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Looking at h2h stats only, this tip doesn't make much sense but we have to say that it's the period of time since 2011 and more importantly, the game concept and the player potential on the teams is now much different. Russia has Illina as the play maker, their attacks are now extra fat and every offense line is active. The efficiency is not an issue but the number of technical errors are since Russia simply have too many of those in each match. Sweden are, on the other hand, a fast-paced team that almost always wants to score an extra goal. That is what saw them win the bronze medal at the last EC. They played the kind of a game that results in 60 goals against the Dutch in their last match (finished at 58 in the end). I think the game against Russia will be very similar to that since the Russians have a lot more far-distanced ammunition compared to the Dutch, who rely on a single player (Polman). Details

these teams met twice in the last 12 months. One of the matches was at 2014 Euro, which finished as a 30-30 draw, and the other one was a test match from early June, which finished at 'only' 50 goals (30-20). The total goals from their first match are much realistic. First of all, it was an official match and second of all, it was important. The second reason is a very similar game style these teams have - fast transition, and pace and a lot of good shooters. The Dutch played that test game in Sweden without three important players, while key players played limited minutes. Let's just add that the Swedish goal keeper had 13 saves in the first half alone in that match. This match is taking place after a weekend during which most players had big club games. The result is not important here, the most important thing is to survive this without any injuries ahead of the WC that starts in 8 days. That especially goes for Sweden since they already have the final roster for that competition. It's a game where the 55-goals over is the more likely margin. Details

Innsbruck have 3-2 from, the first game but they are not an absolute favorite today. Their game and result from the first match weren't good enough to make them such heavy favorites. They lost the first set in that match, wont he next two easily and then barely won the last one. They had better serve and the two internationals who make a difference. Wafer are nearly an amateur team but they have been together for years now, and almost he entire lineup plays for the national team. Their top player hit 31 point in the first match to be the most efficient player on either team. They don't lack experience or height compared to Austrian.
Innsbruck have 5 wins in 7 games in the Austrian championship but only one in straight sets. The fact they need only two points here to advance through is good news for us as well. The odds are simply too high for one set at Walfer and that is worth going for here. Details

Although not even a third of the season is over in Bundesliga, this is one of those matches which can determine the further placement. Both teams are counting on points which are very important if they want to stay in the league. Both teams are sharing the last two places on the table and they each have one point. We're talking about the two teams with the two worst offenses. Rosengarten with an average of 24 goals per matches, and Celle with an ever worse average of 22. Celle are this season once more familiar as the team who play on "one goal less", with high quality center defense zone with Kima Wahle, Renerr Verschoren and Milica Covic who came this summer from Metzingen because of her defensive qualities. They are a team who don't have the width, who rotate a maximum of ten players and they rarely play a fast-paced match. The home Rosengarten are also not a team for a quick transition, and the exception are situations when they are playing against teams who prefer that. Celle are definitely not that rank. Considering that in the last round against Fuchse in Berlin Steinfurth injured herself, today Rosengarten will have a single pivot in their roster, Kaiser, which is another reason which favors the fact that they will need mind over muscle. The fact that it's an "under" is also confirmed by the result from the preparation period (Rosengarten - Celle 24-18). Details

Seven days ago the first match in Esbjerg ended with Team Esbjerg's win (30-26). What needs to be taught from the first match, and what's important doe today's pick, are the following facts: Esbjerg played at their recognizable offensive level for only ten minutes, from the start of the middle of the second half. The players missed all four 7-meter throws, the Turks missed another one, in the last three minutes there was a single goal, and general the pace of the match was for around 60 goals.
The players have four goals to pack, they have space for calculations too, but they're not such a team, and their coach Lars Frederisken confirmed that, a day before today's match:
- This is going to be a big experience for us, to play in weird circumstances before loud Turkish fans. The referees are arriving from the non-handball nation Moldavia and we have to be ready for everything. What I know and what I believe is that we're far better, that we can play a lot better than we did the first time We won't defend our four-goal advantage, we're after our second win with our offensive game and I believe that we can beat them with seven, eight, and maybe even 10 goals of difference.
Considering that he has explosive players in his team, such as the Dutch Estevana Polman, and top shots like Swede Jenny Alm and Norwegian Betina Riegelhuth, there is no reason not to trust him. Details

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The first game in which Slovenian runner-up Zagorje were formal 'hosts' was played in Dessau, in front of 948 fans and that game has, with maximum seriousness in both defenses, finished with Leipzig's win by nine goals (26-17). Today's game will be played at the Leipzig's Arena that can hold 8000 people, and the home team announced it as 'the last game before Christmas in which they expect excellence and a win as a gift to the fans'. Considering the result from the first game, today's game is a pure formality, but Leipzig's coach, Norman Rentsch expects his team to 'give their best'. 'I want all the players that play to give their maximum. Two days ago I was partially disappointed that we didn't finish a lot of simple situations in the offense', end quote.
In the conditions where this is Leipzig's last game before the break that will last until the end of December, when they already secured advancement into the next round of the EHF Cup, and when they are playing their second game in only two days, we can expect more of a fun game for the home fans and a game at over 50 goals. Details

