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Denmark surprised the world of volleyball by passing through the group stage. Although them and the Belarusians are the two weakest teams, their win and reaching the final 16 is still a wonder. I have already written many times that they don't have the width and depend on Ditlevsen and sometimes Knudsen and Jensen play their part. Their last match against Belarus physically exhausted them but what is more important they are completely mentally drained and it was obvious with all the players after the match. They fulfilled their objective and they are aware there is mission impossible ahead of them now. It wouldn't be the first time that the team who does a great achievement completely blunders in their next match. Serbia is definitely a team that no one wants to face, not in this moment. They started the tournament very poorly and it was obvious they play under pressure. They lost against Slovenia, were losing 2-0 against Netherlands and when they saw things are going downhill, they played fantastic three sets. It was obvious they were relieved and they showed that in a calm match against Finland in which they secured this duel. Their performance is definitely growing, their confidence after turning the tables against Netherlands huge and their opponent is ideal. What is most important is they are all calling to caution which means they will not underestimate the Danes. If they repeat their performance from the last five sets, Denmark will only get leftovers. Details

If you have seen Italian matches since the end of the preparation matches all the way to the last match where the winner of the group was decided against Belgium, you would easily conclude that they are not the team that could contend for the top. Although the team has potential, they are not showing any so far. An underestimated match against Danmark, a lost set against the weak Belarus and then a loss against Belgium have definitely disrupted their confidence. Zaytsev is the only player to play all matches at top level while his biggest support was Parodi who got slightly injured in the last match but so far there are no announcements saying he will not play. Eight players are debutants on European Championship and it can be seen in their performance. The Dutch, however, play better and better as the tournament goes on. After a loss against Finland, they had the reigning European champions in their grasp but didn't know how to finish the job. In the last match they won against a quite strong team of Slovenia and now full of confidence they face the stricken Italians. In the preparation matches they have already shown they can fight the strongest teams and they won three times against the French who dominated the B group in Gdansk. They have a very strong team who already showed they can defeat Italians. Klapwijk, Rauwerdink and Ter Horst are playing in Italy for years and they know their team very well. The selector Benne openly stated they see themselves reaching far in this tournament so underestimating Netherlands this much is really ridiculous. The 177.5 limit is too low for such a tied match. Four sets are enough to go through and it is worth trying for a medium stake. Details

Italy and Belgium will decide in a direct duel about who will qualify for the quarter finals, and who will have to play more games in the eighth round. Neither team was brilliant in the past two games. The Italians initially struggled against Denmark and only later started to play, while against Belarus they lost a set and only then started to play as they know. It is clear that they are still not tuned in as they are supposed to be, eight players are rookies, and will need some time for their form them reach the desired level. Belgium has played against Belarus as they should, their coach praised the technicians Depestelea, and his organization of attack could bring a lot to Belgium. Yesterday they played poorly against Denmark, but for that they're the only ones to blame. They led 16-11 in the first set and then stopped. Apparently they thought that Denmark would beat itself after they beat them in this year's European League four times 3-0. They have a lot of reserve, and Italy is the opponent that always brings out the best. They did not accidentally win the Europa League without defeat, and now they can definitely attack the Italians, so this is my margin of 170.5 points missed. Bet365 only has this margin while in others it is 177.5. To pass there are needed four sets, and these 177.5 of can be taken, but with lower stakes, while 170.5 is worth a 4 Units stake. Details

The outcome of the Netherlands-Slovenia match had a direct impact on this pick, so we were awaiting that game to end. The Netherlands beat Slovenia and overcame Serbia, who now need a win against Finland, who have already secured the top spot. I don't think the Finland head coach will give a lot of play time to his best players, while this match will decide whether Serbia will qualify from the group stage. Serbia came to Herning as the defending champions, but they are not the first favourites to win the gold. They looked very good in the preparation for the tournament, they beat strong teams, such as Poland and Bulgaria. But they have been disappointing in the tournament so far. They lost the opener to Slovenia, and were two sets down against the Netherlands yesterday. After head coach Kolakovic made some substitutions, Serbia finally started playing. They looked powerful, and the Dutch stood no chance. Kolakovic said that the players need to break free from all the pressure, and that is exactly what the did in this game. After the game, everybody was full of self-confidence and they were adamant that they will continue playing in the same fashion. Finland is without doubt a very good team who have been together for several years, but it would be unwise to tire their top players in a match that is unimportant to them. I believe Serbia will repeat their fantastic performance from their last three sets yesterday. They played like champions ought to, and I expect them to do the same once again, in which case, handicap/spread should be an easy bet. Marathonbet are offering -7, Bet Victor -7,5, and William Hill -8,5. Details

