Norway – Romania

Norway and Romania square off in arguably the most anticipated semifinal of the Women’s Handball World Cup, with the Nordic side a massive favorite according to the bookies. Earlier in the tournament Norway defeated Romania 26-22.

Norway was always one of the biggest favorites to lift the trophy, but right now they are by far the number 1 seed. A number of surprises have left Norway with a huge chance to go all the way and looking at how the Nordic side performed so far, they might go all the way. Norway lost a game to Russia in the group stages, but was good in all other games, including in solid wins over Germany (28-22) and Montenegro (26-25) in the Round 16 and quarterfinals. While Norway has been very solid, a case can be made that they are far from perfect and certainly look beatable.

Romania lost all three matches that mattered in the group stages, including a 22-26 loss at the hands of Norway. With a rather old team, Romania was written off by everybody, but they put on two brilliant performances in the KO stage to beat Brazil (25-22) and Denmark (31-30). The Wednesday match against Denmark was incredible, with drama all around, but Romania edged it in overtime against the host nation, mainly due to 15 goals by Neagu. Neagu, probably the best player in the world, was absolutely brilliant in the quarters and Romania will know that their superstar needs to put on another show on Friday – otherwise, beating Norway will be impossible.

Bet now on Norway – Romania with the highest Women’s Handball World Cup odds.

Norway is the better team and they have a very important fitness advantage. Romania is coming after a draining fight with Denmark and considering that they have a couple of old key players, this might prove to be a struggle. However, Romania has been excellent in the knockout stages, morale is at an all time hiogh and if Neagu manages to put on another performance like the one against Norway, an upset might well happen.

Unfortunately for Romania, it seems unlikely that Neagu’s supporting cast will be able to put on a third consecutive top class performance. Some old veterans, coupled with some inexperienced young guns, might well feel the fatigue after that crazy match against Denmark. On the other hand, Norway has not been perfect so far – they have weaknesses.

Romania was not at its best in the pool stages, experimented a bit with the squad and still had a chance against Norway – the 4 goal loss being a little harsh for the Romanians. I can see a motivated, in form and spirited Romania side putting in a big fight here and even though I think they will eventually collapse physically, the 4 point handicap is well within their reach. 4 points is a huge line to give for a semifinal, particularly considering Romania’s form and morale, but also the fact that Norway are far from being an unbeatable team.

Look for a close game, with Norway running away with the win in the last 10 minutes. My tip is Romania to cover the 4 goal handicap. Look for the odds to drop on this bet and the line is likely to go down. Prediction: Norway – Romania 25 – 23.

Pick: Romania +4
Odds: 1.94 @ 1xBet
Stake: 10
Possible profit: 9.40
Event date: 18 December