It is true that any kind of win is enough for Thuringer, but I trust the 'German' mentality and the problems that Podravka have been constantly having in Champions League, especially ahead of today's game. Podravka lost two of their away games this season, convincingly in Budapest (16-28), and tightly in France against Fleury (17-19). We should mention that Podravka were losing by 7 after 40 minutes of the game against Fleury (8-15) and the reason they lost only by two is the French team's big drop. Unlike the first game in Koprivnica, when Thuringer had played three games in eight days and arrived with 11 players (two of whom were goalkeepers) on the roster and in such format defeated Podravka by six, their situation is much better now, and the team is more rested since they haven't played a game since November 11th. Podravka are at their last gasp, parallel participation in two competitions is taking its toll, on Wednesday they lost in the championship to Lokosica, in a game in which they scored only 15 goals, and starting right back Dezic will be absent today due to injury, left back Frankovic has injured foot, coach Mrdjen announces rotation and that, regardless of the result, he will give a chance to those players that haven't played much so far. With such lineup, and evident problems Podravka are having in their offense, I would refute everything I wrote about Podravka so far if I wouldn't bet on today's offered margin on Thuringer's win in handicap, at least for a set stake. Details

Silkeborg host both the match today and the one tomorrow. There is no question who is the favorite here. The Danes are heavy favorites but what caught my attention here is the u/o margin that is based on Silkeborg's results in the Danish league. It is therefore at least 2-3 goals off. These two teams are quite similar, with short backfield players, fast organizers and great cooperation with the players on the line (Frey at the Swiss team is one of the most efficient players in offense). The difference is, things at the Danish team seems to be at a higher level since they have a lot of experience and the top team Troelsen can score 10 goals on average easily, especially in games like these when they meet a team that makes a lot of mistakes in offense. Spono Eagles played a derby in the Swiss cp two days against the top contender for the title and lost that match 24-31 after conceding half of the goals from fastbreaks. The Swiss team beat Zalgiris in ENF cup before this two-legged game. It was 38-27 in the first leg and then they lost the second one 25-35. Eagles played in at a tournament in Germany in preseason where they lost to top tier Metzingen 18-19, beat TSV 17-16 and a third-tier Allenbach 23-15. Each half time was 20 minutes in those games. The total goals says it would have finished at 55-56. The fact Silkeborg beat Aarhus 35-26 before the championship break says it all about where they are at the moment. Details

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This is Esbjerg's third match in seven days (they lost the national cup semifinal to Midtjylland 21-26 on Wednesday, played 31-26 in the EHF Cup against the Turkish Ardesen on Sunday). As much as their coach tries to cover it, his players are at the end of their strengths, and can't wait for a month-long break coming in the championship. The fact that Lotte Grigel left didn't influence their results much, but they can't keep playing forever with only four back players in the roster, plus the starter right wing Maibrit Kviesgaard is out now. Copenhagen had an awful start, they needed win to boost their confidence back, and stabilize the team mentally because they've got individual quality. Four of their players are playing for the Danish national team, two could join them, three are playing for the junior national team, and two for the Swedish and Dutch national teams. They're coming to Esbjerg with a 2-game win streak, the second one in an away match against Randers, one of the best three teams of the season so far, who got a point against Esbjerg in the second round. The timing is right, and they can get a result much better than the handicap offered for this match. Details

Odense struggled with injuries since the beginning of the season. Now, everyone's here except for the middle back Offendal. Maria Adler, their main offensive player, struggled with injuries until last month, but is back now. Even like that, they still looked more serious than Viborg. What's important here is that Viborg's former goalie is now tending the goal for Odense, Chana Masson. She knows half of Viborg's team very well, is in a great form, and was the best player against Esbjerg in her team's last duel. Unlike last season, Viborg now have the width they need, but not individual quality, and everything depends on Rika Skov and Ann Great Norgaard in the offense. They got used up playing three fronts in the last two away matches in the last ten days, against Holstebro and Metz, unlike Odense who could get ready for today calmly. The conditions work perfectly for the home team, and we should use that. Details

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Before today's first match of the third round of the Cup Winners' Cup against the Turkish Ardesen, Esbjerg's coach Lars Frederiksen announced the main goal of his team: "We know there's a big difference between Ardesen at home and Ardesen away, and we want to use that to our advantages so we don't become dependent on some unpredictable evens in the second leg, and that demands our maximum 60 minutes in this match". That means we can expect a full approach from the best Danish offense, a match for an extra goal, what's the usual thing in their matches, especially at home. During the last season in the EHF cup, Esbjerg took all of their matches into an "over" on a margin like this (Zagorje 35-26, H65 Hoors 32-28, ERD 28-29). At the start of this season in the qualification tournament semi-finals for the Champions League, they played against the second Turkish club Ankara Yenimahalla, and that match ended at 60 goals (32-28). Ardesen in the second round beat the Swedish Skuru, in the first match it was 25-30, and in the second they won with 32-20. Skuru are a "dead" team compared to the rhythm Esbjerg force and the offense potential they, have, and against such a slow team, Ardesen in the first match scored 36 goals in the first half. The starting crew is a Balkan-Ukrainian mix, back line is led by Serbia's Tamara Georgijev who has great offense potential. To sum up, rivals for a match which is best suited for a 60-goal margin. Details

