Wetzlar, Leipzig and Bergischer HC hope for home victories, GWD Minden for a derby upset

Thursday, 30 April:

• After previously winning 11 matches in a row, VfL Gummersbach lost last week’s top clash at Füchse Berlin 26:28. In fourth place with 43:15 points, they are three points ahead of fifth-placed Kiel and three behind Berlin in third.
• FRISCH AUF! Göppingen have won six of their last seven matches, with their only defeat coming against league leaders SC Magdeburg. Most recently, Benjamin Matschke’s team secured a 32:30 victory over Rhein-Neckar Löwen and currently sit ninth with 28:30 points.
• For Göppingen’s top scorer Marcel Schiller (currently 155 goals this season), this could be a special match: he needs seven more goals to reach 2,500 Bundesliga goals and three more penalty goals to move into second place on the all-time penalty scorers list. Schiller currently has 1,220 goals from the line; former Flensburg player Lars Christiansen is second with 1,223, while Hans Lindberg leads with 1,499 penalty goals in the HBL. Gummersbach’s top scorer this season is Miro Schluroff with 144 goals.
• Gummersbach are unbeaten in their last four encounters with Göppingen (three wins, one draw) and won the reverse fixture 36:24. After a total of 65 HBL matches, the record stands at 37:21 wins in favour of VfL.

• After a sensational 28:28 draw at THW Kiel, SC DHfK Leipzig have regained hope in the relegation battle. Although Frank Carstens’ team remain bottom of the table with 11:47 points, they are only two points away from safety.
• HC Erlangen are not 100% safe either, having lost four of their last five matches, most recently suffering a 23:31 home defeat to Hamburg. With 19:36 points, they sit 14th, seven points clear of the first relegation place.
• The top scorers for both clubs are Viggó Kristjánsson (Erlangen) with 137 goals and Franz Semper, who has scored 127 times for Leipzig.
• The 30:26 win in the reverse fixture was Erlangen’s first victory after four defeats against Leipzig. Overall, the Saxons lead 11:8, as there has never been a draw between these two clubs in the HBL.

Friday, 1 May:

• After three consecutive defeats against Erlangen, Flensburg and Göppingen, Rhein-Neckar Löwen are already nine points behind fifth place (Kiel), which guarantees European qualification.
• MT Melsungen’s run of three consecutive wins came to an end with a 30:40 defeat in Flensburg, but they remain seventh, three points ahead of their neighbours from Mannheim.
• Two Löwen players are among the league’s top eight scorers: Jannik Kohlbacher (179) and Haukur Thrastarson (172). The Icelander also leads the assists ranking with 167. His teammate David Späth is currently the league’s top goalkeeper with 275 saves. MT’s top scorer is Dainis Krištopāns with 118 goals.
• Löwen won the reverse fixture 29:27 in Melsungen. Last season, both teams won their home matches in this pairing, while overall the Baden side lead clearly with 29–11 victories.

• TBV Lemgo Lippe have gone six matches without a win, with two draws (most recently 30–30 at Hannover-Burgdorf) and four defeats. Particularly painful: they have failed to earn a single point in their last three home matches. In sixth place, they have 36:22 points.
• Ahead of the traditional East Westphalian derby, GWD Minden have slipped into a relegation spot. They have not won a single match since 10 December 2025 (three draws, ten defeats). On matchday 29, they suffered a 29:34 home loss to Eisenach. With 12:46 points, Minden are second from bottom, one point ahead of Leipzig and one behind Wetzlar.
• The goalkeepers of both teams rank seventh and eighth in the HBL statistics: Constantin Möstl (Lemgo) is on 231 saves, while Malte Semisch (Minden) has 223. The top scorers are Niels Versteijnen with 172 goals for Lemgo and Ian Weber (105 for Minden).
• With a 34:24 win in the reverse fixture, Lemgo celebrated their 37th victory in the 55th derby; Minden are on 12 wins. However, looking at the last nine matches, the record is a closer 5:4 in favour of TBV.

Saturday, 2 May:

• After their cup upset in the Lidl Final4 semi-final against SC Magdeburg, Bergischer HC lost the subsequent league bottom clash 29:33 at HSG Wetzlar. In 15th place, Markus Pütz and Arnor Gunnarsson’s side remain under threat of relegation, with 15:43 points, just three points above the drop zone.
• In contrast, TSV Hannover-Burgdorf sit comfortably in mid-table in tenth place with 25:33 points. The European League quarter-finalists recently recorded a win in Eisenach and a 30:30 draw against Lemgo.
• August Pedersen leads Hannover’s scoring charts with 177 goals, while Noah Beyer has scored 163 times for BHC – both are among the top ten.
• Hannover have won four of the last five matches against BHC, who last beat them at home in March 2022. Overall, Hannover-Burgdorf lead the head-to-head 12–9.

• HSG Wetzlar achieved a crucial breakthrough in the relegation battle on matchday 29 – thanks to a 33:29 win against direct rivals Bergischer HC, they climbed out of the relegation zone for the first time in weeks. With 13:45 points, they are third from bottom, just one point ahead of Minden.
• THW Kiel’s 34:27 in Hamburg is their only victory in the last four matches; most recently, the injury-hit side drew 28:28 with bottom club Leipzig. Kiel trail Magdeburg by 14 points and second-placed Flensburg by seven. In fifth place with 40:18 points, they have a four-point cushion over sixth-placed Lemgo.
• Nine goals separate the top scorers of the two clubs: Kiel’s Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu (152 goals) and Wetzlar’s Philipp Ahouansou (143).
• Last season, Wetzlar won their home match against Kiel 27:25, while Kiel won the reverse fixture this season 34:30. In 55 HBL encounters so far, Kiel have won 42 times.

Sunday, 3 May:

• Eleventh versus twelfth – Hamburg hosts a mid-table “neighbours’ clash” on Sunday.• With 25:33 points, HSVH are one place and three points ahead of Stuttgart.
• After four consecutive draws, Stuttgart narrowly missed an upset against league leaders Magdeburg, losing 26:30, while Hamburg celebrated a convincing 31:23 away win in Erlangen.
• In Hamburg, the league’s second-best scorer Kai Häfner (230 goals for Stuttgart) faces number five, Nicolaj Jørgensen (178 for Hamburg).
• Including their 36:33 win in the reverse fixture, Hamburg have won the last three duels against Stuttgart, although Stuttgart won both matches in the 2023/24 season. In nine encounters, Hamburg have won five and Stuttgart three.