betprepare.com

Out of three head-to-heads this season, I believe the one played in Kutina is the most relevant for the game today. Moslavina were finally focused in that game and got a +6 lead without too much trouble and maintained it until the end. In comparison with that game, Medveščak are without their best player in that game Antunović (9 goals + 3 penalties won), while Moslavina got their excellent left-handed player Vučelić. In other words, Medveščak lost at least one aspect of their game while the team from Kutina have an almost ideal chance to get their first away win this season. After all, home coach Pažin said enough about the distribution of power in this game when he's said "It's gonna be a bumpy ride". Even though I believe Moslavina will make use of the situation that has appeared today, I will go for a slightly safer option in which a draw or a minimal defeat for the away team will also do. It's mainly because a draw is enough for Moslavina today to outdo their opponents on account of head-to-heads and will not risk too much if the match stays tight until the very end. Details

Even though the Swedes officially call their team the Elitserien all-star, this team is far from that. They are missing three of their best right wings (Enstrom, Friden, Halen) , they are missing their right back Tingsvall who "massacred" Kristianstad in the playoff semifinals, while the top pivots of the Elitserien are Pecikoza and Bager, who do not have Swedish nationality. All in all, a very inexperienced team for Sweden with only 96 caps for their A team altogether, while the Norwegian team has a total of 1047 caps. So, the experience is very much working for them.
But what I think is more important is the arrival of the new coach Berge who will use this game as the general rehearsal ahead of qualification match against Austria and he clearly stated this will be no ordinary friendly game. He has a respectable team at his disposal, lead by players from Bundesliga and the Danish and the French league, and these competitions are stronger than Elitserien. Even though they would make the cut in an all-start team, considering the situation in Berge's team, I believe they will be Berge's second choice for their positions. In this situation, the Swedes are definitely not the favorites and I don't think they can win by 2 goals. Details

Although Karlovac are an unpleasant home opponent, I don't see them as favorites today. Losing to Nexe lost them any practical chance of getting to Europe, as their next round game is an away against CO Zagreb, so they'd need Varaždin to fumble at home against Poreč - which is a very unrealistic proposition. Varaždin on the other hand have no room for error, as Dubrava are hounding them, and I see them as very motivated in this match. Even more important in my view is that Karlovac have almost no option of rotation, and have had a day less to rest. For a few rounds now it's been clear that Đanković's team gets weaker in the final moments, and no matter how much they complain about refereeing, their losses are probably more their own fault. Even when Karlovac were much fresher and led by Borozan and Cindrić, Varaždin still got a point here. I believe the away team will take one more step and win the two points that keep them in the "race" to get into European competitions. Details

Lund showed what they are capable of when they are motivated as they froze Ystads to -8 two rounds ago. Helsingborg neither have the motivation nor the quality of YIF and I don't expect them to do any better today. The game means little to nothing to the away team, while the home team need as convincing win as possible as even the goal difference could decide who will stay in the Elitserien and who will be relegated. True, Lund do not control their fate but after Vasteras, they just can't afford another blunder and I expect them to completely dominate the last game of the season. Details

The first two matches saw 51 and 49 goals and that's probably the reason why the margin is 50 today. But , the fact is that Savehof were terrible in offense in both games and missed at least 10 sitters, which is not something that has happened to them in three straight games this season. So, the situation is expected to return to normal today and even coach Signell said that he expects an improvement in offense, which means that part of the game will be given more attention in training. On the other hand, one has to wonder whether Hoors have even had a training. They celebrated winning the Challenge Cup and got back from Paris on Monday, which was followed by several ceremonies and I think this match was of secondary importance. In fact, I think this match will be a farewell to a very successful season, which means an attractive match and that should result in the score going over 50 goals. Details

The margin of 23.5 goals for Alingsas is probably a result of the first match (marked as irregular) played on Guif's court. AHK got exactly 23 goals and they played one of their worst games that season. Aggefors got only 11 saves, which is very low for him, and so his players got less counters, which was the main reason for going under the margin. In the second match, Aggefors got 20 saves and AHK had 28 goals. Which of these scenarios is more likely today? Certainly the second one, as Guif are shocked with AHK's performance and they are without their first middle back Andersson. So, Guif lost their main creative players, who's also one of their most experienced players in the team and this is bound to show in their attacks. AHK's defense should come into fruition today and when that happens their excellent counters make their mark. Since the availability of team totals is not really high (we would suggest over 23.5 for Alingsas in that case), +2.5 on the away team seems like the best option. Details

