Matchday 3: Duel between Icelandic coaches, clash between U21 world champions and champions against record champions

Thursday, 19 September:

• With the 29:27 away win at VfL Gummersbach, TBV Lemgo Lippe scored their first points of the season on the second match day, with outstanding support once again from new goalkeeper Constantin Möstl, who is already on 26 saves after two matches.
• HSG Wetzlar have lost the first two games of the season - a 28:35 at champions SC Magdeburg was followed by a 25:36 home defeat against TSV Hannover-Burgdorf. Currently the best HSG scorer is Philipp Ahouansou with twelve goals.
• Last season Lemgo won both games against Wetzlar, and in total the TBV won 38:9 of 50 games.

• This is the first time that the two teams lock horns in the HBL.
• With the 28:24 victory at HC Erlangen, which was only achieved in the final phase, last year's promoted team from Eisenach won their first points of the season after the home defeat against runner-up Füchse Berlin (35:41). The best ThSV scorer is currently Moritz Ende with 13 goals.
• After a 28:26 opening win against fellow promoted team 1. VfL Potsdam, SG BBM Bietigheim lost the derby against Rhein-Neckar Löwen at home on the second match day with 25:33.
• The two teams will face again on 2 October, when the second round duel in the German Cup will take place in Bietigheim.

Friday, 20 September:

• Two of the four teams that have not yet scored a point will duel in Nürnberg.
• HC Erlangen lost against SG Flensburg-Handewitt (28:41) and against ThSV Eisenach (24:28), Stuttgart also lost against Flensburg (25:39) and previously against SC DHfK Leipzig (24:33).
• The Franconians have won the last four duels against Stuttgart and; overall, Erlangen are ahead in the statistics with 12:4 wins.
• How close the relegation battle was last season is shown by the fact that Stuttgart, in eleventh place, were five places ahead of 16th-placed Erlangen with a four-point lead.

• Newly promoted 1. VfL Potsdam also started the season with two defeats, the second division champions first lost 26:28 to fellow promoted team Bietigheim and then 23:31 to MT Melsungen on the last match day.
• Handball Sport Verein Hamburg currently have 1:3 points - after the 25:25 against FRISCH AUF! Göppingen, they lost 26:32 to champions and cup winners SC Magdeburg.
• This match is also a first in the history of the HBL, the two teams have never faced each other before.

Saturday, 21 September:

• The current HBL top scorer Ivan Martinovic (21 goals in two games) will face the club he played for until the end of the 2023/24 season in the first top game of round 3.
• Both teams are at the top of the table with 4:0 points each, the Löwen have so far won against record champions THW Kiel (32:27) and promoted team Bietigheim (33:25), MT won in Lemgo (28:20) and against promoted team Potsdam (31:23).
• With 34 saves after 120 minutes of play, Löwen goalkeeper David Späth is currently the best goalkeeper in the league.
• Including the two qualifying games for the European League, Melsungen have won all four games of the current season.
• Melsungen won both games against the Lions in the previous season, but are clearly behind in the overall statistics with 10:27 wins.
• Both teams were in the finals of the first two editions of the REWE Final4 in Cologne - the Lions won the title in 2023 by beating Magdeburg, the MT lost the final against the SCM in 2024.

• Two games, 4:0 points, +28 goals - the start of the new season for SG Flensburg couldn't have gone better. The 42:28 against Erlangen was followed by a 39:25 in Stuttgart.
• FRISCH AUF! Göppingen started the new season with a 25:25 against Hamburg, then Benjamin Matschke's team had no chance in the 24:33 defeat at THW Kiel.
• With 17 goals, SG left wing Emil Jakobsen is fifth in the top scorer list.
• Last season, SG surprisingly dropped both points in a 31:32 loss in Göppingen, but won the return match at home 35:30. In the last seven duels between the two clubs, there were three draws; overall, Flensburg has won 36 of the 52 duels, Göppingen eight, but only once away.

Sunday, 22 September:

• The warriors from Hannover have scored their first two points of the season with a 36:25 win in Wetzlar after their 28:32 home defeat against Gummersbach.
• With two wins in Eisenach (41:35) and against SC DHfK Leipzig (37:32), Füchse Berlin have achieved the optimum result.
• Seven U21 world champions from last year are in the squads of both teams: Renarts Uscins and Justus Fischer for the hosts, Lasse Ludwig, Max Beneke, Tim Freihöfer, Nils Lichtlein and Matthes Langhoff for the capital club.
• Three of the six most successful scorers of the new season will duel in Hanover: Füchse star Mathias Gidsel has scored 20 times, his teammate Tim Freihöfer 19 times and Recken wing Marius Steinhauser 17 times.
• In the last eight duels with Hanover, Füchse remained unbeaten (six wins, two draws), the last win for Hannover-Burgdorf dates back to 2019. In total, Füchse won 20 duels, Recken six.

• Both opponents started the season victorious, the second matchday ended with defeats for both - Gummersbach first won against Hannover-Burgdorf, then lost in Lemgo; Leipzig won against Stuttgart and then lost in Berlin.
• Two Icelandic coaches - Runar Sigtryggsson (SC DHfK) and Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson (VfL) - and some Icelandic players such as coach's son Andri Mar Runarsson, Viggo Kristjansson (Leipzig) or Teitur Örn Einarsson and Ellidi Snaer Vidarsson (Gummersbach) will lock horns in Leipzig.
• Gummersbach's new signing Dominik Kuzmanovic is one of the best goalkeepers in the league with 23 saves.
• The last four matches between the two clubs ended with three Gummersbach wins and one draw, Leipzig last won in 2019, and the overall statistics show 6:4 wins for VfL.

• SC Magdeburg won both of their games of the season so far with ease (35:28 against Wetzlar, 32:26 in Hamburg), THW Kiel celebrated its first points with a 33:24 win against Göppingen after their 27:32 opening defeat at the Löwen.
• Both goalkeepers have played good games so far: Kiel's goalkeeper Wolff has 26 saves to his name after two games, Sergej Hernandez 20.
• THW newcomer Emil Madsen is in third place in the HBL top scorers' list with 19 goals, the best SCM scorer is currently Omar Ingi Magnusson with 14 goals.
• Last season, the two teams faced each other three times: Kiel and Magdeburg each won their home games in the HBL, and at the Champions League final tournament in Cologne, THW won the match for third place against SCM. In total, Kiel won 37 times against Magdeburg, while SCM beat THW 21 times.
• Both teams are the only German multiple winners in the EHF Champions League: Magdeburg won two titles (2002, 2024), Kiel four times (2007, 2010, 2012 and 2020).