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In Oldenburg's roster for this game won't be only Caroline Muler. Jensen, Wenzl and Birke, who were absent in the last 2-3 weeks have returned this week. Birke scored 6 goals in her first game against Dortmund. We can expect Oldenburg to play today like they did at the start of the season, with fast transition and a lot of goals from counterattacks. We should also mention that Olsenburg's defense is third 'worst' in the championship which is also in favor of today's prediction.
Their hosts from Tagliatti are one of two main favorites to win the Russian championship. They have eight potential members of the Russian national team, they have covered all positions and acquired two back players from Volgograd, Akopian and Dmitireva, who have Champions League experience. They are, so far, the most efficient team in the Russian league with an average of almost 38 goals per game. These two teams faced each other in August twice, Lada won both of those games (26-20, 20-16). The format of the tournament was such that they played only one half of 30 minutes. Details

Lyon opened the season as one of the favorites for the title but soon because the greatest favorites given their performances and the performances of their greatest contenders. Lyon are on an 11-game winning run since the start of the season. They have not conceded a single goal yet and won by less than 3 goals only once, while winning 8 out of the 11 games by 5 or more goals. They beat PSG 5-0, Medyk Konin in Turkey 6-0 and then 3-0 home in Champions League round of 16. Lyon had some injury struggles last month but that is all in the past now and they are almost complete (only center back Renard is out).
On the other hand, the Spanish league runner-ups from last season Atletico made a spectacular comeback in the round of 16 to reach this stage. They lost to the Russian team of Zorky home 0-2 and then won 3-0 away,by scoring both goals in the lst five minutes after the Russians missed a penalty kick. Atletico are top-table in the Spanish championship but they will be without two important offense players today. Lyon came to Madrid looking to make it among the Top 8 CL teams and their quality, form, and results suggest they will be able to do that. Details

There isn't much philosophy in Dortmund's performances this season, defense is their trademark. Their concept is based on defense, which currently conceded the least goals in the German championship and led by one of the best European goalkeepers, Clara Voltering, with three experienced and physically dominant players, Nadgornaja, Schela and Anna Muller, all former players of the best German teams like Thuringer, Leipzig and Oldenburg. All six of their games this season finished under the offered margin, three games they lost but weren't favorites, finished well under (Thuringer 17-22, Buxtehuder 18-22, Leipzig 23-25). Today they are facing Oldenburg who are, after the great start, in a bit of a result crisis with two straight defeats. The main reason for their crisis is the fact that four of their players got injured, three of which were starters. They are missing their second best scorer and playmaker Caroline Muller (31 goals), two back players Wenzl (17 goals in four games) and Nadja Jensen, as well as left wing Kim Birke (16 goals in four games). It is possible that the latter one will be on the roster today. Oldenburg are a team that, until two rounds ago, had the fastest transition and the most goals scored from counterattacks, but with such players, and with changes especially in the middle-back position, Oldenburg lost their efficiency and they had a lot of problems with realization of attacks which was evident in their last game against Leverkusen. Today those problems will be even more evident against the best defense in Germany. Details

The home team coach expects improvements in offense after a ten-day break during which they worked on that segment and fastbreaks. On the other hand, there are now to face a team that not only concedes more goal than any other team on average (32 per game) but also conceded most goals from opponents' fast breaks. While they conceded a lot, they are also regarded as a team that seeks to score fast. They have over 50 shots per game, mostly through backfield player Madsen, who was among the top 3 scorer in the league until last round. At the same time, Madsen takes more shots than anyone else. Their four overs in the last 5 championship matches suggest that we should expect that today again. When they could finish in over against Midtjylland (by far the best defense in the league) last round, there is no reason for that not to happen against Silkeborg today. Details

One lost point in Croatia didn't change a thing as for today's rivals. Fleury are individually better and a lot more experienced, they're especially dominant in one-on-one situations. Was it bad tactical preparation, lack of focus or lack of want, the fact is that Fleury failed a week ago in Koprivnica and that we didn't see not even 30% of their real potential. Even like that, with only one player who was in the mood, forward Cabral Barbosa, Fleury had 16-12 for 35 minutes, and then failed in the last two offenses for +5 and they got lost. In the next 25 minutes the scored only four goals, a situation which is nowhere near possible today. The home court is a big advantage, and the referee criteria will be different; that criteria tolerated the home defense in the first match who was, almost the entire time, above the regular "roughness" line. Podravka didn't do good in away matches even when they were at their top, in the last two seasons of Champions League they were never under -6, on the first and the only one for now this season in Budapest, against FTC, they "froze" at -12. That same FTC saved one points a couple of wees ago at this same court in their final offense. This "smells" like a new double-digit defeat. Details