Will the DHB team be eliminated in the preliminary round?
The German national handball team faces an absolute worst-case scenario on Monday evening at the European Handball Championship. Ahead of their final preliminary round match in Group A, the DHB team has its back against the wall. A win against the previously undefeated Spanish team is essential if national coach Alfred Gislason’s team is to avoid being eliminated from the tournament before the main round even begins.
If, as expected, Serbia defeats Austria in the preliminary match, Germany would have to win by at least three goals in the subsequent match against Spain in order to advance to the next round as one of the two best teams in this group.
However, faith in the 2016 European champions was clearly shaken on Saturday evening. After a good first half and a resulting four-goal lead against Serbia, Köster, Uscins, and Co. suddenly lost their footing after the break. The Serbs, who were considered to be significantly weaker, benefited from miserable shooting percentages and many simple turnovers by the Germans and, in the end, surprisingly prevailed 30:27. Particularly bitter: the potential equalizer shortly before the end by playmaker Juri Knorr was denied recognition because his own coach pressed the timeout button a fraction of a second too early…
In general, Gislason had to face many critical questions after the match. However, the legendary coach was unable to explain the sudden slump in performance in the second half, nor could he explain why key player Knorr spent so much time on the bench.
Since the opening game against Austria already demanded a lot of energy from the Germans and the three-goal victory was not particularly impressive, I am not keen to make a prediction on Monday evening in the group final between Germany and Spain – despite all the emerging unrest and self-inflicted pressure – about the secret favorite of this 2026 European Handball Championship from the Federal Republic.
In my opinion, the Germany vs. Spain odds offer far more value for a victory for the Iberians. In the Bet365 app, you can get an impressive 3.40 at the top of the 1X2 market, which seems quite playable. After all, the Hispanos have been a fixture in elite world handball for decades. At this European Championship, coach Jordi Ribera’s men also deservedly won both games. The starting position also plays into the hands of the two-time world champions, because even in the event of a defeat, Spain would definitely advance, provided Serbia does not lose to Austria.
However, if you think it’s too risky to bet on the winner market before the European Handball Championship game between Germany and Spain due to the many eventualities, you should keep an eye on the number of goals. Personally, I believe there will be at least 57 goals, especially since, as already mentioned, the DHB team should win by at least three goals. If there had been no slump on Saturday, easily over 30 goals would have been possible. I therefore consider over 56.5 to be a decent bet at 1.85 at Bet365.
Germany – Spain Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
Germany vs. Spain is a real classic in handball. At the last European Championship in 2024, the two teams met in the semifinals. Germany won by the narrowest of margins, 25:24. The DHB team also prevailed at the Olympic Games two years ago, winning 33:31. Looking back at the last eight matches, however, the Spaniards have the upper hand with five wins and three defeats. But: the three defeats came in the last three matches…
Germany – Spain Tip
Before the tournament started, the German national handball team was praised to the skies. No wonder, because the preparatory games against Croatia went according to plan. In addition, the national players never tired of emphasizing that this was the strongest team anyone had ever played in. However, after a narrow victory against Austria and an embarrassing defeat against Serbia, the team is now facing its worst European Championship performance in decades. It’s time to finally get out of the rut. The team needs a victory with at least a three-goal lead, otherwise the tournament will most likely be over for the co-favorites!
The mainstays of the team have fallen short of expectations, especially in attack. Uscins, Köster, Knorr, and Co. need to improve their scoring rates, but they also need to have more confidence in themselves. Given the situation, Gislason’s players cannot afford to be too cautious. I therefore expect to see an improved performance from the DHB team and would recommend betting on Germany and Spain to score more than 56.5 goals. I’m betting five fictitious units on Bet365’s 1.85 odds.
