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I wouldn't agree that Tunisia are a favorite here. The Cape Verde defeated them in a crucial match 15 months ago, played in front of Tunisian fans. If that didn't happen, they'd be much more appreciated now, because everyone would knew them well from the WC. The Tunisians got stabilized in the meantime, but this generation is far from the most talented ones they had, and like I said, Cape Verde keep improving. They got a more experienced coach in the meantime, Garry Rodrigues fit in the team, and Nuno Rocha and Djaniny are becoming very good players. I think the most likely scenario is a "boring" game where Tunisia will have the possession, and Cape Verde will be more dangerous, especially through the wings. The chances for this going either way are about the same, and I think a double chance is quite valuable with this price. Details

There's an unwritten rule to not appreciate the strength of the French and their opponents at the beginning of the championship. The French are known for slow starts, but even like that, they could have gotten a more convincing win against the Czechs in the first part. They were +6 at the 54th minute, and then inexplicably fell, ending it at the margin set for today. The bookmakers obviously valued that result, which I think is a huge mistake, especially because the Swedes showed against Iceland that they don't even think about relaxing in the last minutes. Olsson and Lindgren's players got to +8 in the last few minutes, and that shows their approach. Besides, they have a fantastic defense, hardly penetrable, and the Czech aren't really famous for their offensive. Jicha might help solving that problem, but it's questionable whether they'll use him. Besides, even if he played today, I doubt he can be his real self after losing seven kilos in two days. If it was sure that he won't play, this bet would lean for the max stakes, this way, I'll keep it in the middle. As a cherry on top, I should mention that the Czech don't think this is a key match for them, but those against Algeria, Egypt and Iceland, so it is easily possible that Jicha, if he plays at all, gets a lower number of minutes, and the other main players could also spend more time on the bench if the final result quickly becomes obvious, which is easily possible considering what Sweden showed in the first performance. Details

A high handicap, but I think it's worth it. Based on everything we've seen in the first three days, the Saudis are the weakest team of the competition. Their handball is getting worse, they're out of the top five teams in Asia, and they came here rejuvenated, with the youngest team here. They simply don't have anything to match their opponents, their offensive is disastrous, and defensively, they rely on being rough, and the referees won't tolerate that. They had 9 sending offs against the Russians, and only thanks to a very bad game by Russia, and a very good Saudi goalie who saved 4-5 sure hits, did they managed not to lose with a huge difference. They were much stronger two years ago, but still lost by 14 to Poland, 18 to Belarus, 10 to Slovenia and Serbia. Now, they're definitely 4-5 goals weaker, and the Danes will be extra motivated to make up for the bad game against Argentina. They should have and could have won by 6-7 goals difference then, but didn't do it. Today, their firm defense will be a big problem for the Saudi offensive, and their good wings will score lots of goals from the counter attacks. The Saudis are very bad in the defensive transition, and the question is how much will they even try when the difference grows. They will hardly score 20 goals, and the Danes can easily score 35 with the counter attacks. Denmark are a team ideal for crushing the weaker teams, especially today when they're motivated, and I expect the difference to be at least 15-20 goals. Details

I'm not saying Montichiari will win this match for sure, but with odds like these, it's definitely worth it to bet on their win with a medium stake, because I think the bookmakers did underestimate them here. Even though they lost to the favorites lately (Piacenza 2-3, Bergamo 1-3), we shouldn't forget that Arsizio and Modena left the PalaGeorge court with their chins down, and Casalmaggiore - who aren't nearly as wild in away matches as they are at home - are definitely not better than those aforementioned. An extra argument for this bet is that Montichiari will definitely be extra motivated- The only time they were really inferior - not counting the first official match where they were impressed with Piacenza's ranking - was in the away match against Casalmaggiore. And like their captain Serena says (rightfully so), the ratios of strength have changed at least a little bit in the meantime. Details

The Argentinians played 16 games since the Spain WC, and were defeated by 6 or more goals only three times. The French did it twice, one of which was in the preparation for this WC, and once they were defeated by the Algerians (who are now weaker), in an irrelevant match. They progressed, and despite the point against the Danes doesn't really represent the realistic ratio of strength, this handicap margin and these odds for the Polish aren't realistic either. But, statistics aside, the biggest reason for this bet is a matchup that's awful for the Polish. The Argentinians play firm, aggressive, and deep defense that doesn't nearly suit the Polish back line. Biegler didn't use Bielecki against the Germans much, but he'll hardly get his chances to shoot today. Michal Jurecki isn't an image of speed and the Argentinians could often catch him in faults. The big problem for the Polish is that they cam here without their center back and this back line will have a hard time against the Argentinian defense. True, it's been four years since their match in Sweden WC, when the Polish lead at the half-time 11-6, and then barely won in the end, 24-23. Some players changed, not too many, especially in Argentina's team, but the concepts remained very similar. I remember that game and the big problems the Polish had with their defense. They had two pivots then- Jaszka and Tkaczyk, now they don't. The fast Jaszka could be worth gold today, if he was there. On the other hand, the Argentinians improved since that match, they're growing up, and Diego carries Montpellier's game these days. They're not harmless, they'll bite even more than they did against the Danes, because this is a game that will decide if they pass through - they can't eliminate the Danes, and they can the Polish. The team under for the Polish (28.5) is worth even more than this bet, so if you can take it, do. But, because the handicap is more widely available, we'll take that. Details

