For decades, the northern duel between THW Kiel and Flensburg-Handewitt was considered the biggest game in German handball. But recently the clash between SC Magdeburg and Füchse Berlin has become enormously important. Is this Eastern duel the new classic? Both top teams meet on Saturday (4:05 p.m., live on ARD).
Duel of the giants, summit meeting – days before kick-off, the league game between league leaders SC Magdeburg and second-placed Berlin is being hyped up to become the absolute top game of this Bundesliga season.
Not without reason, after all, the decision will be made in the Magdeburg Arena as to whether the Magdeburgers will win the championship crown at the end of the season or whether the Füchse Berlin can intervene again on the home stretch.
Defending champion hits Champions League winner
On Saturday, the defending champions (Füchse) will meet the reigning Champions League winners (SC Magdeburg), who in turn became German champions the year before.
If you look at the last few years, the two representatives from the east of the republic have left the big draws from the north, record champions THW Kiel and SG Flensburg-Handewitt, behind them. Has this already marked a changing of the guard between north and east?
National player Nils Lichtlein from the Füchse throws against Magdeburg’s Oscar Bergendahl and Omar Ingi Magnusson
The great importance of the East duel
Füchse coach Nicolej Krickau would answer the question with “yes”. “Flensburg against Kiel is a huge experience. But the hatred between the two teams is no longer as great as it used to be. Due to the results of the last few seasons, the importance of the East derby is greater.”said the Berlin coach with a view to the game on Saturday.
His star player, world handball player Mathias Gidsel, also currently sees the Magdeburg team as their biggest competitor. The game against the SCM was characterized by an “unbelievable rivalry.” However, Gidsel doesn’t just look at the recent past. “The North Derby has a greater history. The history between Magdeburg and Berlin is newer”said the Dane.
Füchse coach Nicolej Krickau cheers on his team
Kretzschmar: “Was disappointed with the northern derby”
The North is relatively unaffected by the debate. “The derby is without a doubt the biggest game in German handball”THW managing director Viktor Szilagyi said about the explosiveness of the northern duel, while ex-national player Stefan Kretzschmar contradicted.
“After the last northern derby, I was honestly disappointed with the quality of the game and, above all, the emotionality. SCM against Füchse is currently the best quality that German handball has to offer.”said Kretzschmar to the newspaper “nd”.
Foxes come with broad chests
Classic or not – the upcoming top game promises high handball fever. The Foxes come to Magdeburg with nine wins in a row from the Bundesliga. The last defeat came in Kiel in mid-December.
Magdeburg has only lost two games all season, but has weakened a bit recently, as in the two significant defeats in the Champions League against FC Barcelona (29:36) and at Paris St. Germain (26:34). In February, the SCM suffered its second defeat of the season in Kiel.
Magdeburg’s coach Bennet Wiegert: optimistic in the final spurt.
Clear first leg win for Magdeburg
The first leg five months ago was a clear affair for Magdeburg, who triumphed 39:32. However, the game took place immediately after the double expulsion of coach Jaron Siewert and sports director Stefan Kretzschmar.
“We used the momentum back then. The new coach was in office for 24 hours”remembered SCM trainer Weigert and expects tougher resistance from Berlin this time: “The Berliners had fantastic performances in March. We know what to expect here.” In any case, an exciting top game.
