Are the Zebras attacking second place?
It will be an exciting Thursday for the handball fans in Germany. Not only will the German women play their opening match at the World Cup in Spain against the Czech Republic, but German supporters will also get their money’s worth in the Champions League when champions THW Kiel await Vardar Skopje.
The Zebras hope to secure one of the first two places in the group of eight. That will save them a knockout round by advancing directly to the quarter-finals. The teams in third to sixth place have to make an intermediate stop in the round of 16. Kiel are currently in third place and have eleven points on their account.
Montpellier and Pick Szeged are only two and one point away respectively. Vardar, on the other hand, are on the brink. The champions from northern Macedonia are currently sixth, but have only a one-point cushion on Zagreb (7th). So while THW has positive pressure and can only win, the Macedonians could miss the entry into the next round. That is also why we tend to predict a home win between THW Kiel and Vardar Skopje.
The German champions have performed well at home lately, while Vardar are currently not getting anything going in the Champions League.
THW Kiel – Statistics & current form
The times when a team marches through the Bundesliga almost without losing a point are obviously over. That’s why every match in the league is a challenge and that applies to the Champions League anyway. So it’s only logical that you have to accept a defeat every now and then.
Home strong Kielers
Currently, THW Kiel are second in the Bundesliga, but already have six more minus points on their account than leaders Magdeburg. Defending the title will be extremely difficult this season. At least the form curve is clearly pointing upwards, as the Zebras have celebrated five victories in the last six matches.
Last weekend, Kiel hosted SC Leipzig at the Wunderino Arena. Looking at the table, the 32:28 was a must-win, but the Saxons did well. Nevertheless, in the end the Zebras had a largely sovereign success on the table, who had their best thrower in Niclas Ekberg with eight goals.
Immediately after the game, however, the focus was on the future again, because the big goal of Filip Jicha’s team is to qualify directly for the quarter-finals of the top flight. To achieve this, a home win against Vardar should be inevitable. In their own arena this season, there was only a narrow defeat against Magdeburg and a draw against Pick Szeged. Otherwise, the Kiel team has only celebrated home victories.
The THW Kiel squad:
N. Landin, Quenstedt – Ekberg, Wienczek, Zarabec, Sagosen, Reinkind, Weinhold, M. Landin, Bilyk, Pekeler, Ehrig, Duvnjak, Ciudad Benitez, Dahmke, Horak – Coach: Jicha
Vardar Skopje – Statistics & current form
Vardar Skopje are anything but walk-ins in handball. The Macedonians have already won the Champions League twice, in 2017 and 2019, so Veselin Vujovic’s team has outstanding qualities. Why they have not been able to call them up in recent games in the top flight is basically the big question.
Series of defeats in the premier class
In the Champions League, there have been five defeats in a row recently after a decent start. The advantage is that they still have both games against their immediate rivals for sixth place, the team from Zagreb, ahead of them. Therefore, the Macedonians still have everything in their own hands, even if there should be a defeat on Thursday.
In any case, the well-known bookmakers are clearly predicting a home win before the duel between THW Kiel and Vardar Skopje. In the Macedonian league, Veselin Vujovic’s team is also only in second place. However, they are level on points with leaders Eurofarm Pellister and thus also on the way to defending their title.
The northern Macedonians also won the dress rehearsal last weekend. Vardar had to play Skopje 2020 in the derby. At first, that sounds hotter than it is, because Skopje is bottom of the table and did not get a point from twelve games. Thus, Vardar’s 32:27 victory was only a formality.
The Vardar Skopje squad:
Tomovski, Gogov – Gadza, Dibirov, Taleski, G. Nyokas Zalamou, Gerorgievski, A Nyokas Zalamou, Czuwara, Toto, Stoilov, Diallo, Walczak, Savrevski, Djukic, Kuduz – Coach: Vujovic
THW Kiel – Vardar Skopje Direct comparison / H2H-balance
Since 2002, the teams from THW Kiel and Vardar Skopje have crossed paths again and again. During this period, ten matches have been played. The direct comparison is a clear matter for the German champions, who are 8:2 ahead after victories. There has never been a draw between these two teams.
The Zebras have won all of the last five matches, sometimes by a clear margin of up to eleven goals. Kiel also won the first leg in Macedonia this season. However, THW’s 29:26 away win was on the line for a long time.
THW Kiel – Vardar Skopje Tip
Of course, the Kielers want to occupy one of the first two places in the Champions League. However, the minimum goal of reaching the last 16 is already as good as achieved. There is not much to lose for the Zebras and therefore Filip Jicha’s team can basically go into this match without any pressure.
Skopje, on the other hand, is threatened with elimination from the top flight. Five defeats in a row in the Champions League indicate that Veselin Vujovic’s team has big problems internationally at the moment. Therefore, we are still inclined to bet on a clear home victory in the match between THW Kiel and Vardar Skopje.
The Zebras have won all of the last five direct duels, sometimes with a lead of up to eleven goals. Even though the first leg was close for a long time, we expect a home win on Thursday. We have decided to bet on a handicap win (-5.5) for the hosts between THW Kiel and Vardar Skopje.
