The 2020 Women’s European Handball Championships continues with 2 main round matches from Group II. Here are the standings, odds and links to a preview article that was written before these matches were played.
Monday, 14 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 14 Dec)
The Netherlands and Germany play first and and both teams still have chances to make the semifinals. A German win or draw in today’s match will set up a winner take all match between Germany and Croatia tomorrow.
A Netherlands victory in today’s match will keep their hopes alive, but they can only qualify on Tuesday if the final table results in a 3 way tie between Croatia, Germany and the Netherlands. Should that happen only the results of the 3 matches between the teams will count. As a result, Netherlands not only needs to win, they need to win by several goals to improve their chances of reaching the semifinals. At a minimum, they need to win by 2 goals. And, with each goal higher than 2 they improve their chances.
The Hungary vs Romania match is strictly for pride and will have no bearing on the semifinals. Main Round Group II Daily Preview at the Euro 2020 official site: Link
18:15 Netherlands (-1.5) vs Germany (Live on ehfTV and beIN Sports Xtra: How to watch) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Clayton Lucas)
20:30 Hungary (-1.5) vs Romania (Live on ehfTV and beIN Sports Xtra: How to watch) Match Video (On Demand): Link (Commentary: Clayton Lucas)
Only three teams (Russia, France and Denmark) can still advance from Main Round Group I. Two of these three teams will advance while the other will play for 5th place.
Main Round Group I Standings (Prior to Final Match Day)
On Tuesday, France will play Sweden first and then Denmark will take on Russia. Here are the 9 different possible outcomes for the combination of results for those 2 matches:
Main Round Group I Scenarios
Scenarios to Make the Semifinals
Here is what each nation needs to do to advance to the semifinals:
Denmark: Denmark has to beat Russia in order to qualify for the semifinals.
France: If France wins or draws vs Sweden they will qualify for the semifinals. If France loses to Sweden they can still qualify if Russia beats Denmark or the Russia-Denmark match is a draw. They can even still qualify if Russia loses to Denmark, but it is a mathematical improbability. (See note below)
Russia: If Russia wins or draws vs Denmark they will qualify for the semifinals. If Russia loses to Denmark they will still likely qualify if Sweden beats France. (See note below)
What About 1st Place and Avoiding Norway?
Norway has looked very strong and has already won Main Round Group II. This means finishing first in the Group and avoiding Norway in the semifinals is highly desirable.
There are multiple scenarios, but Russia is in the strongest position as they are likely to win any tiebreakers with France. France is in the next strongest position as they win any tiebreakers with Denmark. Finally, Denmark does have one possibility for finishing first: Demark beating Russia and Sweden beating France
A side note on a mathematical improbability*
Russia and France are level on points and played to a 28-28 draw earlier in the competition. This means that should they finish level on points the first tiebreaker will be goal differential in all matches. Russia is currently +14 and France is +5. This means that if both France/Russia lose or both France/Russia win, France would have to gain 10 goals on Russia in the matches played. While this is possible given the teams playing it seems unlikely that much ground could be made up. Additionally, Russia playing second would know exactly what margin they would need to maintain a goal differential advantage.
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.
Sunday, 13 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 13 Dec)
Montenegro and Sweden play first and since neither team can make the semifinals this match is for pride only. Spain has also been eliminated, but if Denmark can either pick up a draw or a win vs Spain their last match on Tuesday vs Russia will be for a semifinal spot. Main Round Group I Daily Preview at the Euro 2020 official site: Link
18:15 Montenegro (-1.5) vs Sweden (Live on ehfTV) (Commentary: Paul Bray)
20:30 Denmark (-2.5) vs Spain (Live on ehfTV and beIN Sports Xtra: How to watch) (Commentary: Paul Bray)
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 USA Men’s National Team Roster (By Age: Youngest to Oldest)
The 20 man roster ranges from 17 Jakob Rysgaard Christensen) to 36 (Gary Hines) and has a very young average age of 23.5. Five of the athletes (Jonas Stromberg, Amar Amitovic, Paul Skorupa, Rene Ingram and Nicholas Robinson) were on the U.S. Jr World Championships team and Pal Merkovsky was on the Hungarian Jr World Championship team.
Much has been said and written about the U.S. getting an unwarranted helping hand to participate in this championship. That the U.S. didn’t earn it’s slot. There’s some truth to that, but no one can argue with one of the rationales for the U.S. bid: That participating in this World Championship will help develop athletes in preparation for the 2028 Olympic Games.
It’s difficult to project out 7.5 years, but the bulk of this talented and youthful roster has a future with the U.S. National Team. We will be seeing several of these athletes in a U.S. uniform in Los Angeles at the 2028 Olympic Games. How many? I’m thinking 5, but it could be as many as 10.
