As of: October 9, 2025 3:53 p.m
SG Flensburg-Handewitt against THW Kiel, and then also for first place in the Bundesliga – that’s all there is to it in German handball. On Saturday the eternal rivals will meet in the 113th state derby. The memories of the derbies in the last two seasons are completely different.
If there is a number that can cause pain, then it is the 4th for all THW Kiel team members and their fans. For four state derbies in a row, the process after the final siren has always been the same: While the SG Flensburg-Handewitt players dance across the parquet with so many endorphins in their bodies and their fans keep shouting “Derby winner! Derby winner!” chant, the record champions’ professionals stand there, drenched in sweat and with empty stares, deeply disappointed – and their followers are silent.
If from Kiel’s point of view the 4 with all the memories of the individual defeats causes so much pain – how bad would the 5 be? Five derby defeats in a row – this would be a horror for everyone who supports the THW.
SG could push THW out of first place
This Saturday (3:40 p.m., live on Erste and on ndr.de) it could happen in the 113th state derby, in the duel between the eternal rivals from Schleswig-Holstein. It is also the absolute top game of the eighth match day. Second-placed Flensburg-Handewitt (12:2 points) welcomes leaders Kiel (13:1). Both teams are also still undefeated this season. If the SG wins again, it would also displace the THW from the top position.
“We have to keep a cool head, even when there are difficult phases.”
THW captain Domagoj Duvnjak
Above all, the people of Kiel want to break Flensburg’s run in the derbies. “Yes, it’s not nice when you lose four times in a row against Flensburg. We have to stay cool in our heads, even when there are difficult phases. And we have to keep going for 60 minutes,” said THW captain Domagoj Duvnjak to NDR. His teammate Rune Dahmke said: “It’s obviously important for us to have a real sense of success again. That would be extremely nice, especially in Flensburg.”
Dahmke: “Flensburg are floating on a wave”
The 32-year-old left winger of the record champions with immense derby experience is happy about the special constellation before the current meeting: “Of course it fits, second against first – that’s somehow how it should be before a northern derby,” said Dahmke.
“We are in a good mood at the moment and are going into the game with a certain amount of self-confidence. Just like Flensburg, who have caught themselves very well and are currently riding a wave. I think this will be exactly the game that everyone is hoping for: one at an absolutely top level and with a lot of emotions.”
Both teams gained further self-confidence during the week – in different ways. While Flensburg won comfortably at SC DHfK Leipzig, especially thanks to a 9-1 start to the game, the “Zebras” showed strong nerves in the last five minutes of the home game against Rhein-Neckar Löwen. Despite being three goals behind, they still managed to get a point. Something like that can certainly help for the guest performance in “Hölle Nord”.
However, the personnel situation in the right back is difficult due to the injury to Emil Madsen (cartilage injury in the right knee). Almost everything there now depends on the Norwegian Harald Reinkind.
Golla: “The worst game you can experience”
At SG, the run of six wins in a row (including the DHB Cup) ensures a good basic feeling for the derby. “In terms of atmosphere, it’s by far the craziest game you can experience. Our fans are looking forward to the game, the team is looking forward to it,” said SG captain Johannes Golla.
“This is certainly the best derby in the world.”
SG handball player Marko Grgic
His teammate Marko Grgic said that “we are now slowly getting into a flow”. The German international, who came from Bundesliga rivals ThSV Eisenach in the summer, is about to make his Schleswig-Holstein state derby debut. “Of course it probably has different aspects than Eisenach against Leipzig or something else. But I love playing derbies, that’s always the most fun,” said Grgic. In handball, the derby between SG Flensburg-Handewitt and THW Kiel is “certainly the best in the world”.
If you look at the history of the duel, the statistics still speak relatively clearly for Kiel. Of the 112 games so far, 65 went to the THW, the SG prevailed 42 times, and five games ended in a draw. But: The Flensburg team has recently caught up strongly in terms of victories. There it is again, the number 4, which from Kiel’s point of view is so unsightly and which must under no circumstances become a 5.
