Will the Zebras get their revenge?
This weekend, the first title in German handball will be played out in Hamburg in the 2021/22 season. In the DHB Cup, the Handball Final Four will take place for the last time in the Barclay Card Arena. From the coming season, this final tournament will then be moved to Cologne. In the first semi-final, the reigning champions THW Kiel and the cup winners TBV Lemgo Lippe will face off.
We still remember well last year when both teams also dueled on the record in the semifinals of the Handball Cup in Hamburg. At half-time, the game was basically over after Kiel had a seven-goal lead. Lemgo, however, played as if unleashed in the second period and not only won 29:28 in the end, but also secured the title a day later.
The Kiel team is not only the German record champion, but they have also won the most DHB Cup titles. This trophy has gone to the Zebras a total of eleven times. This year, Filip Jicha’s team again has a good chance of winning the title. But first they have to reach the final. In any case, we think that between Lemgo and Kiel you should do well with a bet on a victory for the Schleswig-Holstein team.
THW Kiel – Statistics & current form
Officially, Kiel are still dancing on three high tides. In the championship, however, Filip Jicha’s team is six points behind the leaders from Magdeburg in second place. Theoretically, this gap can still be closed, but SCM will have to drop a few points to do so. The chances are probably better in the Champions League. However, they also have a big game on their hands in the quarter-finals against Paris Saint-Germain.
Great form in 2022
The supposedly easiest title is winning the DHB Cup. Filip Jicha’s team only needed two more wins for that. However, all teams will be hot, both in the semifinals and in a possible final, where SC Magdeburg could be waiting. First of all, the Zebras have to do their homework on Saturday. However, we reckon that the odds on a THW win give them a better chance of success in the duel between Kiel and Lemgo.
Kiel are playing an outstanding 2022 so far, with Filip Jicha’s team picking up 14 wins from their last 15 games. The only defeat came at home against the Füchse Berlin. On the other hand, the Zebras won in Magdeburg. At the moment, they are at least well on the way to securing second place in the Bundesliga, so that they can also play in the top division next season. However, the Kiel team still has strong competition in the form of the Füchse and Flensburg.
The Kiel team had a good two weeks to prepare for the Final Four. The last game was on 10 April with a 30:27 away win in Minden. After some withdrawals from the national team, many Zebras now had enough of a break to recharge their batteries. With the appropriate freshness, there should probably be a win on Saturday and a place in the final on Sunday.
Predicted line-up of THW Kiel:
N. Landin, Quenstedt – Bilyk, Ciudad Benitez, Dahmke, Duvnjak, Ehrig, Ekberg, Horak, M. Landin, Pekeler, Reinkind, Weinhold, Wienczek, Zarabec – Coach: Jicha
Last matches of THW Kiel:
Bundesliga
10/04/2022 – GWD Minden 27 – 30 THW Kiel
26/03/2022 – SC Magdeburg 25 – 30 THW Kiel
13/03/2022 – THW Kiel 27 – 31 Füchse Berlin
Champions League Grp. A
11/03/2022 – THW Kiel 10 – 0 HC Meshkov Brest
Bundesliga
06/03/2022 – Balingen-Weilstetten 25 – 31 THW Kiel
Lemgo – Statistics & current form
In the Bundesliga, TBV Lemgo-Lippe is underperforming somewhat this season. The team of world champion Florian Kehrmann has strong keepers, a well-rehearsed and internationally experienced middle block as well as the national players Tim Suton and Lukas Zerbe. Nevertheless, they are currently only in ninth place in the Bundesliga. If the journey is to go to Europe again, then the title in the DHB Cup must be defended.
In weak form into the Final Four
Honestly, however, there is not much to suggest that they will take the trophy home again this year. Especially in the last few weeks, you could see that the many international games have taken their toll. They haven’t won a game in five matches. Only against Wisla Plock in the European League play-offs was it enough for a draw, admittedly after a seven-goal defeat in the first leg.
In this condition, the forecast in this semi-final between Kiel and Lemgo has to go to a success of the Schleswig-Holsteiners. The Lipper have had even more of a break than THW. TBV played their last match in the Bundesliga on 7 April in Leipzig. Apart from an interim lead in the opening phase, Florian Kehrmann’s team did not have much to order in the 25:29.
Lemgo will also be playing a little for captain Andrej Kogut in this Final Four. After an infection, he was diagnosed with heart muscle inflammation. He will leave the club in the summer and possibly never wear the Lipper jersey again. Winning the cup again would certainly be a fitting farewell gift for the playmaker.
Predicted line-up of Lemgo:
Johannesson, Zecher – Blaauw, Carlsbogard, Cederholm, Elisson, G. Guardiola, I. Guardiola, Hutecek, Reitemann, Schagen, Schwarzer, Simak, Suton, Zerbe – coach: Kehrmann
Last matches played by Lemgo:
Bundesliga
07/04/2022 – SC DHfK Leipzig 29 – 25 TBV Lemgo
EHF European League Final Stage
05/04/2022 – Orlen Wisla Plock 28 – 28 TBV Lemgo
Bundesliga
03/04/2022 – TBV Lemgo 20 – 32 GWD Minden
EHF European League Final Stage
29/03/2022 – TBV Lemgo 28 – 31 Orlen Wisla Plock
Bundesliga
25/03/2022 – Füchse Berlin 29 – 24 TBV Lemgo
THW Kiel – Lemgo Direct comparison / H2H balance
THW Kiel vs TBV Lemgo, this is a permanent duel in German handball and currently means nothing less than the encounter between the reigning champions and the cup winners, i.e. a remake of the Super Cup. In total, the two clubs have faced each other in 82 matches. In the direct comparison, the Zebras are clearly ahead with 54:21 wins with seven draws.
The victory in last year’s Final Four of the Lipper was almost a sensation. It was the first victory for the East Westphalians in a direct duel since 2010. After the cup success, there have already been four matches between these two teams in which the TBV could not win. Among others, Kiel won the German Supercup and dismantled Lemgo in December in the Bundesliga with a 13-goal difference.
Germany THW Kiel – Lemgo Tip
Sometimes history repeats itself. So the Lipper will be hoping to pull off another cup miracle on Saturday and knock out THW Kiel in the semifinals of the Final Four for the second time in a row. However, there is nothing to suggest that Florian Kehrmann’s team will succeed in this sensation this time either.
Last year’s victory was the Lippe’s only success against the Zebras in the last twelve years. Moreover, the form of the last few weeks does not leave much room for optimism. TBV have not won in five games and have conceded four defeats in the process.
We think there will be a clear win for the Northern Lights. Filip Jicha will sharpen his team’s senses and if the Zebras manage to be fully concentrated for 60 minutes, it should be a clear affair. We have therefore decided to play the betting odds on a handicap win (-5.5) for the Schleswig-Holstein side between Kiel and Lemgo.