The Algerians showed how helpless they are without Bakir and Zamoum right at the start. Egypt managed to get nine points ahead by the half-time, and it's clear that the Icelanders are at least one level up here. They didn't manage to prove it against the Swedes in the first match, and that's probably why there's a handicap oriented to them. But, the Scandinavians got that win with only 16 goals conceded, and with fantastic performance by the defense and the goalie Andersson. Algeria showed in the first match that they have no goalie or the defense, and their offense wasn't that good, either. It turned out that Berkous is playing the key role, but when he's not having a good day, neither do the Algerians. His 0/8 from the start tells tons about the current situation, and today he'll face a defense even better than the Egyptian one. Besides, the Icelanders are great with counter attacks, and that's why I think they can easily go over this margin. They shouldn't lack motive because the Egyptians hit rudely, and I'm sure Kristjansson doesn't want to see his key players on the court for the whole 60 minutes, he wants to rest them - that's what should cause their convincing leadership at the half-time. Details

This margin is too high when Germany is involved. Sigurdsson brought lots of discipline to their game and the only time in nine games since he is leading that Germany went above this margin was the first one, against the Swiss, at 58 goals. Against quick Iceland in the preparation period they played at 55 and 49, and have still not conceded more than 26 goals, if we count in the preparation matches and their first game here against Poland. Germany had a 69% scoring rate in that game, Poland were at 62%, their goalies at under 20% saves, and the game still stayed under this margin. They'll hardly repeat such scoring, especially since they're rather limited on offense. The Russians slowed things down against the Saudis, with a 10-8 second half, and I don't expect them to run much today either. Kulešov largely calmed them down, and this is also an extremely important match. They mostly stayed under against tough 6-0 defenses in the European Championship (Serbia 52, Poland 46, Sweden 56), and I expect this to be another game at 50-55 goals. Details

Holstebro's coach points out the physically dominant defense of the home team, but also knows his team has the potential to disturb it, and will not repeat the mistakes from the game against Midtjylland. He has quick, creative players in Kristina Kristiansen and Larke Moller who've made Holstebro a team with one of the quickest transition game this season, and with them is also Sweden's Hagman, who is performing great lately and can follow that transition, scoring from both right side positions on the court. Aarhus are looking to outscore opponents in home games against big teams, so they played at 58 against leading Esbjerg, 52 against Viborg where the total was 29 after the first half. In the first previous match these played this season the halftime was at 30, with a tendency to get close to 55. Compared to then, Aarhus will now have Mette Tranborg at right back, a Danish national team member and one of the most promising players they have at this position, which makes the home team's offense with Okkels and Line Uno a much stronger option. The margin is widely available online. Details

The margin isn't that high, but I think it's worth taking. Andorra have to play slower considering their roster. Add to that players like Sade and Trias, and it's clear their offense is quite neglected. Today, they'll host a similar team who have five consecutive away defeats, but whose game is rising and who have to get the win here. Barcelona play one of the best defenses in Europe when their lineup is complete, and I think they'll show their best today. They left Maccabi under this margin in the Euroleague, and we shouldn't compare the offensive capacities of the Israelis and Andorra. With any serious dedication by the guests, which I have no doubts will he real, Andorra will be left with about 60 points. Details

Even though Zaragoza are a better team who came here to fight for the performance at the King's Cup, I think it will be a tough game with a lower number of points where Bruesa definitely have a chance to get the win on their own court. They defeated Valencia in the last few matches here, played overtime against Joventut, and lost by a minor difference to Murcia. Zaragoza are at a level with those teams when it comes to quality, and that's why I expect a similar match. I wouldn't go for an under because the margin is extremely low, but considering the significance of the match, I'm convinced this match will have a low number of points, and when that is the case, a handicap like this one becomes even more prominent. Details

Result-wise, this game is irrelevant for both teams. But saying that South Korea doesn't care about any international game would be very wrong. They will definitely be motivated after the two opening defeats and will want to record a win or at least at a point. Anything is better than returning home to Kim Jong-un empty-handed. Most importantly, Korea are not as bad as their results suggest. It could easily happen that they get at least a point today. The four goals they conceded to Saudi Arabia were more a case of bad lack than of bad quality. Their defense is normally not doing as badly. China did nothing to make me find their game brilliant, but got six points regardless. They've used their chances and this meeting could be a chance for the coach to rest the key players since they don't need this win. I'm not convinced in their substitutes' quality, though. I've seen them numerous times over the past two years and they've, as a rule, been struggling if the opponents weren't the worst teams like Singapore, Malasia, Kirghistan...In a meeting between an unmotivated team that will have mostly substitutes in the line-up and a very motivated team on the other hand, I think these odds are off. Details