Round 24: Derbys in Gummersbach and Wetzlar, Stuttgart hoping to end a barren run

Thursday, 5 March

• Sixth hosts fourth in a top-of-the-table clash. Ahead of the NRW derby, TBV Lemgo Lippe sit on 34:12 points, three points and two places ahead of VfL Gummersbach (31:13), who have played one game fewer.
• VfL most recently won 34:26 at THW Kiel, ending the “Zebras’” winning streak with their fifth victory in a row thanks to an intermediate 7:0 run. Alongside Füchse Berlin, Gummersbach are the only team to have won all DAIKIN HBL matches in 2026 so far.
• Lemgo beat Handball Sport Verein Hamburg 39:32 on Matchday 23 and are now level on points with Kiel, three points behind third-placed Flensburg.
• Both coaches – Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson (VfL) and Florian Kehrmann (TBV) – previously played for their respective clubs.
• Niels Versteijnen remains Lemgo’s top scorer with 138 goals, exactly 30 more than Gummersbach’s leading marksman Julian Köster (108).
• TBV won the reverse fixture 31:25 and lead the overall head-to-head after 77 encounters with 38 wins to 32. Last season, all four points went to Lemgo too.

• TVB Stuttgart have moved up to 12th place with three points from their last two matches, but let victory slip away in Sunday’s 32:32 draw with GWD Minden. With 16:30 points, they are eight points clear of the relegation places.
• After five consecutive wins across all competitions in 2026, THW Kiel lost 34:26 at home to VfL Gummersbach but remain fifth with 34:12 points.
• Stuttgart’s current top scorer Kai Häfner needs one more field goal to become only the fourth player in HBL history to surpass the mark of 2,000 field goals. Häfner currently sits second in the DAIKIN HBL scoring charts with 187 goals this season, two places and 45 goals ahead of Kiel’s top scorer Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu (142).
• It has never been as close as in the 33:32 reverse fixture when Kiel and Stuttgart met. THW boast a perfect record with 21 wins from 21 games against Stuttgart.

Saturday, 7 March

• The 35:31 win against HSG Wetzlar last matchday was Flensburg’s third victory in a row. The third-placed side trail leaders SC Magdeburg by five points on 37:9.
• SC DHfK Leipzig lost the crucial bottom line clash at home to promoted Bergischer HC 35:28 and remain second from bottom with 8:36 points.
• Simon Pytlick (136 goals) and Emil Jakobsen (135) are both among the DAIKIN HBL’s top ten scorers for Flensburg, while Franz Semper has 95 for Leipzig.
• The 42:24 victory in the reverse fixture was Flensburg’s sixth consecutive win over Leipzig; overall, SG lead the head-to-head 17:3.

Sunday, 8 March

• After their first defeat of the season in Kiel, Magdeburg have won their next two matches, most recently 34:23 at MT Melsungen. The league leaders stand on 42:4 points.
• TSV Hannover-Burgdorf slipped up unexpectedly on Matchday 23, losing 22:28 at home to FRISCH AUF! Göppingen. With 22:24 points, “Recken” are ninth.
• Both teams’ leading scorers are in the DAIKIN HBL top ten: Omar Ingi Magnusson (Magdeburg) is third with 162 goals, while Hannover winger August Pedersen is ninth with 135.
• The Recken had won their last three home games against Magdeburg, but the SCM responded with a 24:22 win in the reverse fixture. Overall, the head-to-head stands at 21:9 in favour of the league leaders.

• The 42nd Hessian derby in HBL history comes with special significance, particularly for the hosts: HSG Wetzlar are bottom with 8:38 points and need every point in the relegation battle. They most recently lost 35:31 to Flensburg.
• After defeats and then a 23:34 loss to Magdeburg, MT Melsungen are eighth with 26:20 points, level with Rhein-Neckar Löwen.
• The derby will be a special match for Michael Allendorf: he played for Wetzlar from 2006 to 2010, then spent twelve years at Melsungen, became MT’s sporting director from 2022 until October 2025, and returned to Wetzlar in the same role two weeks ago.
• Philipp Ahouansou leads Wetzlar’s scoring with 120 goals. For MT, a trio are almost level: Dainis Krištopāns and Nikolaj Enderleit have 90 strikes each, Florian Drosten 89.
• The last three derbies, including the 33:32 in the reverse fixture, were won by Melsungen. Wetzlar won both matches in the 2023/24 season but trail clearly overall, 25 wins to 11.

• Both teams drew last matchday: Erlangen played out a 25:25 with Eisenach, while Minden earned a 32:32 against Stuttgart.
• In the table, they are separated by two places and three points: Erlangen are 14th with 15:31, Minden 16th with 12:34, occupying the first non-relegation spot.
• Erlangen have gone six matches without a win, Minden seven.
• Viggó Kristjánsson is Erlangen’s top scorer with 115 goals, while Florian Kranzmann and Ian Weber have each scored 85 for Minden.
• The 30:29 reverse fixture was one of Minden’s four wins this season; before that, Erlangen had recorded two victories. After 16 meetings, the promoted side lead 10:4.

• Rhein-Neckar Löwen have two wins and two defeats in 2026 so far, most recently losing 28:35 at Füchse Berlin. With 26:20 points, they are seventh.
• After six consecutive defeats, Bergischer HC claimed a vital 35:28 win in Leipzig – their first away victory of the season. The promoted side, 15th in the table, extended their gap to the relegation places to four points.
• EHF EURO silver medallist Jannik Kohlbacher is on 141 goals, making him not only Löwen’s top scorer but also the highest-scoring current Germany international and top scorer of pivots in the league, ranking fifth overall. Noah Beyer has scored 124 times for BHC.
• The 27:20 reverse fixture was BHC’s first win over Löwen since 2014, followed by 16 wins for the Baden side and one draw. The overall record clearly favours Löwen, 20:2.

Monday, 9 March

• Both teams picked up points in the relegation battle last matchday: Eisenach drew 25:25 with Erlangen, while Göppingen won 28:22 at Hannover-Burgdorf.
• In the table, Göppingen are 11th with 18:28 points, two points and two places ahead of 13th-placed Eisenach (16:30).
• The Thuringian side are the league’s weakest away team, still waiting for their first point on the road after losing all eleven matches.
• The respective top scorers are closely matched: Felix Aellen has netted 120 times for Eisenach, Marcel Schiller 114 for Göppingen.
• Although Eisenach have won their last three home games against Göppingen, including the 31:27 reverse fixture, they have never celebrated an away win at FRISCH AUF! Overall, Göppingen lead 8:4.