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This is a duel of teams more dedicated to offense than defense. The margin was probably based on the first duel that ended with 54 goals but the situation is radically different today. Skuru are more efficient at home, they plays with much higher tempo than the visitors and this should be felt today. The only team against whom Skure have scored under 30 goals this season are Hoors and Lugi who have great defense, unlike Karra. After that, they scored 39 goals against Onnereds, 35 against Vasteras, 30 and 34 against ultra-slow Eslov and Heid, respectively. Karra have a much faster pace than the mentioned teams and it can be expected that Skuru will go well over 30 goals. This might lead to a conclusion that an over on home team is an ideal option but total over is a very good choice and much more available. Karra's coach emphasized during last round that he is disappointed with his team creating too few counters against Skovde while his defense that conceded 30 goals didn't really bother him. It's obvious what the away team are preparing for today, and this should create a good situation for going over this margin. There have been similar situations in previous season - games at Karra's court ended with 48 and 52 goals while the games at Skuru's court ended with 60 and 65 goals and we should expect something similar today. Details

Their first duel ended with exactly 40 goals scored, and I don't think we should expect much more today either. This is a game in which Georgia can still catch up to Lithuania should they win, while the away team would rather get this off their plates and take off to an unreachable lead with a win. Both teams have way more quality on the defense than offense, and a great piece of news for this bet is that Chikovani, the primary middle back and best scorer for Lithuania in the first match with 6 goals, will be absent. Also, both teams are playing at a slow pace without any rush, which should not be expected to change today, considering how important the match is. Judging from what we've seen so far, it would be very surprising if this duel were to go over 50 goals. The home team's offense is heavily reliant on Mskhvidze, the away team's on Petreikis, and it would take more than 1-2 players to get in their zone for the game to go over this margin. Details

The situation should be more than clear: against the fast Finnish team, these teams ended their games at 46 and 45 points, against Lithuania that has a similar style like Turkey and Georgia, the games ended at 43 and 40 points - fare below the margin for today. Both opponents are extremely oriented on defense, they play a firm 6-0 defense and pivot don't get too many balls which is the main offensive outlet for both teams. In addition, neither of the two teams is known for trying to change the rhythm of the game, to play some faster game in certain periods which should be a good plus for the under and one should not forget that this is an important game in terms of result for both sides. A total of some 50 points is a much realistic option here. Details

The margin might seem low at first, but I still believe it's a goal or two too high for this duel. This is a duel between teams fighting for prestige, a game where the best team of the region of Skana will be revealed, and every ball will be of grave importance. Both teams are oriented defensively more than offensively, which is clearly proved by the previous duels that ended with 43, 43, 45 and 40 goals. I don't expect things to be different today, especially because the game is played after an extensive break, and I wouldn't be surprised by a bigger number of technical faults. Both sides point out that this will be a match of hits, and things will be made even more uncertain by the fact that the main strength of both teams is defense. Besides, it's enough to remember Lugi's coach Brljevic' statement from a few rounds ago where he said that his goal this season is to keep every opponent under 20 goals, and he hopes his team can score 21. Details

Even though home coach Karlsson is talking about the possibility of a higher-paced game, I really don't think that's a possibility here today. Neither Onnereds nor Redbergslids are a team that like to outrun their opponents. Their defense is much better than their offense and this could become apparent today as this is, above all, a local derby that is playing on the popular Boxing Day and points are not the only thing at stake, but prestige as well. Since both teams played a game of 52 and 51 points against the super-fast Drott a while ago, I see no way this game would go above this margin. OHK have not shown too much offensive potential throughout the season, and RIK have already emphasized on several occasions that they have problems with organized defenses and things shouldn't be any easier today than against Hammarby and I expect the total number of goals to be closer to 50. Details

