1st. 2nd place, however, is totally up for grabs as 3 teams are tied at 2 points. Athens surprised Slovenia’s Gold Club Kozina, but I really don’t see Athens having a chance to advance. Still this upset victory over Kozina, helps Hammarby’s cause. Having lost to Kozina at home, Hammarby would normally have to win the return match in Slovenia and beat the 4 goal aggregate. Kozina’s loss to Athens means that Hammarby could only need a draw when they play at Kozina.

[b]Category 2: The Top 2 Seeds Have Been Determined, but Who Will Get the Top Seed[/b]

Groups A, F, and H fall into this category. In the round of 16, being a number 1 seed has two main benefits. The first benefit is getting a match up against a number 2 seed. This doesn’t guarantee an easy pairing in the round of 16, but your odds are certainly better. The second benefit is hosting the return leg of the 2 game contest as it’s always nice to know how much you need to win by in front of your home crowd.

Group A: Portland San Antonio has a 7 goal advantage, but Veszprem hosts the return leg. This is probably enough of an advantage for Portland San Antonio, though.

Group F: Gummersbach won the first leg by 3, but the 2nd match against Celje is in Slovenia. This is a toss-up as far as I’m concerned

Group H: Valladolid beat Montpellier by 9 this past weekend, so you might think that this is a safe lead. Having seen Montpellier rout top teams in Europe at Stade Rene Bougnol, however, I know better. Advantage Valladolid, but anything can happen.

Likely # 1 Seeds
Ciudad Real
Kolding
Flensburg
Kiel
Barcelona

#1 or #2 Seeds
Portland San Antonio or Veszprem
Gummersbach or Celje
Valladolid or Montpellier

#2 Seeds
Kadetten Schaffhause or Pick Szeged
Chambery or Wisla Plock
Zagreb or Chehovskie Medvedi
Constanta or GOG Svendborg
Hammarby or Gold Club Kozina

[b]Last Week[/b]
[i]Barcelona (-7.5)[/i] vs Hammarby Bet 200 at 1.75; (33-28) LOSE 200
Constanta vs [i]GOG Svendborg (+2.5)[/i] Bet 100 at 1.90 (33-28) LOSE 100
[i]Montpellier (-8.5)[/i] vs Yuzhny Bet 100 at 1.70; (26-16); WIN 70
[i]Valladollid (-10.5)[/i] vs A1 Bregenz Bet 200 at 1.75; (35-24); WIN 150
Gain/Loss: -80 Euros

[b]Season[/b]
200 Euro Bets 1-1; -50
100 Euro Bets 1-1; -30
Current Bankroll: 920 Euros

[b]This Week’s Picks[/b]

Brest HC Meshkov vs BM Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real had an easy victory on Wednesday against Torrevieja (32-22). Despite the fact that they have Zorman, Fis, an injured Davis, and Dujshebaev- 38, who is not in the best shape, I don’t think Meshkov has a chance. Even though they play at home, they have lost by 10 against Schaffhausen and by 6 against Pick Szeged, so those are not good background factors when facing the best squad in Europe, as Ciudad Real is.
[b]BET: 200 Euros on Ciudad Real (-7.5 goals at 1.85)[/b]

RK "Bosna" Sarajevo vs MKB Veszprém
Bosna Sarajevo made it difficult for Portland San Antonio last weekend when they reached the halftime ahead by 1. Veszprem is one of the best teams in Europe and with Lazarov scoring 14 goals last weekend, he is probably the best right back at the moment. I don’t think Bosna Sarajevo's performance will mirror last weekend so Veszprem should win by more than 4 goals.
[b]BET: 200 Euros on Veszprem (-4.5 goals at 1.85)[/b]

Chambery Savoie HB vs Wisla Plock S.A.
This is a misleading match; Wisla Plock is not as bad as they seemed in Kolding when they lost 35-18 and Chambery had a bit of luck in Serbia. There is not much difference between both teams and they should fight for second place of the group, making it an interesting game. If the rising star Vuckovic plays as he did in Beograd last weekend, that will be a great step for Chambery. However, I predict a tight game, probably a home victory but not by more than 6 goals.
[b]BET: 100 Euros on Wisla Plock (+6.5 goals at 1.85)[/b]

