Matchday 22: A relegation battle in focus, Erlangen hoping for a first win against Flensburg

Thursday, 19 February:

• VfL Gummersbach had a free weekend recently, having previously beaten SG Flensburg-Handewitt 33:26, and currently sit sixth in the table with 27:13 points.
• ThSV Eisenach celebrated an important 33:31 victory over Bergischer HC on Monday to further distance themselves from the relegation zone. The Thuringians are now eight points clear of a relegation place with 15:27 points.
• Germany international Julian Köster is Gummersbach’s top scorer with 95 goals, while Switzerland’s Felix Aellen has netted 102 times for Eisenach.
• Eisenach ended a run of ten consecutive defeats against Gummersbach with a 32:29 win in the reverse fixture. Overall, VfL lead the head-to-head record 16:7.

Friday, 20 February:

• Bottom host second-bottom: on the debut of new signing Andreas Palicka, HSG Wetzlar recently lost 25:30 at TSV Hannover-Burgdorf. The Central Hessians remain bottom with 7:35 points.
• SC DHfK Leipzig had a weekend off and sit second from bottom with 7:33 points.
• Both sides have changed head coach this season: at HSG, former Leipzig coach Rúnar Sigtryggsson replaced Momir Ilic, while in Saxony Frank Carstens succeeded Raul Alonso.
• Top scorers are Philipp Ahouansou with 110 goals for Wetzlar and Franz Semper with 84 for Leipzig.
• The 25:24 win in the reverse fixture was one of Wetzlar’s three victories this season. In the past two seasons, this fixture has produced only home wins. Of the 20 meetings so far, Leipzig have won 11 and Wetzlar eight.

• Both teams began the new year with defeats but won last weekend. Rhein-Neckar Löwen triumphed 34:28 at GWD Minden, while TBV Lemgo Lippe beat HC Erlangen 27:21.
• With 32:10 points, TBV are fourth, while the Löwen have consolidated eighth place with 24:18 points.
• The leading scorers are almost level: Jannik Kohlbacher (127 goals for the Löwen) and Niels Versteijnen (125 for Lemgo).
• TBV won the reverse fixture 25:22, but overall, the Löwen lead the head-to-head 22:13.

Saturday, 21 February:

• FRISCH AUF! Göppingen are without a win in nine matches (seven defeats, two draws) and lost 23:31 at MT Melsungen last weekend. With 16:26 points, the Swabians are 11th.
• THW Kiel were the big winners on the last matchday: their 31:29 victory made them the first team to defeat league leaders SC Magdeburg. After taking four points from their two matches in 2026, Kiel are now fifth, level on points with Lemgo (32:10).
• Kiel’s Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu is fourth in the league’s scoring charts with 142 goals, while Marcel Schiller has scored 110 for Göppingen.
• THW goalkeeper Andreas Wolff has been named Germany’s Handballer of the Year for the third time after 2015 and 2016.
• THW have won their last 20 league matches against Göppingen; the last Göppingen victory dates back to 2015. The reverse fixture ended 34:30 to Kiel. Of 71 meetings, THW have won 58 and Göppingen 11.

• HC Erlangen are still awaiting their first point of 2026, having lost 29:30 against Hannover and 21:27 in Lemgo. With 14:28 points, they are 13th.
• After an opening defeat in Gummersbach, SG Flensburg-Handewitt returned to winning ways with a 38:35 victory in Hamburg. They are currently third with 33:9 points, five behind Magdeburg.
• The top scorers from both sides faced each other in the European Championship semi-final: Flensburg’s Dane Emil Jakobsen has 129 goals, while Erlangen’s Icelander Viggó Kristjánsson has 112.
• Erlangen have never beaten Flensburg in the Bundesliga: the record stands at 18 Flensburg wins and two draws. The reverse fixture ended 36:30 to SG.

Sunday, 22 February:

• The 29:31 defeat at THW Kiel was SC Magdeburg’s first of the season. Nevertheless, they lead the table with 38:4 points, five or six ahead of their closest challengers.
• After drawing their opening match of the year against Göppingen, GWD Minden lost 28:34 to Rhein-Neckar Löwen on Matchday 21 and are currently 15th, four points clear of the relegation zone.
• There is a 70-goal difference between the teams’ top scorers: Magdeburg’s Icelander Omar Ingi Magnusson has 151 goals, while Minden wing Florian Kranzmann is on 81 strikes.
• Minden’s last win over Magdeburg came in October 2016 with a 34:24 home victory. Since then, SCM have recorded 13 wins and lead the overall head-to-head 39:7.

• Handball Sport Verein Hamburg have lost their last five matches, including defeats against Leipzig and most recently 35:38 against Flensburg in 2026. With 17:27 points, they are currently 10th.
• MT Melsungen have started the new year strongly with wins over Bergischer HC and Göppingen (31:23) and are unbeaten in five matches. With 26:16 points, they sit seventh.
• Nicolaj Jørgensen has scored 123 goals for Hamburg, while Florian Drosten leads Melsungen with 87.
• Since Hamburg’s promotion in 2020/21, all duels between HSVH and MT have been won by the home side; Melsungen won the reverse fixture 32:28. Overall, however, Hamburg lead by 20:7 victories.

• Stuttgart’s 2026 record so far: a 33:31 win over Eisenach followed by a 27:32 defeat to Füchse Berlin. With 13:29 points, they are 14th, six points above the relegation places.
• Under new head coach Juan Carlos Pastor, TSV Hannover-Burgdorf have won both matches in 2026, most recently 30:25 against Wetzlar. They are unbeaten in six matches and have climbed to ninth with 22:20 points.
• Both teams’ leading scorers rank among the league’s top seven: Kai Häfner is second with 166 goals, August Pedersen seventh with 126.
• Hannover-Burgdorf have won the last four duels against Stuttgart, including a 28:22 victory in the reverse fixture. Of 21 encounters, 15 have gone to Hannover and four to Stuttgart.

• Third from bottom host runners-up: despite a spirited comeback, Bergischer HC lost 31:33 in Eisenach on Monday and remain three points clear of the relegation zone.
• Füchse Berlin have won their last six matches, scoring at least 36 goals each time. Their most recent result was a 37:32 win over Stuttgart, keeping them second with 34:10 points.
• After scoring seven goals against Stuttgart, Füchse star Mathias Gidsel now has exactly 200 goals this season. BHC’s top scorer is Noah Beyer with 118.
• Both clubs have qualified for the Lidl Final4 on 18/19 April at the LANXESS Arena in Cologne, but will avoid each other in the semi-finals: BHC face Magdeburg, while Füchse lock horns with Lemgo.
• Bergischer HC have won two of the last five meetings, but lost the reverse fixture in Berlin 27:39. Overall, the champions lead the head-to-head 16:6.