Preview Matchday 9: Grgic’s return, uneven Eastern Derby and duel of the top scorers

Thursday, 16 October:

• TBV Lemgo Lippe are, alongside VfL Gummersbach, the team of the moment: Florian Kehrmann’s side are unbeaten in seven matches, with six wins (most recently a 32:30 against Stuttgart) and one draw. They sit fourth in the table on 13:3 points.
• Rhein-Neckar Löwen are also unbeaten in their last three matches, most recently drawing against Kiel (31:31) and Göppingen (30:30). Maik Machulla’s team are currently seventh with 10:6 points.
• Tim Suton is Lemgo’s leading scorer with 56 goals, while Jannik Kohlbacher — who extended his contract last week — tops the charts for the Löwen with 48. Between them is another Lemgo player, Niels Versteijnen, with 50 goals.
• In the German Cup, Lemgo will face a North Rhine-Westphalia derby against Gummersbach in the Round of 16 on 5/6 November.
• There hasn’t been an away win in this fixture since October 2021 — the home team has won six of the last seven encounters, with one draw. Overall, the Baden side lead the head-to-head with 22 wins from 40 matches, compared to 12 Lemgo victories.

• Marko Grgic returns to his former club ThSV Eisenach as unbeaten league leaders with SG Flensburg-Handewitt — buoyed by a 36:34 derby win against Kiel. After opening with two draws, Flensburg have won their last six league matches.
• ThSV Eisenach have alternated between wins and defeats over their past five games (most recently a 30:32 loss in Hanover), and currently are 13th in the table with 6:10 points.
• Swiss newcomer Felix Aellen has made a strong start for Eisenach, leading the team with 42 goals — seven fewer strikes than Emil Jakobsen has scored for the SG.
• Both clubs will be away from home in the German Cup Round of 16: Flensburg travel to Stuttgart, while Eisenach visit Füchse Berlin.
• Last season, Eisenach managed to earn a remarkable 39:39 draw in Flensburg, and in 2023/24 claimed a 28:27 home victory — their only win over Flensburg to date. Of the 22 previous meetings, SG have won 19.

Friday, 17 October:

• Despite losing the duel of the traditional clubs against VfL Gummersbach 24:36, FRISCH AUF! Göppingen remain in the top ten of the DAIKIN HBL, sitting ninth with 8:10 points, though they have won only two matches so far this season.
• Relief at last for Bergischer HC: their 35:28 victory over HSG Wetzlar last week marked their first win of the campaign. As expected, the promoted side then lost 30:39 at Champions League winners SC Magdeburg, but handed over the wooden spoon to SC DHfK Leipzig with 2:14 points. In the Cup, BHC face TSV Hannover-Burgdorf in the Round of 16.
• Two left wingers are currently their teams’ top scorers: Noah Beyer has netted 44 times for BHC, while Marcel Schiller has 41 goals for FRISCH AUF! To his name.
• In the last 10 duels between these two clubs, fans have witnessed eight home wins and two draws. Overall, Göppingen lead the head-to-head with eleven victories to seven.

Saturday, 18 October:

• HSG Wetzlar suffered two defeats last week: first a 28:35 to Bergischer HC, then a 25:35 at home against Hamburg. With 5:11 points, Momir Ilic’s side sit 14th, one point behind their upcoming opponents.
• After draws against Melsungen and Magdeburg and a win in Hanover, HC Erlangen have since lost twice in the league — as well as exiting the Cup — most recently falling 22:33 to Gummersbach. The Franconians are currently 11th with 6:10 points.
• Only one goal separates the top scorers of the two teams, who rank ninth and tenth respectively in the overall ranking: Philipp Ahouansou has netted 49 times for Wetzlar, while Marek Nissen has scored 48 goals for Erlangen.
• Both sides were eliminated in the second round of the German Cup.
• Interestingly, the last five duels between these teams have all been away wins. Erlangen’s last home victory over Wetzlar came in 2022. The overall record is narrowly in Wetzlar’s favour, with nine wins to eight.