Crvena Zvezda Beograd vs KIF Kolding Elite A/S
The atmosphere in Beograd is Kolding’s toughest enemy. I believe that Kolding can go far this season in champions league. They probably have their best team ever, however playing in Beograd is never easy. The young "red stars" were so close to defeat Chambery last weekend (26-27, missing 4 7m included) and they know it's their last chance to have a remote possibility of going through to the next round. I think Kolding will win, but that it won’t be that easy. Take Belgrade and the 5.5 goals.
[b]BET: 100 Euros on Crvena Zvezda Beograd (+5.5 at 1.85)[/b]

Courtesy of NordicBet www.nordicbet.com here are the lines for week 3 of the Champions League. (Please note that some of these lines are preliminary and may not yet be officially posted at the Nordic Bet site)

Key to the betting line: Handicap, 1st Team Win, Draw, 2nd Team Win, 1st Team Handicap Price, 2nd Team Handicap Price
Need Help on Understanding European Betting Lines: Check this tutorial: https://teamhandballnews.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.15

Thursday, 12 October 2006
18:45 SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs Chehovskie Medvedi 5.5 1.15 13.5 5.9 1.85 1.85
20:30 VfL Gummersbach vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko 3.5 1.33 12.5 3.6 1.75 1.95

Saturday, 14 October 2006
16:00 Panellinios AC Athens vs FC Barcelona-Cifec 6.5 12.00 17.00 1.05 2.10 1.65
16:15 SC Pick Szeged vs Kadetten Schaffhausen 6.5 1.08 16.00 8.80 1.85 1.85
17:00 Hammarby IF HB vs RK Gold Club Kozina 4.5 1.20 13.50 4.80 1.75 1.95
17:15 RK Metalurg Skopje vs RK Zagreb 3.5 4.40 13.00 1.25 2.00 1.70
18:55 Sandefjord TIF vs Fram Reykjavik 3.5 1.30 12.75 3.75 1.75 1.95
20:00 CBM Valladolid vs Montpellier HB 3.5 1.38 12.25 3.35 1.85 1.85
20:15 A1 Bregenz HB vs HC Portovik Yuzhny 3.5 1.35 12.50 3.40 1.85 1.85
20:15 C.S. HCM Constanta vs THW Kiel 3.5 3.90 13.00 1.30 1.95 1.75

Sunday, 15 October 2006
16:00 Brest HC Meshkov vs BM Ciudad Real 7.5 7.70 15.50 1.10 1.85 1.85
16:15 RK "Bosna" Sarajevo vs MKB Veszprém KC 4.5 4.10 12.75 1.28 1.85 1.85
16:20 GOG Svendborg TGI Gudme vs HC Banik OKD Karvina 4.5 1.18 14.00 5.40 1.75 1.95
17:00 Chambery Savoie HB vs Wisla Plock S.A. 6.5 1.12 15.00 6.40 1.85 1.85
18:00 Portland San Antonio vs MSK SIRS Povazska Bystrica 15.5 1.01 19.00 27.00 1.85 1.85
19:00 Crvena Zvezda Beograd vs KIF Kolding Elite A/S 5.5 5.40 14.00 1.18 1.85 1.85

When Chambery lost at home to Kolding by 6 goals the first weekend I said it would be gut check time. When they then lost a midweek game to Tremblay (11th place last year) in the French League, I figured it was double gut check time. And when they ended the first half at Red Star Belgrade losing 14-9, it looked like their hopes for making the round of 16 was in total jeopardy. Then they woke up and outscored the host Serbs 18-12 in the 2nd half to eke out a 27-26 victory. And I do mean eke out. Their Serbian goalie Nebojsa Stojinovic stopped a penalty shot with 10 seconds left to preserve a one point victory and 2 points in Group C. In all, it was a good day for the Serbs playing for Chambery as their captain Nenad Vuckovic netted 13 of Chambery’s 27 goals. Perhaps being Serbs, they were fully prepared for the hostile atmosphere of playing in Belgrade. The small gym was not a sell-out, but one section of the gym was one of the most vocal and animated crowds I’ve ever observed. They stood the entire match and chanted loudly and gestured throughout. God help a team coming to Belgrade if they could ever get the entire crowd to react like that section.

As a side note, the Chambery-Red Star Belgrade match drew a lot of one sided betting action on Chambery. Many pundits were puzzled to see the semi-professional Belgrade team favored to beat the 2nd best team in France, especially after Red Star was blitzed by 12 goals against Poland’s Wisla Plock the week before. The bookmakers, however, were equally not impressed by Chambery’s losses to Kolding and Tremblay and started the line with Chambery as an almost 2-1 underdog. Money poured in on Chambery and the line moved to “even money” before it was pulled off the board. Apparently, the bookies were pretty exposed with one sided betting on Chambery and didn’t want to take any more bets. I’m guessing Stojinovic’s penalty shot stop with 10 seconds left had a lot of Chambery bettors breathing a sigh of relief.