No need to talk much about Buducnost before this match. Adzicev approach is very well known, defense is a key to every success, and their Champions League results this season clearly show it. True, Podgorica team went over the margin set today six times, but because of the opponents they played against. Of course, the ultra fast Lublin team can hardly be a measure, or the duel against Krim that wasn't important at all; Slovenians only wanted to say goodbye in an attractive way, but you can't expect that today. Matches against Midtjylland (ended with 38 and 40), Vardar (barely over the margin, with 47 and 49 goals total), seem like a better measure, but situation today is different.
The women Champions League will finish with the Final Four tournament for the first time in the history. It means none of the teams have the right to make a mistake because there's no return fixture. They only play for 60 minutes, and nobody will take the risk - they're more likely to play calmly. Actually, you can guarantee it for Adzic's team.
With all that said, the only question is how Vardar will approach this match. Coach Kastratovic clearly announced a defensive fight without mercy, a match where defenses will dominate. If we go back a little, we can see Vardar completely slow down against Thuringer and Savehof in the matches that took them to the semifinals, and we can expect them to do the same today. They only had 48 and 42 goals against those two teams, who play really strong, and today's match is even more important. In circumstances like these, we can hardly expect a match that ends over 45 goals. Details

Before the first H2H this season, I said that I don't expect any game between these two teams to go over 50 goals, but after what I saw in regular season, I'm almost convinced going over the 45-goal margin is not likely to happen. Kristianstasd and Lugi didn't have a single match with over 50 goals last season and they have focused on defense even more this season. It was clear in the three H2H's in regular season which ended with 43, 41 and 38 goals. The stats clearly state that the playoffs generally see even less goals so the margin of 47 goals, as low as it may seem, is actually quite high. This is a match between two of the best defenses in the league and it's also a regional derby so one cannot expect a high scoring affair in the first game that can mark the whole series. Details

I have been thinking whether to go for the win for Hoors or team over and I decided to go for the win as I believe Hoors can win a potential defensive battle in this duel and win in a low-scoring game. True, Skovde won last time in one such match but what Hoors missed then was a borderline insanity. Harris's players failed to convert all three penalty shots, had a poor conversion of extra player and it's hard to see that happening again. After that match, they played one of their best matches this season and I believe they can do that again today. The last thing they want is the fifth decisive game of the series and their quality should make the difference. Details

The first playoff match ended in 46 goals and we have the following situation: Malmo are very happy with the defense they showed and they will want to continue in that rhythm while the away coach Franzen has clearly stated that he wants to see a much tougher defense, just like Malmo's in the first match. Since good keepers like Simić and Aggefors will reinforce those defenses, it's hard to expect a game over 50 points. It's generally known that AHK like to outrun strong teams like Malmo and one game even saw 58 goals but the playoffs are a completely different matter. Alingsas want to make the best use of their physical power there and put the emphasis on their defense and the best keeper in the league (Aggefors), which definitely speaks in favor of this pick. Details

This is the meeting between the two teams that might get into a direct battle for the third position in Kvalserien, the last one that ensures promotion to Elitserien next season. That means their head to head games will have significance, and both teams said their defenses won't be holding back. Sknela are no longer the team that will just run around the court - they are, with 609 goals conceded, the third best defense in Allsvenskan. Last season's champions Ricoh were the best one, having conceded 11 goals less. They are the team with top-level defense players, and also have Forsberg, who was first choice goal keeper at Savehof till last season. On the other hand there's Onnereds, a team well known for their tough defense, and not so good offense. They have been proving that throughout this season, and today will be no different, I believe. They will definitely not get ahead of themselves and try scoring until the time is right and the attempts well prepared. Scoring 53 goals will be tough like that, a faster pace is necessary for it, and I don't expect it today. Details

Two seasons ago, these two team played a game in similar circumstances and the game hit 66 goals. I don't think today's game will have any less as the home team have clearly announced that they will want to say goodbye to their fans with an attractive game and they have also become better in creating counters and semi-counters. In comparison to the match played two years ago, Drott have two solid shooters (Stenmalm, Persson) who could contribute to this over. Guif have had several good attacking performances, the biggest of which was scoring 40 goals against Lund, a team with a similar style as Drott. I expect the visitors to do their job as well, especially as the hosts will be without Linnell, which should be enough to go over this margin and come closer to a total of 60 goals. Details

If this were played on neutral ground and with the same teams as in Hungary on the Worlds last year, this would be a realistic margin. But, the French are at home and have Nieto. He is supposedly the best player of his generation in France, and missed prior big tournaments due to injuries. They also have another great player in that position, Tournat, Saidani as middle back, and Tritta on right back, all very agile. That should lead to a decisive victory, as Belarus are very static on defense and France's style should not suit them well. We should also add that Belarus took off only yesterday morning, and it is a big question how they'll adjust to the time difference, with the daylight saving change also working against them. Belarus also don't have much of a rotation to use, and need to stay fresh for the upcoming two duels against Russia and Ukraine, teams they can certainly overpower, so I would not be surprised if they played this match with the handbrake on, especially if the French take off to an early lead. France's next opponent, on the other hand, are Ukraine, by far the weakest team of this group, so they won't need to save themselves for that duel. The Ukrainians should be their training session before Russia, against whom the home team should verify qualifying to the European championship. Details

