Matchday 13: The next battle at the bottom and long-running streaks

Thursday, 20 November:

• The Recken battled to a 29:29 draw in last weekend’s derby against MT Melsungen, but remain 13th in the table with 9:15 points.
• Bergischer HC, however, produced the biggest upset of Matchday 12, the promoted side celebrating a 30:27 victory over Rhein-Neckar Löwen to climb out of the relegation zone. With 5:19 points, BHC now sit 16th.
• The current top scorers for both clubs are wings: Noah Beyer has scored 65 times for BHC, Agust Pedersen 52 for Hannover.
• In the 2023/24 season, the Recken won both fixtures against BHC; overall the head-to-head stands at 11:9 in favour of Hannover-Burgdorf.

• 14th vs. 17th – this relegation showdown in Stuttgart is crucial for both sides.
• TVB Stuttgart have suffered six consecutive defeats, most recently a 24:28 in Eisenach, and are still waiting for their first win since 6 September. With 4:18 points they have slipped to second-bottom.
• Like fellow promoted side BHC, GWD Minden picked up points last weekend, overturning the match against bottom club Leipzig to win 32:26 – their third victory of the season, moving them to 14th with 7:19 points.
• Stuttgart’s left-hander Kai Häfner is third in the league scoring charts with 93 goals; two Minden players follow almost level: Ian Weber with 55 and Karolis Antanavičius with 54.
• Minden have not beaten Stuttgart since 2019; since then, TVB have won five matches and drawn twice. The overall record stands at 7:3 for the Swabians.

Friday, 21 November:

• After two straight defeats, TBV Lemgo Lippe returned—albeit narrowly—to winning ways with a 25:24 victory at HC Erlangen. With 17:7 points, the East Westphalians are currently sixth.
• ThSV Eisenach also won on Matchday 12, beating TVB Stuttgart 28:24 to climb to 12th with 10:14 points.
• Two Lemgo players rank among the league’s top ten scorers: Tim Suton is fifth with 79 goals, Niels Versteijnen tenth with 67. Eisenach’s best scorer is Felix Aellen with 63.
• Last season’s 34:31 was only Eisenach’s third ever win in 22 meetings with TBV. Prior to that, Lemgo had won six straight. The tally stands at 15:3.

• Last season Melsungen not only finished above Flensburg in the league but also knocked them out of the cup – although Flensburg hit back in the European League semi-final and went on to defend the title.
• The current league positions are different: despite suffering their first defeat of the season (31:35 against Magdeburg), Flensburg sit second with 20:4 points. Melsungen are seventh with 14:10 after drawing 29:29 with Hannover-Burgdorf.
• Both clubs remain unbeaten in the European League, and both have reached the cup quarter-finals on 18 December: Melsungen at BHC, Flensburg in Magdeburg.
• Again, left wings are the top scorers: Emil Jakobsen (Flensburg, 73 goals) and Florian Drosten (Melsungen, 57).
• Last season, both sides won their home fixtures; before that, MT had gone 17 matches without a win against SG (14 defeats, three draws). The overall record heavily favours Flensburg at 32:2.

Saturday, 22 November:

• Following their 35:31 top-of-the-table win in Flensburg, SC Magdeburg remain the only unbeaten team in the league. With ten wins and one draw, they top the table with 21:1 points.
• HSG Wetzlar lost 29:31 to Gummersbach on Monday and sit 15th with 5:19 points.
• With 91 goals, Omar Ingi Magnusson (SCM) is currently fourth in the scoring charts; Wetzlar’s most successful shooter is Philipp Ahouansou (67, including ten against Gummersbach).
• Both goalkeepers rank among the league’s top ten: Sergey Hernandez (Magdeburg) has 113 saves, Anadin Suljakovic (Wetzlar) 90.
• Wetzlar last beat Magdeburg in September 2019; since then, SCM have recorded nine wins and two draws. Magdeburg lead the all-time record 35–13.

• After their 31:29 win over Wetzlar, Gummersbach are fifth with 17:7 points; previously they had taken just 1:3 points from matches against Kiel and Hamburg.
• SC DHfK Leipzig squandered a major chance for their first win of the season last weekend, losing 26:32 to Minden. The only winless team, they sit on 2:22 points, three points from safety.
• In the cup quarter-finals, Leipzig will face Gummersbach’s conquerors TBV Lemgo Lippe.
• Leipzig’s top scorer is Blaer Hinriksson with 57 goals; Kay Smits leads Gummersbach with 54.
• Last season’s 34:29 home win was Leipzig’s first victory over VfL since March 2019; in between, Gummersbach recorded six wins and one draw. Overall, the head-to-head is a closer 7:5 in favour of the Oberberg side.

• THW Kiel lost last weekend’s second top clash 29:32 away at champions Füchse Berlin – their second defeat of the season. With 18:6 points, the Zebras are fourth.
• FRISCH AUF! Göppingen, however, have won three consecutive matches, most recently 34:30 against Hamburg, and sit eighth with 14:10 points.
• Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu (THW) has become the second player to surpass the 100-goal mark this season, sitting second in the rankings with 103 – 46 more than Göppingen’s top scorer Marcel Schiller (57).
• Kiel have won 18 straight matches against Göppingen since September 2015. From 70 duels, THW have won 57, Göppingen eleven.

• Füchse Berlin have won seven of their last eight league matches, most recently the top clash against Kiel (32:29). This run has moved the champions up to third with 18:6 points.
• Rhein-Neckar Löwen have lost their last two matches, against Magdeburg and most recently 27:30 at Bergischer HC, and now sit ninth with an even 12:12 record.
• Berlin’s Mathias Gidsel leads the scoring charts with 108 goals; Löwen keeper David Späth is second-best in the league with 118 saves.
• The Füchse have recorded nine consecutive wins against the Löwen since May 2021; the last home win for the Baden club dates from 2018. The overall head-to-head is much closer, however, at 17:15 to Berlin.

• After three consecutive wins, Hamburg have suffered two defeats – in Flensburg and most recently 30:34 in Göppingen. They are tenth with 11:13 points.
• One point (10:14) and one place behind are HC Erlangen, following their narrow and unfortunate 24:25 home loss to Lemgo.
• The top scorers of both clubs are near neighbours in the rankings: Nicolaj Jørgensen (Hamburg) is seventh with 73 goals, Viggó Kristjánsson (Erlangen) ninth with 70.
• The sides have met only ten times; last season HSVH won both fixtures and lead the overall record 6:4.