Hammarby have an ideal chance to get a convincing win in the last home game in 2013. Lund are coming to visit and they will be without their both left wings, their first right wing and second right-back. The away team's limited rotations is well-known and the question is how it will all look today. Coach Andersson is aware himself that this away game is very challenging for his team and they have a far more important game against Onnereds in four days. Therefore, it wouldn't be surprising if they rest a few players. Their best player Roganović could be one of them as the injury to one of his replacement will probably give him more playing time against Onnereds and he also admitted at the start of the season that he is tired after playing in Qatar during the summer. However, whether he is rested or not, he alone cannot keep Lund in the game during this duel. The home team have a quality keeper and great counter-attacks which is usually the best recipe to get a convincing win against Lund, as shown by RIK and YIF. However, since the home team have a great center-back (Pujol) and Lund's defense is very poor, I have no doubts the home team will do well in longer attacks. All in all, this motivated Hammarby is definitely 5 points stronger than the injury-plagued Lund. Details

Brasil have shown far more than any of their opponents so far. Soubak's team has marched to the quarter-finals, they've shown they have the quality to get the medals and I don't have any doubts they will confirm that today. They are better in defense and this is usually the key in quarter-finals. In addition, their keepers are at a much better level than Hungarian ones and I believe the South American team will gain an even bigger advantage through that. In fact, I believe the only reason Hungary got through the quarter-finals is that Spain were terrible in defense and much below their usual level while it is hard to expect that from Brasil. After France, Soubak's team has shown the most in this aspect. The Hungarians have already proven to be shaky against somewhat stronger defense (Germany, Romania) and one can expect them to continue this run. If Hungary didn't have the home atmosphere, the stake would be much high, this way I will go for a medium one. Details

Rimbo managed to go over this margin in the first duel, despite the amazing 24 saves by Savehof goalie Kraft and only four by their own goalies, which largely reduced their options for counterattacks. Such days are rare however, so I expect the away team to get even closer to 30 goals. Of the 16 games they played so far, Rimbo stayed below the margin in only four, staying at exactly 26 on two occasions. They scored 30 or more in each of their last four away games, which were vs Skovde, Redbergslids, Kristianstad, and Onnereds, all of which are defensive oriented teams. This leads me to expect a similar situation today as well, for two reasons: first is that Rimbo are very motivated after the quality game they had vs Lugi, where they also scored big with 31 points, and secondly, Savehhof have clearly shown in the first part of the season that they accept the fast, running style. I expect the duel to go over 60 in total, accordingly, which is a good alternative. Details

Bjelovar are definitely a different team with and without Grgic. First choice goalkeeper was the hero of the home game against Gorica mid-September. He saved 16 attempts (almost 50%), and I find it hard to believe his absence won't have impact on the final score today. Bjelovar already struggled home against Gorica, despite being very motivated. The visiting team would like to get points today as well, but as they admit, the winter break is what they're also focused on, and that's by no means going to help them.
Unlike them, Gorica didn't spend a second thinking about the break. These points are extremely important for them in the battle for staying in the league, and they're completely focused on the game. Their previous performances are giving the coach hope, he thinks they can control the game if they play like they did in the last few games. We should certainly trust him. Gorica improved their game significantly compared to the beginning of the season, and I believe Bjelovar will have a really bad time on the road today. Details

Someone obviously took Congo's final score against Algeria from the last African Cup into consideration here (32-23), but that should definitely not be the case. Despite losing all the games, just like the Dominican Republic, Algeria proved they are a much better team on all levels than their opponent in the group stage. They've got two great shooters, a pivot they work great with, and today might be the day they show that they can play good defense as well - Vujasinovic's team have little option in offense. Everything comes down to Pop, who is at times joined only by a right back, who sometimes tries scoring. Algeria should not have problems with that, they saw their game against Congo. Also, there's not doubt, Algeria have more players to choose from than the opponent, and that is precisely what could secure them an easy win - much easier than the bookmakers anticipate. Besides, the Dominican Republic tend to make mistake as the game progresses, especially if it's tied. That is what allowed Congo to create a 4-5 goal lead. Congo's lack of focus is the only thing that let them get back to some extend and to lose by only one goal. Therefore, that result is not really realistic. I don't expect Algeria to lose focus, but to play their best because only two more games are left in this championship and they will use them as dress rehearsals for the African Cup. The 'exotic' teams in their play off group (Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Australia) shouldn't be a problem. Details

