Matchday 33: Key Decisions Loom in the Season Run-In – Füchse Fight for Second Place, Wetzlar Battle to avoid Relegation

Wednesday, 3 June

• Eighth host tenth in a mid-table clash where final positions are the only thing left to play for.
• The Löwen, who most recently suffered a 33:30 defeat to champions Magdeburg, have 35 points and sit seven points ahead of the Recken, who earned a 30:30 draw against former champions Berlin in their last outing.
• It will be the final home match for Löwen legend Patrick Groetzki, who will retire at the end of the season.
• The club’s internal scoring battle continues: Haukur Thrastarson currently has 196 goals, while Jannik Kohlbacher is on 194, level with Hannover’s top scorer August Pedersen. Löwen goalkeeper David Späth is the only Bundesliga keeper with more than 300 saves this season (306).
• Although the Recken won the reverse fixture 28:24, the Löwen lead the overall head-to-head record with 24 wins to 8.

• The Swabian derby is largely about local pride. The hosts are ninth with a positive record of 33:31 points and have won their last two games, against Hamburg and Göppingen.
• TVB Stuttgart recently caused an upset with a 37:33 victory over SG Flensburg-Handewitt. Having secured their Bundesliga status early, they currently sit twelfth with 24 points.
• Kai Häfner (TVB) needs seven more goals to reach 250 for the season, while Göppingen’s leading scorer Marcel Schiller has netted 163 times and recently surpassed the milestone of 2,500 Bundesliga goals.
• The 28:28 in the reverse fixture was the fifth draw in 21 Swabian derbies. Göppingen have won ten, Stuttgart six.

• Promoted side GWD Minden face a must-win situation against the European League finalists. They are second from bottom with 15 points, two behind third-bottom HSG Wetzlar, and their goal difference is 52 goals worse. Goal difference will be decisive if teams finish level on points.
• On the final matchday, Minden travel to Leipzig to face the current bottom side, who trail them by a further two points. After taking three points from their previous two matches, Minden most recently lost 32:22 in Gummersbach.
• THW Kiel are fifth with 42 points and can no longer catch fourth-placed Gummersbach. After defeats against Berlin and Wetzlar, the Zebras returned to winning ways against Bergischer HC.
• As things stand, Kiel have missed out on European qualification after losing the European League final to Melsungen. Their only remaining option would be to apply for a wildcard place in next season’s European League.
• Minden’s last victory over Kiel came in February 2006, a 32:30 win. Since then there have been 28 Kiel victories – most recently 33:25 in the reverse fixture – and one draw. After 85 duels, the overall record stands at 60 wins to 23 in favour of the Zebras.

• SC Magdeburg will celebrate the championship with their supporters in the final home match of the season.
• With 60 points from 32 matches – 29 wins, two draws and one defeat – Magdeburg lead the table comfortably, nine points ahead of Füchse Berlin.
• The champions have won their last eleven Bundesliga matches and will face Berlin in the EHF Champions League semi-final on 13 June.
• VfL Gummersbach have already secured a place in next season’s European League after enjoying their best campaign for years. Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson’s side are fourth with 48 points, one behind Flensburg but six ahead of fifth-placed Kiel.
• Omar Ingi Magnusson is Magdeburg’s leading scorer and the league’s third-highest scorer with 218 goals, while Gummersbach goalkeeper Dominik Kuzmanovic comes up against his future club.
• Magdeburg have won all eleven matches against Gummersbach since 2017, including a 32:31 victory in the reverse fixture. Overall, the record stands at 38 wins to 13 in favour of the champions.

• TBV Lemgo Lippe ended their winless run with a 38:34 victory in Eisenach and now aim to bid farewell to their supporters with another success. The East Westphalians are sixth with 39 points, four behind Kiel.
• SC DHfK Leipzig’s hopes of avoiding relegation are now only mathematical. The Saxons are four points behind Wetzlar and have a goal difference 38 goals worse. If Leipzig fail to take any point in Lemgo, relegation after ten years in the Bundesliga will be confirmed.
• Frank Carstens’ side have recently lost to both Melsungen and Hannover-Burgdorf after a brief upturn in form.
• Niels Versteijnen (TBV) needs six more goals to reach 200 for the season.
• The 34:29 victory in the reverse fixture was Lemgo’s third consecutive win against Leipzig, although Leipzig still lead the overall record by 9 wins to 7.

Thursday, 4 June

• SG Flensburg-Handewitt’s hopes of defending their European League title ended with a semi-final defeat to Melsungen. Across all competitions, it was their third consecutive loss.
• In the Bundesliga, Ales Pajovic’s side had previously lost to Magdeburg and Stuttgart, surrendering second place to Füchse Berlin.
• Flensburg are third with 49 points and have a goal difference 59 goals worse than Berlin, whom they face in the final match of the season.
• ThSV Eisenach secured survival well before the end of the campaign despite currently being on a three-match losing streak. They are thirteenth with 21 points.
• The Flensburg trio of Emil Jakobsen (191 goals), Marko Grgic (171) and Simon Pytlick (170) have combined for 532 goals this season.
• Two years ago, Eisenach recorded their only victory over Flensburg, winning 28:27. Last season’s 39:39 was only the second draw between the clubs; Flensburg have won the remaining 20 duels, including the 38:32 reverse fixture.

• Handball Sport Verein Hamburg could still finish as high as tenth and currently occupy eleventh place with 27 points.
• Torsten Jansen’s side have recently suffered defeats against Göppingen and Magdeburg.
• For HSG Wetzlar, however, the match carries far greater significance. A victory would guarantee survival regardless of results elsewhere. Wetzlar have won three of their last four matches.
• With 17 points, they are two ahead of Minden and four clear of bottom side Leipzig, while also having a significantly superior goal difference.
• In their final match of the season, Wetzlar will host the new champions Magdeburg.
• Wetzlar’s last away win in Hamburg came in 2014, a 31:28 success. HSVH won this season’s reverse fixture 35:25. Overall, Hamburg lead the head-to-head record 25:8.

• By winning the European League on Sunday, MT Melsungen celebrated the first major title in the club’s history, following victories over Flensburg in the semi-finals and Kiel in the final.
• The triumph guarantees European competition again next season regardless of their league position and may even open the door to the Champions League.
• In the Bundesliga, Melsungen are currently seventh with 38 points, level with Lemgo, having recently defeated Leipzig and Eisenach.
• Füchse Berlin can secure second place in Kassel ahead of their decisive clash with third-placed Flensburg on the final matchday. The Berlin side are unbeaten in their last six matches (five wins and one draw) and hold a two-point advantage as well as a 59-goal superiority over Flensburg.
• Finishing second would put the Foxes in an excellent position to qualify for next season’s Champions League. They also remain in contention to win the Champions League this season, with the Final Four taking place on 13/14 June. Their semi-final opponents in Cologne will be Magdeburg.
• Mathias Gidsel needs ten more goals to reach 300 for the season, all of them field goals. Holding a 47-goal lead over Kai Häfner, the Dane appears certain to finish as the league’s top scorer.
• Melsungen have won their last two home matches against Berlin, although they have lost their last four away fixtures against the capital club, including a 30:24 defeat in the reverse fixture. Of the 36 duels between the sides, Berlin have won 21 and Melsungen 11.