U.S. Roster (By Nation Where Athletes First Played Handball)
The USA Men’s National Team Roster (By Country Where they First Played Handball)
All of these athletes are Americans, but the U.S. is a large nation with a global population. Estimates vary, but as many as 9M American citizens live in another country so it’s no real surprise that some of those 9M learned to play handball where they grew up. In fact, 85% (17 of 20) of the U.S. roster originally played handball in 13 different countries. Germany leads the way with 6 athletes while Denmark, France and Sweden have 2 each. Other nations: Bosnia & Herzegovina (1), Croatia (1), Egypt (1), Hungary (1), Spain (1).
(The fact that the U.S. has so many dual citizen athletes is sometimes seen as controversial, but it shouldn’t be. I addressed this reality and its implications for the U.S. National Team and the sport’s development previously in a series of commentaries Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
In terms of the 3 U.S. athletes that were raised stateside, 1 athlete (Drew Donlin) first learned to play at a college club (Air Force), 1 athlete (Ty Reed) is a product of the former Auburn Residency Program and 1 athlete (Gary Hines) was a product of an Atlanta based youth program and the Condors club.
Only PANAM Games veteran, Sam Hoddersen, made the 20 man roster. I projected that Lukas Hansen would also make the cut, mostly based on the fact that he plays for a top division Danish Pro Club, Fredericia HK. I’ve heard there may be some issues with his passport, but I don’t know if that was the deciding factor or not. The fact that only 1 left wing was selected and 4 right backs were taken leads me to believe that we will also see a lot of Gary Hines at left wing as well.
USA Left Backs
It was pretty much a given that Fofana and Hines would be selected, but it was less clear who else might get selected here. I had chosen Seb Wheeler based in part on his PANAM Games Alternate selection last year, but the coaching staff went with Amar Amitovic.
USA Center Backs
Again, there was zero doubt that the Team Captain, Ian Hueter and newcomer, Alexandre Chan Blanco, who leads his Liga Asobal club, Cisne, in scoring would make the team, but I went with Amir Seifert as the 3rd option. The coaching staff decided to just take 2 center backs and have identified Michael Williams and Philipp Scholz as potential replacements.
Also, another factor to take into account. Chan and Hueter might both be worthy of starting and playing a lot of minutes. I won’t be surprised to see both of these athletes on the court at the same time with one of them moving to left or right back.
USA Right Backs
For me right back was the hardest position to project. The PANAM Games roster had no true right backs on its roster. A situation that was problematic at times. Now for the World Championships the U.S. will have 4 right backs. However, each of these athletes have question marks. Briffe played professionally in France, but hasn’t been able to play indoors in the U.S. due to the pandemic. Elzoghby played great for the U.S. back in 2010-11 but was less impressive in friendlies last year. Stromberg played well at Jr World’s, but is he ready for the Sr level? And, of course, the same is true for Christiansen who is just 17. (He must really have potential to be selected at that age). I suspect that the coaching staff (like me) is a little in the dark and will use the training camp to figure out who emerges from these 4 options.
USA Right Wings
I only projected Reed and Binderis getting selected here, but Nicolai Weber must also have impressed with his game film. Reed is the projected starter and I suspect the coaching staff will use the training camp to evaluate who will be the primary backup.
USA Circle Runners
The U.S. is well stocked at circle runner and I think these four athletes will all get significant playing time. And, we will likely see two circle runners playing on offense some of the time and on defense most of the time with one of these 4 also subbing in as a defensive specialist. Alex Binderis is the victim of a deep depth chart and was selected as an alternate.
USA Goalkeepers
Last year, I thought the U.S. was lucky to have 2 young, quality goalkeepers with a future. Now we have 3? And, the new addition, Pal Merkovsky, may even be better. That’s crazy good fortune. It should be a great training camp with all 3 GKs looking to impress the coaching staff. I know nothing about the other 2 GKs selected as alternates, but in this time of COVID, where multiple positive test results is a real threat, keeping extra GKs as alternates that can be called up is a wise move.
Previous Articles Assessing the USA Men’s Player Pool
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)
At the start of the tournament Croatia was a 50-1 longshot to win Group C. Now after surprising wins over Hungary and the Netherlands they are the only team in the Group to have qualified for the Main Round. Here’s a look at the “upside down” standings.
Current Group C Standings
On Tuesday, Serbia will play Croatia and then Hungary will take on the Netherlands. Here are the 9 different possible outcomes for the combination result of those 2 matches:
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 Serbia 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 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)