I really don't see how Korean offense could stand up to the very powerful French defense. Korea's backcourt is too reliant on Ryu and I have no doubt the Portes's players will stop her without too many problems. Ryu had a 3/9 perimeter shot against Montenegro and I don't expect her to do better today. Unlike Montenegro who defeat Korea at the opening, the French have better offensive options. They don't have to rely on massive back court but can use agile Zaadi and Niomblu and see which combination works better. In addition, Portes has a better pair of keepers at his disposal and I don't see Korea as the winner here. France beat them in London by 3 goals and now they seem even better (especially in defense) and they should show it on the court. Details

Alingsas got a great chance ahead of this duel in which, according to their coach, they want to avenge their first defeat against Guif this season. It was 30-23 for today's guests, but the situation has changed. Guif are without Andresson and Lindgren as two very important players while Freiman is also in doubt and he has been in great form lately and one of their main offensive outlets. With these 3 players out of the picture, the home team have a huge advantage and let's not forget that AHK have seven wins and one draw in front of their own fans while Guif were defeated in their last 4 away games. Another advantage for the home team should be the keeper position: Alingsas have Aggefors as one of the best in the league, while Guif have been complaining about theirs who are far from top form. Because of this, I expect Guif to end their run of four games without a defeat against AHK that has been going for the past 2 seasons. Details

Even though they scored 34 against Kongo yesterday, I have no doubts that Korean players and their coaching staff will want to see their shot efficiency move to a higher level. They only converted 61 % of shots, they missed a lot of sitters and shots from the wings from very comfortable angles. Kongo's keeper had 18 saves and they still got close to this margin and I believe they will go over it today.
Apart from their desire to improve the game, this bet is also reinforced by the fact that the Dominicans play a much faster-paced game than Kongo along with the fact that they don't have too many options for rotations and this is their second duel in 24 hours. The Dominicans are hugely reliant on their left-back Pop and I expect Korea to close her down and go for counters from there. I think it's impossible to expect Lim's players to miss so many clean shots once again.
Another reason is that their keepers don't seem so dangerous that they could save 20 shots - they got 12 against the Netherlands, against France, and 10 against Montenegro. The Netherlands seems to be the best measure here as they also like a faster game - they scored 44 against them and I don't think Korea will score 10 goals less. The icing on the cake is that tomorrow is the day of rest and Lim's team will not need additional rest when their yesterday's game was not too demanding considering the tournament had just started. Details

It takes a huge motivation to beat someone by almost 20 points and to play consistently. Pytlick said that his main focus is the game against Serbia tomorrow and that he wants to rest his main players in the duel against Algeria. So, his team has no motivation for "crushing" their opposition, it is important to get the points. Since Denmark is playing the last game of the day and will have less than 23 hours to rest and prepare for Serbia, I expect this game to be a bit calmer as their goal is not to get tired for no reason. Algeria have shown against Brazil that they have no problem with taking advantage of their opponents relaxation in the game and I believe they will do so today, especially near the end of the game when the matter of who wins here will be settled. Details

The Brazilian coach very clearly that this is a duel between two very hard teams. And accordingly, it is hard to expect there will be a lot of points here. He is known as a coach that calms the tempo and relies on defense in away games in front of full stands, and this is one such game. The most common word uttered by him and his players was patience and one should not expect Brazil to play different than usual. We should also mention that Soubak has a great pair of keepers at his disposal which is a bonus for this under.
The Serbian coach Bošković praised his pair of keepers ahead of this game too, but he also highlighted the very constant defensive game despite the numerous rotations in the last round against Algeria. This is a good condition for Serbia to play a similar game like the one against Sweden in front of their own fans at the EC when it ended 23-23 or against France when it ended 18-17. They've barely gone over this margin against Norway and Denmark and these are the teams that have a much faster tempo of the game than their opponents for today. Because of this, a game around 50 goals is more likely than a game over this margin. Details

So far in the competition, Congo conceded 31 vs France and 35 vs Montenegro. Both of those teams are primarily known for their strong defenses and not a very strong tempo. Korea are a complete opposite. While the European teams play shallow defenses, the Asian representative plays much deeper, and also pushes for much faster tempo. For any opponent to win vs a deep defense, they need technical expertise, and Congo definitely lack that. I therefore expect them to make more mistakes, which will give Korea even more opportunities for easy goals in counterattacks. An added problem for Congo is that their key players are bigger and somewhat slower, which could create problems when the Korean team attacks vs a set-up defense. They pass the ball around very quickly, and if defense fails to follow accordingly, they easily get shots on the goal. It is obvious the Asian selection should dominate on both sides of the court, and we should also add that Congo are missing Lusamba, who was their top scorer vs Montenegro. With her missing, the African team might suffer an even bigger collapse than the one at they had at the opening of this competition. I expect Korea to score close to 40 goals, especially since their next duel tomorrow is vs Dominican Republic, so they don't need to save their energy much. Details

