You don't indicate which part of Beowulf you are looking at.
Beowulf believes he will be successful against Grendel because the omen for his success have been good. Nevertheless, Beowulf believes in Wyrd - Fate - that will have decided the outcome of his battle before he even fights. In the Burton Raffel translation, Beowulf says, "Fate will unwind as it must." He also recognizes going against Grendel that there may not even be enough of him to bury (or burn).
Going against the dragon in the third section he is less optimistic. He recognizes that he is not as young or strong as he once was. Even so, he is the good leader to the end and will fight the dragon.
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