Magdeburg on the way to winning the group
This week, the European Cup is not only on the agenda in football. In handball, too, there are the next games in the Champions League and the European League. SC Magdeburg has to travel to France, which always means a difficult game. The opponent will be the team of PAUC Handball Aix, who have their backs against the wall internationally.
Seven match days have been completed in the group phase of the European League. SC Magdeburg are top of the table with six wins and one draw on 13 points and have already secured their place in the last 16. Now it is a matter of consolidating their top position in order to face the easiest possible opponents in the play-offs.
Things look much worse for the French. While they have become a top team in the French league, they are on the brink of elimination in the second European league. They have only managed one point in seven games so far. The round of 16 is currently four points away. That means that in the duel between Aix and Magdeburg, the prediction has to go to an away win.
However, PAUC Aix is not as bad as the table says. Thierry Anti’s team has a good squad with some French and international international players. SCM will not take a win in passing and therefore you should not place a bet on a too high handicap between Aix and Magdeburg.
Aix – Statistics & current form
Since 2012, PAUC Aix has been a member of the first division in France. Having established themselves, they are now looking to make a name for themselves at European level and perhaps attack the championship in France at some point. This season, however, the aim is to qualify for the European League once again and perhaps make it to the round of 16.
Unbeaten in the European League
At national level, they are doing very well at the moment. Aix are ranked third in the Starligue. They are five points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain. Currently, PAUC Aix is fighting for second place with the team from Nantes, which has the same number of points.
Last weekend, Aix had to play in Nimes. It was a spectacular match that was on a par for 60 minutes. Neither team was able to pull away in the course of the game and so the final seconds had to decide between victory and defeat. Ten seconds before the end, left wing Matthieu Ong scored the 29:28 winning goal for Aix on a penalty kick.
After such a success, the team can go into the match against SC Magdeburg with a broad chest. However, the pressure is also clearly on the French side, who need a win at all costs to make it into the last 16. The table doesn’t lie, but it is remarkable that Aix are still without a win in seven games in the European League, given the quality that Thierry Anti’s team has in its squad.
The squad of Aix:
Goal: Pardin, Romero
Back: Lagarde, Kristjansson, Accambray, Konan, Tarrafeta, Claire
Left wing: Ong, Filipovic
Right wing: Loesch, Brasseleur
Circle: Pecina, Clarac, Racic
Coach: Anti
Last games played by Aix:
1st Division
02/19 2022 – USAM Nimes 28 – 29 Pays d’Aix handball
EHF European League Grp. C
02/15 2022 – RK Nexe 33 – 29 Pays d’Aix handball
1st Division
02/11 2022 – Pays d’Aix handball 33 – 27 Grand Nancy
02/08 2022 – Pays d’Aix handball 32 – 26 USM Saran
02/05 2022 – Chartres 31 – 32 Pays d’Aix handball
Magdeburg – Statistics & current form
It is the season of SC Magdeburg. Bennet Wiegert’s team may be playing in the European League, but they must be considered one of the best teams in the world at the moment. As reigning champions of the European League, the Anhalt-based team played in the IHF Super Globe by wildcard and won the World Cup in handball for the first time.
Outstanding season
In addition, SCM leads the Bundesliga standings by six points ahead of THW Kiel. The first championship since 2001 is within reach. In addition to that, Magdeburg is already certain to participate in the DHB Cup Final Four in Hamburg. It could be a fantastic season with a total of four major titles.
In the entire season, there was only one defeat across all competitions. Considering that the German Bundesliga is considered the best and most balanced league in the world, that’s quite an exclamation mark. Therefore, the SCM travels to France as favourites and the odds suggest that in the duel between Aix and Magdeburg, the forecast must go to an away win.
Last Thursday, Bennet Wiegert’s team hosted Frisch Auf Göppingen at the GETEC Arena and once again delivered a very good game. Already at the break, the SCM was ahead by eleven goals and took it easier in the second period. Lukas Mertens was his team’s top scorer with seven goals in the 37:26 victory.
The Magdeburg squad:
Goal: Jensen, Green
Back: Chrapkowski, Weber, Damgaard, Kristjansson, O’Sullivan, Bezjak, Magnusson, Smits
Left wing: Musche, Mertens
Right wing: Pettersson, Hornke
Circle: Saugstrup, Gullerud, Preuß
Coach: Wiegert
Last matches played by Magdeburg:
Bundesliga
02/17 2022 – SC Magdeburg 37 – 26 FA Göppingen
EHF European League Grp. C
02/15 2022 – SC Magdeburg 34 – 24 Gorenje Velenje
Bundesliga
02/12 2022 – TuS-N-Lübbecke 20 – 30 SC Magdeburg
02/09 2022 – SC Magdeburg 28 – 19 GWD Minden
12/26 2021 – SG Flensburg-Handewitt 30 – 27 SC Magdeburg
Aix – Magdeburg Direct comparison / H2H-balance
It would be too much to say upstart, but the PAUC Aix team is still largely a blank slate at international level. That’s why Aix and Magdeburg have only faced each other once before. The first leg in the current European League was won by the Bundesliga leaders in their own hall with 31:27.
However, the direct comparison can still be used to assess this match, as the only duel between these two teams took place not long ago. In October last year, it was mainly the Dane Michael Damgaard and the Dutchman Kay Smits who left their mark on the game. Both were successful eight times each for the SCM.
Aix – Magdeburg Tip
SC Magdeburg can take it easy on Tuesday. After all, the defending champions are already safely in the last 16 of the European League. But Bennet Wiegert’s team will not be half-assed. They won’t want to ruin their great season’s record with a half-hearted performance in France, even if they have to conserve their energy because of the tasks still to come.
Aix, on the other hand, have their backs against the wall in the European League. The French are last in the group and absolutely have to win against Magdeburg to have any chance of advancing. However, in seven games in the European Cup, they have not yet won a match.
Both teams won their last league match. However, while Aix struggled, SCM once again excelled. From there, we expect the Bundesliga leaders to pick up a win on Tuesday as well. We decided to play the betting odds on a handicap win (-3.5) for SCM between Aix and Magdeburg.
