Matchday 27: Bottom-of-the-table teams hope to secure crucial points at home and the fight for European Cup spots intensifies

Thursday, 2 April:

• After a brief upturn with a 33:31 win against Minden, HSG Wetzlar slipped back to the bottom of the table following a 27:41 defeat at Rhein-Neckar Löwen – level on points with Leipzig.
• TVB Stuttgart, on the other hand, are ten points clear of the relegation places after five unbeaten matches in a row (three draws, two wins). In the 32:32 draw against Lemgo, they even had a chance to win; they now sit 12th with 20:32 points.
• With 210 goals this season, Stuttgart’s Kai Häfner is second in the HBL scoring charts behind Mathias Gidsel and one of only two players with more than 200 goals. Philipp Ahouansou leads Wetzlar’s scoring with 129 goals.
• Stuttgart won the reverse fixture 30:27, but overall Wetzlar lead the head-to-head record 13:5.

• After a narrow defeat to league leaders Magdeburg, Bergischer HC bounced back with a 35:34 away win in Hamburg. With 14:38 points, they climbed to 15th place, four points clear of the first relegation spot.
• VfL Gummersbach’s 33:27 win against Hannover-Burgdorf marked their eighth consecutive victory. With 37:13 points, they have overtaken THW Kiel and now sit fourth with a game in hand – no team currently has a longer winning streak.
• In the scoring charts, Noah Beyer (BHC) leads Miro Schluroff (VfL) 141:125, with Beyer ahead by 16 goals.
• BHC also lead in the goalkeeper rankings: Christopher Rudeck has made 225 saves, compared to Dominik Kuzmanovic’s 171.
• The 29:29 draw in the reverse fixture reflects the almost even the head-to-head record: Gummersbach have won ten derbies, BHC nine.

Saturday, 4 April:

• Following a 29:30 defeat at MT Melsungen, THW Kiel have slipped to fifth place with 36:16 points, now twelve points behind leaders Magdeburg. They have won just one of their last four league matches.
• ThSV Eisenach secured their first away point of the season with a late comeback in a 29:29 draw in Leipzig. With 18:34 points, they sit 13th, eight points above the relegation zone.
• Despite injury problems, Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu remains Kiel’s top scorer with 144 goals, while Felix Aellen leads Eisenach with 139.
• The 27:27 draw in the reverse fixture ended Kiel’s run of 15 consecutive wins. Eisenach have never won away at Kiel; their last victory dates back to November 2000.

• After defeats to Gummersbach and Göppingen, Lemgo returned took a point with a 32:32 draw against Stuttgart, despite trailing heavily at times. They are sixth with 35:17 points, just one point behind Kiel.
• MT Melsungen surprised Kiel with a 30:29 home win. With 30:22 points, they are eighth and back in contention for European places.
• Lemgo’s top scorers Niels Versteijnen (157) and Tim Suton (144) have combined for 301 goals, while Dainis Kristopans leads Melsungen with 105.
• Lemgo’s last win against Melsungen came in May 2022, followed by two draws and five Melsungen victories, including a 28:22 win in the reverse fixture. Overall record: 18:15 in favour of Melsungen.

• Hannover-Burgdorf’s 27:33 defeat in Gummersbach was their fifth consecutive loss. They are currently tenth with 22:30 points.
• After two derby defeats against Kiel, Flensburg returned to winning ways with a 35:31 victory over promoted side Minden. Following Berlin’s defeat in Magdeburg, they are now second, seven points behind the leaders.
• The clubs’ top scorers – both wingers – are seventh and eighth in the HBL rankings: August Pedersen (155 goals) and Emil Jakobsen (152).
• The last three encounters were all won by the home side; Flensburg won the reverse fixture convincingly 37:29. Of 32 duels, Flensburg have won 22, Hannover six.

Sunday, 5 April:

• Both teams dropped points late in their last matches: Berlin lost 33:35 in Magdeburg, while Leipzig drew 29:29 with Eisenach – their third draw in the last five games.
• The defending champions slipped to third place with 40:12 points, eight behind Magdeburg. Leipzig, meanwhile, handed bottom spot back to Wetzlar; both have ten points, though Leipzig have played one match fewer.
• Mathias Gidsel has scored eleven goals in each of his last three matches and leads the scoring charts with 238 goals. Leipzig’s top scorer Franz Semper has exactly half that tally (119).
• The 34:26 win in the reverse fixture was Berlin’s ninth consecutive victory against Leipzig. The Saxons’ last win came in 2021 – in Berlin. Overall record: 16:4 to Berlin.

• While rivals picked up points, Minden suffered a 31:35 defeat in Flensburg. After three consecutive losses, the promoted side have slipped to third-bottom with 12:40 points, but two points above the relegation zone.
• Hamburg have alternated between wins and losses since the restart in February, most recently losing 34:35 at home to Bergischer HC. They are 11th with 21:31 points.
• Nicolaj Jørgensen (Hamburg) has scored 157 goals this season – 60 more than Minden’s top scorer Ian Weber (97).
• Minden’s last win against Hamburg came in November 2014 – only their second ever. Hamburg have won 24 duels, including a 32:26 victory in the reverse fixture.

• Erlangen’s 24–27 defeat in Göppingen was their second consecutive loss and 15th overall. With 17:35 points, they are 14th, seven points clear of the relegation zone.
• Rhein-Neckar Löwen have climbed to seventh place with 5:1 points from their last three matches, including a dominant 41–27 win over Wetzlar, thanks to 15 goals from Haukur Thrastarson. They have 31:21 points, four behind Lemgo.
• Thrastarson now has 146 goals, ranking ninth in the top ten scorers; Jannik Kohlbacher leads the team with 159. Viggó Kristjánsson (137) is Erlangen’s top scorer. Goalkeeper David Späth leads the league with 258 saves.
• Erlangen’s 34:25 win last season was key in their successful relegation battle. Löwen won the reverse fixture 35:27 and lead the overall record 11:5.

• Göppingen’s 27:24 win against Erlangen was their fourth consecutive victory. They are now ninth and, with 24:28 points and a 14-point cushion above the relegation zone, appear safe.
• Magdeburg, meanwhile, are marching towards the title. Their 35:33 win against Berlin extended their lead to seven points over Flensburg and eight over Berlin.
• Omar Ingi Magnusson is third in the scoring charts with 186 goals, while Marcel Schiller has scored 124 for Göppingen. SCM goalkeeper Sergey Hernandez is second in the league with 256 saves.
• Magdeburg have won the last 13 matches between the clubs. Göppingen’s last victory came in 2018 (29:28 in Magdeburg). Overall record: 35–9 in favour of the league leaders.