Croatia vs Iceland Prediction 24 January 2025

Should we agree with the sportbooks' assessment that Croatia and Iceland have comparable chances of success in the next round of the World Championship? We will focus on this and other important questions in our prediction. It should be noted that the teams clashed at the Euro last winter, and then the Scandinavians were quicker on the draw (35:30).

Croatia

Croatia poses a serious threat to competitors, as it always demonstrates magnificent handball at home. The team's roster is full of top players capable of being maximally effective in every area of the court. Last night, Dagur Sigurdsson's gang inflicted a crushing defeat on Cabo Verde (44:24), thus fully redeeming themselves in the eyes of their fans for an earlier loss to Egypt (24:28). After a fiasco at the summer Olympics, the "checkered" team thoroughly worked on their weaknesses, which translated into a win streak of six matches.

Iceland

Iceland has won four consecutive games, which is bad news for the rest. The team has never boasted exemplary stability. But now it looks maximally combat-ready. The Scandinavians did not participate in the Olympic Games due to unsatisfactory results, which led to a quality "debriefing". Yesterday, the guys narrowly defeated the Egyptians (27:24), securing some margin by the end of the first half (13:9).

Editorial Prediction

In this match, Croatia, in our opinion, will show a solid performance in attack. The public will inevitably provide substantial support to the hosts, and we believe that they will not disappoint. An individual total for the home team of more than 25.5 is the preferred option for the match.