Switzerland and Croatia played 30-30 at the European championship in Austria two years ago, and I believe the bookies are using that as a guideline, which is wrong. Firstly, that was by far the worst performance in a tournament of this Croatian generation, and they also rotated a lot as they saved their strength for the coming matches, while Switzerland gave it much more importance. The same Croatian team reached the world's silver under Ćurko, showing a much more realistic image of themselves. The mood in the away team's camp is much better than then, and the roster is stronger too. Šebetić, one of the best player in the new generation, is finally ready, giving the team a new dimension. An offense with two top shooters (Šebetić, Mamić), Bećiri making room for them, and great wingers (Mihić, Matanović), with a solid 6-0 defense with a striking quartet in the middle (Mamić, Kuduz, Bećiri, Šebetić) should not allow Switzerland an even game. They are an OK team with 2 solid perimeter players (maroš, Vernier), truth be told, but that is not enough compared to their opponents. As both Ćurak and Suter prefer a very fast pace, I don't believe those two can last for 60 minutes, and the home team are much weaker without them. Despite that, I expect the Swiss to qualify to the EC, but also the Croatians to dominate the entire qualifying tournament. Details

I expected the margins to be based on the results from the game in Finland and that's exactly what happened. This game saw 52 games but I expect the result to be similar to the one from the end of 2012 when the game saw 56 goals. Slovakia are extremely motivated for this game and are eager for a rematch, while coach Polož has set clear goals. After barely winning the game in Finland, he wants his team score 35 goals, which they should have scored had they played at their level. With 35 goals expected from Slovakia, I don't see how this over wouldn't go through. Finland have announced to improve the attack for this cycle of qualifications, 25 goals from the first game confirm that and we can expect at least the same number of goals as then, while I believe they could even score 1 or 2 goals more. Details

Coach guest Lindgren said more than enough before today's match. He only took 12 players with him, and only one left-handed. Ola is obviously aware he can't do anything on the extremely uncomfortable Szeged's court with that lineup, so he said he'll spare some of his players from the defensive engagement. The defense is a key of Kristianstand's success, and without playing that segment well, the guests can really hardly get out with a defeat of only 2-3 goals of difference. Szeged are really motivated, eager to confirm their going through to the quarterfinals, and this is their ideal chance to cheer up their loyal fans, but also boost their self-confidence before the rest of the competition. Details

Lithuania are in a situation similar to the one they were in ahead of the game against Denmark. One of the three key players won't be able to participate today for sure (Stellbrink), while the second one (Jurgutyte) might miss the game due to pain in her knee. They conceded 38 goals to Denmark in the same situation, and I don't believe Austria will score 10 goals less. The visiting team are lead by Herbert Muller who loves the high pace game, both for Thuringer and the Austrian national team. That is why the first two meetings, with Ukraine and Denmark, ended with 69 and 62 points scored, respectfully. They will play the team with weakest defense of them all - Lithuania. Austria managed to score 34 goals against Ukraine, a team which is quite good defense vise. I don't see how Austrians could score four goals less against the home team, who are missing important players, and who can count almost exclusively on amateurs from the Lithuanian championship. I think that the visiting team need only motivation to go over this margin, and they sure have it because the two wins against Lithuania are crucial in the battle for the second position in their qualifying group. Details

Poland will be very grateful to Portugal for fielding a team that they intend to build their handball future on. The home selector placed nine junior and cadet players on the list of 23 players, and some of them should play today. Poland's coach would also like to give a chance to some of his younger players, but he cannot risk it until he secures a victory, as a possible defeat in this away game means losing the battle for a spot in the EP final. Therefore we can expect Poland to start the match with full force and decide the winner by halftime. They are, after all, the fourth team in the world, who play fantastic, extremely tough defense followed by great quick breaks. The young Portuguese can hardly keep up with such tempo and I believe the away team will be 5-6 points ahead by halftime. Details

Iceland are in a hopeless situation. They are hosting France who only have one clear goal - settling the matter of qualifying for the EC as soon in this double-header. So, the Portes-led visitors will have no mercy for their opponents and Iceland are renowned for their not-so-great attack. In fact, they will probably be pretty powerless today against the powerful Frenchwomen. Of course, this could lead to slightly more counter-attacks for the home team but even if they fail in this domain, they can go over this margin with ease. Iceland are missing their two first-choice keepers and Stanciu, so they will have a hard time keeping their net intact and going against the organized defense. In addition, they are also missing some internationals from the Norwegian league and France should be closer to win by a double-digit goal difference. Details

The first duel between these two teams went to exactly 60 goals, but to expect that kind of scenario today seems crazy. It was a completely atypical match where the goalies had only nine saves: Porec had 17% success, Kastela's miserable 11%. But, Kastela at home and away aren't the same team, and tonight, we can expect them to be a lot more feisty, which they confirmed in their announcements. This is a duel that can take the home team to the first four teams, which means going into the Champions League, and Porec definitely won't avoid being beaten on this court. On the other hand, guests also said they wouldn't want to concede 30 goals again, like against Djakovo, so I don't doubt their defensive effectiveness. Porec simply have to wake up because the playoffs are getting closer, and I expect them to be more serious than in the previous duels. Details