Pitfalls, flops: our predictions on bets to avoid during the Women's Euro Handball 2024
by Cydias Aujard | by Cydias Aujard
Host countries able to create surprise
This is a first data to take into account for all bettors when you make your Euro Women's Handball 2024 forecast. On paper, Austria, Switzerland and Hungary are far from being favourites. These three nations will have a big advantage, especially in the preliminary round: they will play their matches at home. And we know how important it is to play in front of your fans for such events!
You have to keep that in mind when playing. By betting against one of the host countries, you are not stacking the odds in your favour. Even when they don't seem to be the favourites for their match, they will be able to spring a surprise thanks to the support of their fans. While the preliminary round matches will be played in all three countries, the second phase will take place in Hungary and Austria. From the semi-finals onwards, all the matches will be played in Austria, near Vienna.
Watch out for big names who don't arrive in top form
Denmark and France are expected to do battle for the title, a rivalry that has grown in importance in recent years. . There are, however, other big names in women's handball who are hoping to fight it out for overall victory or, at the very least, a place on the podium. You should certainly be aware of them just by looking at the odds offered for the winner of the competition by the bookmakers.
Nations such as Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany will all be aiming high at this Women's Euro. Bear in mind, however, that some of these outsiders are far from coming into the eagerly-awaited event with a great deal of confidence.
The Netherlands and Germany will not be starting the tournament in top form.
This is particularly true of the Netherlands. The Netherlands were in a very accessible group at the last Olympics, losing only to France (32-28). But as soon as the going got a little tougher, they just couldn't cope. The Netherlands were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Denmark (29-25). To make matters worse, they lost their last two matches before the competition, against Germany (23-27) and Norway (33-25).
And in the same preliminary round group, Germany are not necessarily much more convincing. Their win over the Netherlands was their only victory in their last six matches. Although these two nations should make it through to the main round, they may well find it a little harder once they come up against some very strong opponents.
High-scoring matches are rare
For those uninspired by 1N2 betting, it's not uncommon to turn to betting on the number of goals. And when an under/over is available, it's often the over that you'll want to go for. Generally, when you want to follow a match, you expect to see a lot of goals.
However, the opposite is true in most major competitions. It's not for nothing that they say defence wins titles! The further we progress in the tournament, the more the top nations will want to show themselves to be very solid. At the last edition, only 19% of matches had more than 58.5 goals. Think about that before you head for the under/over of a match.
Watch out for parity scores
You've probably guessed it! Of course, the odds on draws are always very tempting. However, they rarely go through. Need proof? At the last edition of the Women's Euro Handball Championship, there were only 6% draws. If you're playing for a draw, you're going to have to rely on luck.
Even if there isn't much of it, there is still some. And that's what we want to make clear from now on. From the knockout stages onwards, the fixtures are often tight. To avoid being caught out by a match that goes to extra time or penalties, it is important to avoid betting on the result of the match and instead bet on the winner.
It would be a shame to bet on France winning the match in normal time, but then coming out on top in extra time.
Don't stay focused on 1X2 bets
This is the case for most punters and for any sporting discipline. During major competitions, it's 1N2 bets that you're going to gravitate towards. However, this is also the time to discover new horizons. French bookmakers offer a huge range of betting options for the biggest competitions, such as the Women's Euro Handball Championship.
So you don't just have to concentrate on the result of the match. Customers can also focus on the goal difference between two nations. This can be very interesting when you imagine an outsider catching a favourite. For example, you could very well decide to bet on a nation that does not lose by more than two goals in the match.
Another bet not to be overlooked is the result at half-time and at the end of the match. This can considerably boost the odds of the favourite country, when you see it dominating throughout the match. Especially since the nation leading at half-time won 68% of the time at the last European Championship.
