Portugal vs Iceland: Injuries change the balance of power

Group B of the European Handball Championship is shaping up to be a real fight, as the hosts of the tournament, the Hungarians, sensationally lost to the Netherlands in Group 1. Portugal vs Iceland, any surprises in this encounter? 

The Portuguese made a sensational appearance at the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, finishing 6th at the last European Championships and qualifying. At the continental forum in Hungary and Slovakia, the Pyrenean squad could also have made noise, but many key players could not attend. Luis Frade, for example, won the Champions League with Barcelona but will not play for the national team due to a torn cruciate ligament. Pedro Portela, Alexis Borges, Andre Gomes, Belone Moreira, Humberto Gomes and João Ferraz also crashed out, with all six appearing in Portugal's World Cup 2021 squad bid in Egypt. The team's backbone is now drawn from Champions League side Porto, with Miguel Martins from Pick and Gilberto Duarte from Montpellier being notable among the foreigners.

At the Olympics, Paulo Pereira's side lost 4 of 5 matches, and since then, the team have played three friendly games. Having beaten the national team of Luxembourg and lost to Germany, the Pireneans soon took revenge on the Germans at home - 32:30. The most productive player in the team was Miguel Alves, who scored seven goals, with Miguel Martins and Victor Iturrisa scoring five goals apiece.

The Icelandic squad is a firmly-ranked mid-table side in world handball, having missed only two top tournaments in the last ten years - the Olympics in Rio and Tokyo. Some key players of the team did not go to the 2021 World Cup, including Aron Palmarsson, who played for the top clubs - Veszprém, Kiel and Barcelona. Haukur Thrastarson of Poland's Vive Kielce has not recovered in time for the European Championships and is not in the squad.

Preparations for the continental competition have been complicated because Lithuania have cancelled their friendlies, with the Icelandic squad playing their last game back in May last year. Gudmundur Gudmundsson's side finished first in their group to the Portuguese in the 2022 UEFA European Championship qualifiers, but Lithuania and Israel beat. In the previous game, the rivals of the Icelanders were Israelis, and the Scandinavian team was stronger with a score of 39:29. Sigvaldi Gudjonsson was the top scorer with seven goals. He was not included in the European Championship bid.

Several players who scored more than 100 goals for the national team dropped out of the Portuguese application. Very worrying for the linesman position, where Borges and Frade would be useful. On the other hand, the Icelanders have a decent squad, with many local players playing for strong European clubs. Compared to the last top tournament, the Scandinavians have become much stronger and are bound to fight for a place in the group. I propose to bet on the following outcomes:

• Handicap 2 (-2.5) for 1.88;
• Total Under 55.5 goals for 1.85;
• Portugal Total Under 26.5 goals for 1.80.