Sweden - Netherlands predictions and free betting tips [15/01/2024]

Today, in the third stage of the preliminary round of the European Handball Championship, two teams that have already qualified for the main stage - Sweden and the Netherlands - will play.

Sweden team

The Sweden team approaches its third decisive match in the European Handball Championship showing confident play. The team has successfully advanced to the main stage of the championship, defeating two tournament outsiders: on 13 January, Sweden beat Georgia with a score of 42:26, and on 11 January, they overcame Bosnia and Herzegovina with a score of 29:20.

In 2023, the Swedish team only lost to Spain in January in the match for third place at the World Championship with a score of 36:39 and to Denmark in April with a score of 31:37, winning the other 13 matches. However, in preparation for the Euros, the Swedes showed excellent results in friendly matches, confidently winning their encounters: on 7 January, they beat Japan with a score of 43:23, and on 5 January, they won with a score of 42:30.

Thus, the Sweden team is in good condition ahead of the important match at the European Championship, demonstrating a high level of play.

Netherlands team

The Netherlands team started the European Handball Championship quite confidently and has already made it to the main stage, despite not being in the best form. In the first two rounds, the Dutch confidently defeated the main outsiders of their group: on 13 January, they beat Bosnia and Herzegovina with a score of 36:20, and on 11 January, they defeated Georgia with a score of 34:29.

However, over two tournaments in the Golden League, the team suffered 5 defeats in 6 matches. Particularly concerning are three crushing defeats, although the Dutch managed to beat Norway with a score of 37:32, a game that had no tournament significance for Norway. Other results in the Golden League include a loss to Denmark on 7 January with a score of 18:32, a defeat by Norway 35:38 on 6 January, a loss to Egypt 28:30 on 4 January, a defeat by Denmark 23:40 on 5 November, and a loss to Spain 28:39 on 2 November.

Head-to-Head 

The opponents have played each other five times since 2012, with the Swedes winning four matches, including the last two: a friendly match in 2022 with a score of 34:30 and a match at the World Championship with a score of 26:20.

Forecast for the Sweden - Netherlands match

In the match between two teams that have already decided their qualification, the clear favourites are the Swedes. I think they will play with their main lineup but traditionally play openly, considering the possibility of finishing first even with a draw due to a better goal difference. The "Oranges" might also play openly, so I bet on a total of over 61.5 goals.