Netherlands and Slovenia will decide their fate in the tournament in a direct duel. Slovenia is in a better position because it would secure the next round with victory, while the Netherlands would have to wait the outcome of the Serbia-Finland game and hope for the defeat of Serbia. Both teams have shown that they have quality, but they fail to hold it for the entire match and have difficulty winning 3-0. Slovenia has played its best game in the first round against Serbia when it won 3-1 in the match of 184 points . Then followed the defeat against Finland, and the match ended at 193 points. The Dutch have lost both of their matches, first against Finland (192 points), and yesterday they missed a 2-0 lead and lost (196 points). Today the nerves will definitely be at play, the stakes are high, and both teams have so far shown that they have no power to win games without losing a set. Although it was friendly, their last match ended on 214 points, and this margin of 183.5 points is considered to be too low and attainable, because I expect an exciting match and it would not surprise me to go to the very end and the fifth set. Bet365, Bwin and Marathon border held at 185.5, which is still a profitable margin, by which it pays off to play. Details

This is basically a repeat pick from yesterday when I played under in the match between Denmark and Italy. The Danes had one their better performances of late, but that still wasn't enough to press the Italians. As it says in the preview, they are completely dependant on Ditlevsen. Although he played well, the rest of the team didn't do the same. If we look at their performances in the European League, it is evident that the Danes have trouble playing two good games in a row. Yesterday's defeat was their 14th in a row, and they will lose once again today. Belgium had a tricky opponent on the opening day. However, they showed their quality and beat Belarus with a routine performance. Depestele was excellent and Belarus coach Sidelnikov said that he crushed them with his well organized attacks. The rest of the team were up for the match as well and they are hoping they can be successful here after winning the Europa League. Van den Dries, Deroo, Verhees and Van de Vorde have shown that they mean business, so I expect another easy win. They played against Denmark four times in the Europa League and won in straight sets every time, even though the sets are played to 21, which makes it easier to lose a set than when it's played to 25, as is the case in this competition. Belgium might even be in a better rhythm than the Italians, and the line is set higher than yesterday, so the stakes will be a bit bigger this time. Also, a good option would be to take the handicap. In that case, the stakes should be one unit smaller. Details

Int he preview it was written how Denmark would never saw this European Championship if they weren't the organizers. They simply don't have the level needed to fight the best European teams. They don't have enough players abroad and they don't have the experience of playing matches like these. Their team depends on one player, the opposite Mads Ditlevsen. After him, the best player is the receiver Knudsen who is 34 and it is very clear that this team is very "thin". As this is their first match in front of home crowd, they will be nervous as there are many young and inexperienced players in the team. Italy are the vice champions and they announced to go for the medals this year and everyone points out the importance of the first match. They warn that the host is never to be underestimated and they will play the match at their maximum. Savani, Parodi, Kovar, Zaytsev and Vettori are from a whole different world when Danes are concerned. All things considered, the limit of 130 points seems attractive and a spread can be taken into consideration for the same stake. The stake is smaller only because it is the first round. Details

This is the first game for both teams and they will surely be nervous. Serbia defends their champions title from two years ago, but they no longer have Miljkovic who won some games by himself. Atanasijevic substituted him well, the team is still strong, but their training camp shower they still have not reached their top form. They played ten games, lost two and in their eight wins they managed to win only two without losing a set (against Czech Republic and Egypt). Slovenia had a great training camp and some see them as a team that can win a medal. They played ten games and won eight of them. They played against top ranking teams, they defeated Bulgaria (3-1), Canada (3-1), Turkey (3.1), two times Belgium (3-1). They are very anxious to play against Serbia and they announce they can win that game. Pajenk, Gasparini, Vincic, Urnaut and Vincic are high-quality players and can definitely be a threat for Serbia today. Slovenia is underestimated in this game and they can surely win at least a set, and that would easily ensure "over" bet. Details