I'm not the least surprised that some of the bookmakers increased this margin to 60 goals. According to what the Danish national team showed against Korea yesterday, this duel should easily get to that number of points. Pytlickov's team easily managed to solve the deep defense of the Asian representatives, and they need to do that today, as well. They have a few players who can deal with those kinds of situations, Kristiansen first of all, and also the shooter Jorgensen who can take advantage of the possible pull back of the Japanese defense.
On the other hand, there's Japan who also play a very fast handball, typically Asian. They were left at 54 goals against the Serbia in the first duel, only thanks to the initial 7-8 minutes where the goalies had as much defenses as in the rest of the game. I don't expect that kind of situation today because this isn't the opening of the championship, and the Danish team are pretty concerned with their goalies' performances. True, Greve had over 50% saves yesterday, but she's very young, and it's not clear how consistent she can be at that level. Japan showed they're a lot better prepared than China in the first duel of the championship, so they should create more likely chances for scoring.
We should also add that tomorrow both teams have a day off, they have nothing to make them try to spare themselves, so we should expect a lot of running throughout the whole game. Details

A very fast Korea, usually a favorite for winning the medal, scored 22 goals against Montenegro, and the bookmakers expect Congo to score only four less - not very likely. The African representative showed against France that they depend too much on their left backcourt, and were left with 13 goals. I don't expect anything different than that today, as a matter of fact, I expect Montenegro to do an even better job because they have a day off tomorrow, and don't need to rest any players. Pavicevic said they're fully focused on Congo, Adzic clearly said they'll prepare the tactics for them, and when a team with such a quality defense, like Montenegro, prepares well for a duel against Congo, then they can hardly concede 18+ goals. Details

After the duel in Djakovo, I am even more convinced that Kastela can overcome this handicap against Moslavina. Moslavina are having a lot of problems with the away games. They seem to lack motivation for them, and they have to travel quite a lot today as well. That should be great for the home team - Moslavina should be arriving to the arena only around an hour before the game - they won't even have time to rest after the trip.
But, more importantly, Moslavina won by five goals in their first head to head game, and Kastela now need a convincing win by those five goals, in case they fight to stay in the League, in which case these points and goal difference count. They shouldn't lack motivation today, and that is the only thing they need to win by six or more goals.
Moslavina can't count on their first choice left and right wings who scored 13 goals in the first game, their first choice middle back who scored 3 from three attempts with three assists, and their line man who scored 4 goals without a single miss...that put them in quite a difficult situation. The only good thing is, Masnec is back, but we can't expect any brilliance on his pat today, especially because he won't have much help from his colleagues. Middle backs Plese and Vidos are quite inferior to Kastela's players physically, young Crnojevic hasn't been doing good for a few rounds, and the home team should be able to take advantage of it to win. Details

The first thing that pops to my mind at the mention of France is the brilliant defense. Not much has changed since Krumbholz left, actually, Portes demands an even more aggressive approach in that segment of the game. New coach said it all in his statement that for him, a quality match is not only the one where players concede less than 20 goals. Since he took over, Slovakians scored 18, Finns 13, Tunisians 18 twice in a friendly duels against them. I can't say anything for Finland, but Slovakia and Tunis definitely are a level above Congo in terms of offense. Tunis played a tied match against Angola in the African Cup finals, while Congo lost to Angola in the semifinals with 20 points difference. The score was 39-19 then, and Angola defeated them in the group with 40-15, and it's not a secret they're not that brilliant when it comes to defense. The French are a lot stronger in that segment, and I can't even imagine Congo scoring only one goal less than the far stronger teams. Just for the sake of comparison, thea French team left a team like Sweden with 17 scored goals on the last EC, Serbia with 18, and that's a whole other level of handball for this African representative. Details