• After the draw with Rhein-Neckar Löwen, THW Kiel suffered their first defeat of the season with a 34:36 in Flensburg. They now sit fifth in the table with 13:3 points.
• MT Melsungen, on the other hand, are clearly on an upward trajectory: three consecutive victories — most recently a 34:25 win over Leipzig — have lifted the North Hessians to eighth place with 9:7 points.
• Both teams began their European League group stage campaigns on Tuesday. The pair also met in this year’s German Cup final in Cologne, and again in the European League third-place match — with Kiel winning both encounters.
• With 88 saves, Andreas Wolff leads the DAIKIN HBL’s goalkeeper rankings. His Kiel teammate Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu is fourth among scorers with 66 goals, while Dainis Kristopans tops Melsungen’s tally with 40.
• In the Cup Round of 16, both clubs will face second-division opposition: Melsungen travel to HC Elbflorenz, while Kiel visit last year’s Cup surprise package, HBW Balingen-Weilstetten.
• Melsungen are unbeaten in their last four league matches with Kiel — winning three and drawing one — and took both victories last season. However, the overall record ahead of their 40th encounter remains clearly in favour of the “Zebras”: 31:7 wins.

Sunday, 19 October:

• The two sides come into this match from completely different positions: TVB Stuttgart have gone five games without a win, while Füchse Berlin have won their last four.
• The Swabians have lost their last three matches, most recently a narrow 30:32 defeat in Lemgo. They sit 15th in the table with 4:12 points. Füchse, on the other hand, took a 42:27 victory over promoted side Minden and occupy sixth place with 12:4 points.
• This fixture will feature the league’s second- and third-best scorers: Mathias Gidsel (Berlin) has 69 goals to his name, while Stuttgart’s Kai Häfner has scored 66 times.
• In the Cup Round of 16, Füchse Berlin will host Eisenach, while Stuttgart will face Flensburg at home.
• Stuttgart’s 32:28 victory in May 2023 was their only home win over Berlin so far. Since then, Füchse have won all four subsequent duels and lead the all-time series 16:2.

• SC DHfK Leipzig are the only winless team in the league after eight matchdays, while SC Magdeburg — alongside league leaders Flensburg — are unbeaten.
• Leipzig’s only point so far came from a 24:24 draw in Göppingen. With 1:15 points, they sit bottom of the table after last week’s 25:34 defeat in Melsungen, slipping behind BHC following their win over Wetzlar.
• Magdeburg, who have played one game fewer than most teams, are third with 13:1 points after a commanding 39:30 victory over BHC last weekend.
• Averaging more than ten goals per match, Magdeburg’s Icelandic star Omar Ingi Magnusson tops the DAIKIN HBL scorier list with 71 goals. Leipzig’s top scorer is Blær Hinriksson with 43.
• Leipzig have already qualified for the Cup Round of 16 and will face second-division side Nordhorn-Lingen away on 5/6 November. Magdeburg must still secure their spot in that round, with a local Cup derby against Dessau-Roßlauer HV on 21 October (19:00, live on Dyn). The winners will face TV Großwallstadt.
• Magdeburg won both East German derbies last season. Leipzig’s last home victory over their regional rivals dates back to 26 February 2023, a 33:32 triumph. Overall, Magdeburg lead the head-to-head with 12:5 victories.

• Handball Sport Verein Hamburg ended a four-match winless streak last weekend with a 35:25 victory over Wetzlar. They are currently tenth in the table with 7:9 points.
• VfL Gummersbach, meanwhile, continue their impressive run. With one match more, they currently sit second on 14:4 points, following emphatic wins over Erlangen (33:22) and in Göppingen (36:24).
• Two summer signings are respective top scorers of both sides: Dane Nicolaj Jørgensen has scored 50 goals for Hamburg, while Dutchman Kay Smits leads Gummersbach’s tally with 40.
• Gummersbach have won four and drawn one of the last five duels of both sides since December 2022. However, Hamburg still hold the overall advantage in the head-to-head with 18:10 wins.

• Newly promoted side GWD Minden have lost their last five league matches and were also knocked out of the Cup. With 3:15 points, the East Westphalians currently sit third from bottom.
• TSV Hannover-Burgdorf have managed to halt their recent slump with a 32:30 win over Eisenach and now occupy 12th place with 6:10 points.
• Former Hannover goalkeeper Malte Semisch has been a key performer for Minden, registering 54 saves so far, while Marius Steinhauser leads the scoring list for the Recken with 46 goals.
• In the Cup Round of 16, Hannover-Burgdorf will travel to Bergischer HC.
• Minden have not beaten Hannover since a 28:27 win in May 2021. Since then, Hannover have recorded three victories and one draw. Overall, the record stands at 13:4 in favour of the Recken.