Episode 264 - Bundesliga with Björn Pazen, The league of dark horses, Schmeichel's love for handball keepers

Norway left no doubt about their status as the best side in world handball with a convincing final victory over Denmark, driven by an unstoppable second half performance. We break down the gold medal match, look at a lovely moment between the coaches, celebrate Hungary's bronze and dive into our alternative awards.

The big three are back in the semi-finals, no surprises there, but their special guest is Hungary this time.  We preview the two semi-finals and hear from Grace Zaadi, who speaks about returning to the front line of France's attack, post-Olympics motivation and taking on their classic foes Norway and Denmark this weekend.

From third choice at the Olympics to outstanding goalkeeper at a home EURO, it's been a breakout tournament so far for Zsofi Szemerey. She speaks to us about Hungary's perfect start to the tournament, her move abroad in the summer, and the road to a potential medal. And we look ahead to the main round and try to figure out who the genuine semi-final contenders are.

We're two rounds in to the championship and there has been little for the naysayers to complain about so far. Good atmospheres, results for the home nations and the newcomers in the expanded 24-team competition proving they belong. We delve into what has stood out to us so far and speak to Montenegro's Djurdjina Jaukovic, who has returned from an 11-month injury absence in style and has led her team to a perfect start in the tournament's toughest group. This is a teaser for the full episode, which is one of our Patreon-exclusive shows during the Women's EHF EURO. Catch the full episode and more bonus pods on patreon.com/handballhour

In our second preview pod, we look at some of the major contenders for the title, together with EHF journalist Courtney Gahan and commentator Alex Mair, while Fulya Öktem joins us to chat about debutants Türkiye. We also look at the player you should all be picking in the Holdet Fantasy league and throw some predictions your way!

It's the eve of the largest Women's EHF EURO to date and we have a large preview to go with it! In the first of our bumper previews with five expert guests, we turn the light on the home nations with some help from EHF journalist Danijela Vekic and former Austrian international-turned-TV expert Inés Rein. The second preview will be out on Thursday for all to enjoy, or already on Wednesday if you're with us on patreon.com/handballhour

With the Women's EHF Champions League going into its winter break, we reflect on one of the season's major stories, the demise and sudden reprieval of Vipers Kristiansand. TV2 Norway's Anja Borg breaks down the story of the 3-time champions' financial peril and looks ahead to a period of transition for Norway's national teams. We also check in on the Bundesliga, where Flensburg piled on to Kiel's misery with a derby win and Melsungen keep on trucking at the top.

TV2's Lars Bruun-Mortensen joins us to discuss the surprise sacking of Maik Machulla as Aalborg coach. Last season's Champions League finalists have developed a unique culture over the years, which seemingly did not fit with Machulla's practices and vision. Was it the right call to pull the plug after just four months and what next for the Danish side?

Aron Palmarsson's transfer to Veszprem last week caught us all by surprise. Filling in for the injured Yehia Elderaa, how will the Icelandic superstar fit in with a club he left under acrimonious circumstances seven years ago? Teddi 'Ponza' Palmason joins us to speak about the move, what we can expect and making his senior handball debut with him many moons ago. And we catch up on the Women's Champions League, which is heating up nicely as we head into the international break. Adrian Costeiu takes us through some of the headlines from the opening six rounds.

The German Bundesliga is off to an intriguing start, proving once again to be a league full of dark horses. Björn Pazen joins us to sort through the top teams' start to the season and the surprise early retirement of Paul Drux. We also discuss Peter Schmeichel's lasting love of handball, as he spoke about it on the Overlap this week.  He admires the art of goalkeeping and how it influenced his technique in football.