Here are Miguel's pick for week 2 of Champions League Group Play. Miguel is starting out with an imaginary bankroll of 1000 Euros and we will keep track of how he does throughout the season. We are still looking for another expert to participate. If you are interested please send us your four picks for the week along with your analysis and we will consider adding you to this feature.

07.10.2006 16:30 FC Barcelona (-7.5) – Hammarby (+7.5)
After a not-so-brilliant victory in Slovenia and a defeat at Valladolid last Wednesday, Barcelona will have to win to change this doubtful season beginning. Laszlo Nagy is back and Barcelona hasn't lost a home game at the Champions League in a very long time. Despite the fact that Hammarby is leading the Swedish league with authority and obtained an impressive 14 goal victory in the first champions league game, I think Barcelona will have an easy victory. [b]BET 200 Euros FC Barcelona[/b]

07.10.2006 18:00 HCM Constanta (-2.5) – GOG Svendborg TGI (+2.5)
This should be a tight game that will decide which team will go with Kiel into the next round. Betting is about taking risks sometimes, and although Constanta plays at home and Romania is never an easy trip for any team, I'd bet for Gudme this time. The Danish solid defense and fast-break could beat "Serbian-Romanian" slow handball control.
[b]BET 100 Euros GOG Gudme[/b]

07.10.2006 19:00 Montpellier HB (-8.5) – HC Portovik Yuzhny (+8.5)
Montpellier is already leading the French league and their powerful backcourt is in a very good shape (Bojinovic, Hman, Burdet, Sioud).The whole team seems to be getting better and better. The rookie Ukrainian team wasn't very impressive in the opening game and Montpellier is one of the toughest courts on which to get positive results. Should be an easy game for Montpellier.
[b]BET 100 Euros Montpellier[/b]

07.10.2006 20:00 BM. Valladolid (-10.5) – A1 Bregenz Handball (+10.5)
Valladolid must be in a cloud after being so close to defeat against Ciudad Real, beating the Ukrainians away, and their amazing victory against Barcelona last Wednesday. Unless they are too relaxed or overconfident, Bregenz has no chance; they are missing Wilczynski and Schlinger way too much from last season and were humiliated by Montpellier in the first game. The extremely fast and offensive game for Valladolid should give them a win by more than 10 goals. [b]BET 200 Euros Valladolid[/b]

Courtesy of NordicBet www.nordicbet.com here are the lines for week 2 of the Champions League. (Please note that some of these lines are preliminary and may not yet be officially posted at the Nordic Bet site)

05.10.2006 18:45 THW Kiel (-9.5) – HC Banik Karvina H(+9.5)
05.10.2006 20:30 VfL Gummersbach (-9.5) – Sandefjord TIF H(+9.50)

07.10.2006 15:00 Brest HC Meshkov (+2.5) – SC Pick Szeged (-2.5)
07.10.2006 16:15 Fotex KC Veszprém (-11.5) – Povazska Bystrica (+11.5)
07.10.2006 16:15 KIF Kolding (-7.5) – Wisla Plock (+7.5)
07.10.2006 16:30 FC Barcelona (-7.5) – Hammarby (+7.5)
07.10.2006 18:00 HCM Constanta (-2.5) – GOG Svendborg TGI (+2.5)
07.10.2006 19:00 Montpellier HB (-8.5) – HC Portovik Yuzhny (+8.5)
07.10.2006 20:00 BM. Valladolid (-10.5) – A1 Bregenz Handball (+10.5)

08.10.2006 15:00 Panellinios AC Athens (+2.5) – RK Gold Club Kozina (-2.5)
08.10.2006 16:15 RK "Bosna" Sarajevo (+6.5) – Portland San Antonio (-6.5)
08.10.2006 16:45 RK Zagreb (-3.5) – Chehovski Medvedi (+3.5)
08.10.2006 17:15 Celje Pivovarna Lasko (-11.5) – Fram Reykjavik (+11.5)
08.10.2006 17:15 RK Metalurg Skopje (+6.5) – SG Flensburg-Handewitt (-6.5)
08.10.2006 17:30 Crvena Zvezda Beograd (-2.5) – Chambery Savoie (+2.5)
08.10.2006 18:10 Ciudad Real (+9.5) – Kadetten Schaffhausen (-9.5)