Matchday 23: A headline clash in Kiel, relegation battle in the East and a blockbuster in Berlin

Thursday, 26 February:

• Two defeats – most recently a 32:30 loss at the Rhein-Neckar Löwen – and one victory make up TBV Lemgo Lippe’s record so far in 2026. Florian Kehrmann’s side sit fifth with 32:12 points.
• Handball Sport Verein Hamburg ended their losing streak with a 25:23 home win over MT Melsungen and consolidated tenth place with 19:27 points.
• The leading scorers of both teams are almost level: Niels Versteijnen has netted 133 times for Lemgo, Nicolaj Jørgensen 131 times for Hamburg.
• HSVH have won 18 HBL matches against TBV, who have 10 victories to their name; at home Lemgo have won seven of the 17 meetings. The reverse fixture ended 35:35.

• Both neighbours in the table need points to move clear of the relegation zone. ThSV Eisenach are 13th on 15:29 points, one place and one point ahead of HC Erlangen (14:30).
• Eisenach most recently lost 27:35 at VfL Gummersbach, while Erlangen’s 29:34 defeat against SG Flensburg-Handewitt was their fourth in succession.
• As in the table, both sides’ top scorers are close: Erlangen’s Icelander Viggó Kristjánsson has 112 goals to his name, while Eisenach’s Swiss Felix Aellen has scored 109 times.
• It is only the sixth duel between the two teams; the record is balanced with two wins each and one draw. Erlangen won the reverse fixture 24:23.

Friday, 27 February:

• After an opening defeat in Gummersbach at the start of the year, SG Flensburg-Handewitt have recorded two victories, most recently a 34:29 win over Erlangen. With 35:9 points, the third-placed side trail leaders SC Magdeburg by five points.
• Bottom side HSG Wetzlar earned a 26:26 draw in the basement clash with second-from-bottom SC DHfK Leipzig and are now only two points behind third-from-bottom Bergischer HC.
• Danish European champions Emil Jakobsen (135) and Simon Pytlick (134) have almost identical goal tallies for SG; Wetzlar’s top scorer is Philipp Ahouansou with 111 goals.
• Wetzlar last beat Flensburg in September 2015. In Flensburg they have lost all 27 matches played. Overall, the record stands at 46:2 wins for SG, with seven draws – including the 33:33 in the reverse fixture.

Saturday, 28 February:

• The 25:23 defeat in Hamburg was MT Melsungen’s first loss of 2026. The North Hessians are eighth with 26:18 points.
• SC Magdeburg bounced back impressively from their first league defeat against Kiel, thrashing promoted GWD Minden 38:21, and continue to lead the table on 40:4 points with a commanding advantage.
• SCM left-hander Omar Ingi Magnusson is DAIKIN HBL’s third-highest scorer with 159 goals. MT’s leading marksman is Nikolaj Enderleit with 90. With 231 saves, SCM goalkeeper Sergey Hernandez tops the league’s goalkeeping ranking.
• SCM won the reverse fixture 31:27. Last season both teams won their home matches in this pairing. MT are unbeaten in their last three home games against Magdeburg but trail clearly overall with seven wins to 28.

• THW Kiel are unbeaten in ten HBL matches and have won all three fixtures in 2026, most recently 28:24 against FRISCH AUF! Göppingen. The reward is the fourth place with 34:10 points, six behind Magdeburg.
• VfL Gummersbach have also won their two last matches, including a 35:27 victory over Eisenach, and sit sixth on 29:13 points, having played one game fewer than THW.
• Despite missing the last outing, Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu remains Kiel’s top scorer and fourth-highest in the league with 142 goals. Julian Köster (101) and Miro Schluroff (98) are Gummersbach’s leading scorers. With 202 saves, Germany’s Handballer of the Year Andreas Wolff is the HBL’s third-best goalkeeper.
• The two traditional clubs duel for the 108th time in the HBL. THW have won 60 matches, VfL 42. The reverse fixture ended 25:25; last season Kiel won both encounters.

Sunday, 1 March:

• GWD Minden are without a win in six matches, drawing twice in that spell and losing 38:21 to leaders Magdeburg last time out. The promoted side are 15th with 11:33 points, three clear of a relegation place.
• With two wins from three matches in 2026, most recently 35:34 against TSV Hannover-Burgdorf, TVB Stuttgart have eased their relegation worries somewhat. They are 12th on 15:29 points, four ahead of Minden.
• Stuttgart left-hander Kai Häfner remains the league’s second-highest scorer with 177 goals. Minden’s goalkeeper Malte Semisch is seventh in the HBL rankings with 171 saves, while his Stuttgart counterpart Miljan Vujovic has 148.
• Stuttgart have won the last five duels against Minden, including the 35:26 in the reverse fixture. Overall, GWD have beaten TVB only three times, two of those at home.

• After two wins at the start of the year, Hannover-Burgdorf suffered a narrow 35:34 defeat in Stuttgart last weekend. With an even points tally (22:22), new head coach Juan Carlos Pastor’s side are ninth.
• Eight defeats – most recently 28:24 at THW Kiel – and two draws sum up FRISCH AUF! Göppingen’s last ten matches. The Swabians are currently 11th on 16:28 points.
• Two wingers are the teams’ leading scorers: August Pedersen has scored 131 goals for Hannover-Burgdorf, Marcel Schiller 113 for Göppingen.
• In 33 previous HBL meetings, Hannover-Burgdorf have won 15 times, Göppingen 16 – including the 30:26 in the reverse fixture.

• Another crucial battle for coach Frank Carstens and SC DHfK Leipzig: after the 26:26 draw at bottom side HSG Wetzlar, they now host third-from-bottom Bergischer HC. With a game in hand, the second-from-bottom side have 8:34 points, two behind BHC.
• Bergischer HC (10:34 points) have lost their last six matches, most recently 35:28 against Füchse Berlin.
• Despite their precarious positions, both teams boast top-six goalkeepers: BHC’s Christopher Rudeck has 186 saves on his tally, while Leipzig’s Domenico Ebner – who secured the point in Wetzlar – is on 173.
• Two of the last three meetings have ended in draws, including the 28:28 reverse fixture. Overall, Leipzig lead the head-to-head 8:5 in wins.

• With a run of seven victories since 11 December 2025 – most recently a 35:28 win over BHC – Füchse Berlin have consolidated second place. Having played one match more than their rivals, the champions stand on 36:10 points.
• Rhein-Neckar Löwen have beaten Minden and, most recently, Lemgo (32:30). They have 26:18 points and sit seventh.
• National team goalkeeper David Späth (Löwen) is second in the DAIKIN HBL rankings with 229 saves, while his Berlin counterpart Dejan Milosavljev has 164 saves to his name.
• Mathias Gidsel remains the league’s top scorer with 209 goals – 76 more than the Löwen’s leading marksman Jannik Kohlbacher (133).
• Füchse have won the last ten DAIKIN HBL meetings with the Löwen, including the 33:30 reverse fixture. The Baden side’s last victory dates back to 2021. Overall, however, Berlin lead narrowly with 18:15 wins.