Hammarby IF vs Saint-Raphaël Var Handball: match preview on 13 October 2026

Hammarby IF to win

This changes if Saint-Raphaël Var Handball match the 37:34 performance they produced against Cesson-Rennes Métropole on 9 October, when they scored three more goals than they conceded and proved capable of breaking down a French opponent.

Hammarby arrive with momentum. Three victories in their last five matches have given them nine points, and they closed that run with a 26:23 win over Helsingborg HK at home on 11 October. Their European League campaign has been mixed — a 30:28 victory against Nexe on 6 October followed by a 28:37 defeat to Elverum on 29 September — but the recent trajectory points upward. They have scored 146 goals in those five games, averaging nearly 29 per match, and while they have conceded 150, the attacking output suggests they can trouble any defence.

Saint-Raphaël Var Handball are struggling to find consistency. One win from five matches — that 37:34 result against Cesson-Rennes Métropole on 9 October — has yielded only three points. Their European League record is worse: two defeats from two matches, losing 32:36 to Elverum on 6 October and 26:33 to Nexe on 29 September. They have scored 147 goals in five games but conceded 162. The gap between their best performance and their worst is stark, and the European League results offer little comfort.

The group standings tell a clearer story. Hammarby sit third with two points from two matches, having won one and drawn one. Saint-Raphaël are fourth with zero points from two matches, drawing both. Hammarby's advantage of two points reflects a team that has secured results where the French side has not. The pressure falls on Saint-Raphaël to find a win, which may force them into a more open game than they would prefer.

Both teams have shown they can score freely, but neither has been tight at the back. Hammarby have conceded 30 goals in two European League matches, Saint-Raphaël 69 in the same competition. If the match follows the pattern of their recent European League outings — high-scoring, end-to-end — Hammarby's superior form gives them the edge. They have already beaten Nexe, a team Saint-Raphaël lost to, and they have the home advantage to build on that.

There is no reason for Hammarby not to take all three points. A 29:27 scoreline fits the pattern — both sides scoring heavily, Hammarby edging it by two goals. The data supports a home win, and the probability is high. Unless Saint-Raphaël rediscover the form they showed against Cesson-Rennes, when they outscored their opponents by three goals and looked comfortable. If they do, the match becomes unpredictable.