Matchday 25: Hinze against his former club, one relegation battle and the North Derby

Friday, 13 March

• Neither side has really found momentum in the league in 2026: TSV Hannover-Burgdorf have lost their last three matches, while Handball Sport Verein Hamburg have managed only one win in their last five games.
• On the previous matchday, the Recken lost 30:35 to league leaders SC Magdeburg, while HSVH were beaten 32:39 by Lemgo.
• With 22:26 points, ninth-placed Hannover-Burgdorf sit three points and two places ahead of eleventh-placed Hamburg (19:29).
• The top scorers of both clubs are almost level: Norway’s August Pedersen has scored 143 goals for the Recken, while Denmark’s Nicolaj Jørgensen has netted 138 times for Hamburg.
• Hannover-Burgdorf are unbeaten in their last three duels with Hamburg, recording two wins and a draw, and won the reverse fixture 33:29. Overall, however, the Hanseatic side lead the head-to-head record 12:5.

• ThSV Eisenach can only pick up points at home. Monday’s 23:26 defeat in Göppingen was their twelfth away loss in twelve matches; all 16 of their points have been earned at home. With 16:32 points, the 14th side place still remain eight points clear of the relegation zone.
• Rhein-Neckar Löwen have won three of their last four matches, most recently beating Bergischer HC 28:25, and sit seventh with 28:20 points.
• Eisenach coach Sebastian Hinze welcomes his former club from Baden, whom he led to the German Cup title in 2023.
• Löwen pivot Jannik Kohlbacher is fourth in the DAIKIN HBL scoring charts with 148 goals, Felix Aellen has scored 127 for Eisenach.
• The Löwen have won the last two encounters with Eisenach, including the reverse fixture (31:28), although Eisenach had won the previous three meetings. The overall record stands at 7:4 in favour of the side from Baden.

• After two consecutive defeats, MT Melsungen returned to winning ways with a 38:32 victory over HSG Wetzlar. The team in eighth place currently have 28:20 points.
• Alongside Füchse Berlin, Gummersbach are currently the most in-form side in the DAIKIN HBL: their 28–27 win over TBV Lemgo Lippe last matchday was their sixth consecutive victory. In the standings, VfL – with one match fewer played – are just one point behind the duo from Lemgo and Kiel.
• Germany international Julian Köster is Gummersbach’s top scorer with 110 goals, while Dainis Krištopāns has scored 97 times for MT.
• Gummersbach won the reverse fixture 29:28 but had previously lost three consecutive matches against Melsungen. The overall record is almost even, with 18 wins for VfL and 17 for MT.

Saturday, 14 March

• Third-from-bottom versus bottom: the series of direct relegation battles continues for both clubs. Newly promoted GWD Minden (12:36) are four points ahead of HSG Wetzlar (8:40).
• Both teams have taken just one point from their last four matches and both lost last time out: Minden 31:36 in Erlangen and Wetzlar 32:38 against MT Melsungen in the Hessian derby.
• The leading scorers are Philipp Ahouansou (Wetzlar, 122) and Ian Weber (Minden, 89).
• Wetzlar’s 39:28 win in the reverse fixture was one of their three victories this season. In 44 duels so far, HSG have won 25 times, while GWD have won 13.

• The two clubs meet for the 116th North Derby overall, including the 77th meeting in the HBL. They already faced each other in the European League on Tuesday.
• Flensburg have won the last five league encounters, most recently the 36:34 victory in the reverse fixture. Kiel’s last HBL win came in April 2023 (29:19). Overall, Kiel lead the derby balance 42:31.
• After a spectacular start to the year with five consecutive wins in the DAIKIN HBL and European League, THW Kiel have now suffered two straight defeats: a 27:34 loss to Gummersbach followed by a 27:32 defeat in Stuttgart.
• Flensburg began 2026 with an away defeat in Gummersbach but have since won all four of their DAIKIN HBL matches, most recently beating Leipzig 36:28.
• Before the derby – sold out for months – five points separate second-placed Flensburg (39:9) and fourth-placed Kiel (34:14), who already trail leaders Magdeburg by ten points.
• Only one goal separates the two clubs’ top scorers: Kiel’s Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu has 142 goals to his name, while Flensburg’s Simon Pytlick is on 141.

Sunday, 15 March

• TBV Lemgo Lippe currently sit fourth with 34:14 points, although the gap to the teams above has grown after last matchday’s 27:28 defeat in Gummersbach.
• FRISCH AUF! Göppingen recently recorded two consecutive wins, including Monday’s 26:23 victory over Eisenach, moving up to tenth place with 20:28 points.
• Lemgo’s Dutchman Niels Versteijnen is fifth in the DAIKIN HBL scoring charts with 144 goals, Marcel Schiller has scored 118 times for Göppingen.
• Lemgo won the reverse fixture 33:26. Last season, Göppingen recorded a draw and a home victory. Overall, Lemgo lead the head-to-head 27:22.

• Leipzig has another important game coming up, who previously drew with Wetzlar and then lost at home to Bergischer HC. On Matchday 24, Frank Carstens’ team were beaten 28:36 in Flensburg and remain second-bottom with 8:38 points, albeit with a game in hand.
• TVB Stuttgart, meanwhile, are the form team in the lower half of the table, collecting 5:1 points from their last three matches. Most recently they recorded a sensational 32:27 win over THW Kiel – their first victory over the Zebras ever. With 18:30 points, the Swabians sit 12th, ten points clear of the relegation places.
• Stuttgart veteran Kai Häfner needs three more goals to reach 200 DAIKIN HBL goals this season and scored the 2,000th Bundesliga field goal of his career against Kiel. Leipzig’s top scorer is also a left-hander on the right back position: Franz Semper with 103 goals.
• The reverse fixture narrowly went to Stuttgart (33:32), while Leipzig had won the previous three encounters. After 21 matches, the record stands at 10 wins for Leipzig and nine for Stuttgart.

• After an important away win in Leipzig, Bergischer HC also produced a spirited display at Rhein-Neckar Löwen but narrowly lost 25:28. With 12:36 points, the promoted side sit four points above the first relegation place.
• SC Magdeburg remain clear leaders with 44:4 points. Their impressive record: 21 wins, two draws and one defeat. Most recently, Bennet Wiegert’s team celebrated a 35:30 victory over Hannover-Burgdorf.
• The leading scorers are Omar Ingi Magnusson (Magdeburg, 174 goals) and Noah Beyer (BHC, 129).
• The two teams will lock horns again on 18 April in the second German Cup semi-final at the Lidl Final4 in Cologne.
• Bergischer HC have not beaten Magdeburg since 1 October 2020, when they won 31:27 at the GETEC Arena. Magdeburg have since won the next eight matches, most recently 39:30 in the reverse fixture. Overall, the record stands at 21:4 in favour of the league leaders.

• Füchse Berlin, who had a bye last weekend, have won their last eight DAIKIN HBL matches and currently sit third with 38:10 points, six behind SC Magdeburg.
• HC Erlangen have collected 3:1 points from their last two matches against Eisenach (25:25) and Minden (36:31) and are 13th with 17:31 points.
• Füchse star Mathias Gidsel has scored 216 goals and leads the DAIKIN HBL scoring chart by 19 strikes, while Icelander Viggó Kristjánsson is Erlangen’s top scorer with 131.
• Erlangen’s last victory over the Füchse dates back to February 2021. Since then, there have been nine Berlin wins and one draw; the reverse fixture ended 38:35. Out of 21 meetings, Erlangen have won two and the Füchse sixteen.