Abstiegskracher in Balingen
In the Handball Bundesliga, too, the focus is mainly on the top of the table and the fight for the European places. This season, however, there is also a lot going on in the lower reaches of the table. The teams in the relegation battle still have seven to nine games to play and probably six teams still have to be considered for demotion.
On Thursday, two teams meet in a direct duel who are up to their necks in the water. HBW Balingen Weilstetten receive TuS Nettelstedt-Lübbecke in their home Sparkassen Arena. This means that the third-last team in the table is expecting the last team in the table. Thereby, there can at least be a preliminary decision in terms of relegation.
Balingen have played 26 games and have 13:39 points, which is currently enough for 16th place. Jens Bürkle’s team is extremely vulnerable, but can catch their breath with a home win on Thursday and distance themselves from the two relegation places.
An away win would be another glimmer of hope, but we are leaning strongly in the direction of placing a bet on an undisputed home win between Balingen and Nettelstedt-Lübbecke.
Balingen – Statistics & current form
The Balingen team lives up to its nickname. As Gauls, they have once again shown themselves to be indomitable this season, even though for a long time it looked as if it would be almost impossible to stay in the league. In the meantime, Jens Bürkle’s team has left the relegation zone and it looks as if they will be able to maintain their position in the top flight for another year.
Upward trend
In handball, too, it’s important to be there in the decisive situations and to get the momentum on your side. The Swabians have managed to do that in recent weeks. After going nowhere for a long time, they won two of the last three games. HBW is therefore once again a force to be reckoned with, and if they can build on their recent performances, then you can think about playing the odds on a home win between Balingen and Nettelstedt-Lübbecke.
First there was the derby win against Frisch Auf Göppingen at the beginning of April. In the next derby, which was even more important in the relegation battle, they then lost at home to TVB Stuttgart. Before the international break, however, the Gauls managed another victory. They won 34:29 at HSV Hamburg after a great performance.
Vladan Lipovina, in particular, is increasingly proving to be the Swabians’ life insurance in the relegation battle. In Hamburg, the Montenegrin was once again the decisive man with nine goals. However, Moritz Strosack on the right wing also scored eight of his attempts. If the Balingen team performs like that against Nettelstedt-Lübbecke, they could get two important points on their way to staying in the relegation zone.
Predicted line-up of Balingen:
Ruminsky, Sejr – Beciri, Heinzelmann, Ingason, Lipovina, Nothdurft, Schoch, Scott, Strosack, Thomann, Todorovic, Volz, Wente, Zintel – coach: Bürkle
Last matches played by Balingen:
Bundesliga
21/04/2022 – Balingen-Weilstetten 26 – 21 TuS-N-Lübbecke
10/04/2022 – HSV Hamburg 29 – 34 Balingen-Weilstetten
07/04/2022 – Balingen-Weilstetten 25 – 28 TVB 1898 Stuttgart
03/04/2022 – FA Göppingen 27 – 28 Balingen-Weilstetten
25/03/2022 – Balingen-Weilstetten 22 – 31 Rhein-Neckar-Löwen
Nettelstedt-Lübbecke – Statistics & current form
TuS Nettelstedt-Lübbecke must probably be described as one of the lift teams in German handball. The big successes are a long time ago. The East Westphalians currently oscillate between the Bundesliga and the second division, and at the moment it looks as if the promoted team will be saying goodbye to the top flight again after just one season.
Bottom of the table with a series of bankruptcies
Emir Kurtagic’s team has major personnel problems and it is therefore hardly surprising that they have been on an extreme losing streak. Most recently, there were eleven defeats in a row. This meant that the East Westphalians slipped to last place. Before the kick-off between Balingen and Nettelstedt-Lübbecke, we predict that it will be very difficult for them to stay in the league.
TuS Nettelstedt-Lübbecke travelled to the away game in Flensburg with only eight healthy field players. No wonder that they were completely overwhelmed by a top team in the Bundesliga under these circumstances. In the end, they lost 19:30. But all in all, it can be said that the team sold itself well.
Tin Kontrec and Tom Wolf could possibly be back in Balingen after their infections. Florian Baumgärtner did everything he could to get a last-minute medical. However, some players are also missing due to injury. Dominik Ebner and Jan-Eric Speckmann will not play again this season. Rennosuke Tokuda and Valentin Spohn are also missing due to injury.
Predicted line-up of Nettelstedt-Lübbecke:
Aasheim, Rezar – Baumgärtner, Drager, Finn-Jannes, Heiny, Mrakovcic, Mundus, Nissen, Petreikis, Petrovsky, Skroblien, Strosack – Coach: Kurtagic
Last matches of Nettelstedt-Lübbecke:
Bundesliga
21/04/2022 – Balingen-Weilstetten 26 – 21 TuS-N-Lübbecke
10/04/2022 – SG Flensburg-Handewitt 30 – 19 TuS-N-Lübbecke
03/04/2022 – TuS-N-Lübbecke 23 – 31 MT Melsungen
27/03/2022 – SC DHfK Leipzig 25 – 21 TuS-N-Lübbecke
11/03/2022 – TuS-N-Lübbecke 19 – 21 GWD Minden
Balingen – Nettelstedt-Lübbecke Direct comparison / H2H balance
HBW Balingen Weilstetten and TuS Nettelstedt-Lübbecke have only faced each other in 22 matches so far. The direct comparison is completely balanced. Both teams have nine victories to their name. Four games ended in a point-split. However, the East Westphalians have been able to save themselves the trips to the Sparkassen Arena in recent years.
Nettelstedt-Lübbecke have not won at the Gauls for seven games. During this period, they have only managed one draw. The last away win was in May 2005, but Emir Kurtagic’s team won the first leg 33:27 at home. Left wing Tom Skroblien was the most successful scorer of the match with nine goals.
Balingen – Nettelstedt-Lübbecke Tip
The Gauls from Balingen seem to have managed the turnaround in time. Every point is important in the relegation battle of the Handball Bundesliga at the moment and the Swabians have won two of the last three games and thus collected big points compared to the competition. The question is whether Jens Bürkle’s team could save the momentum over the international break.
The guests from East Westphalia, on the other hand, are in a deep crisis. The promoted team has lost all of its last eleven Bundesliga games and has been pushed to the bottom of the table. The form of both teams makes it very clear that a bet on a home win should almost be an alternative in the encounter between Balingen and Nettelstedt-Lübbecke.
The guests are not only in a crisis from a sporting point of view, but also have major personnel worries. The expected defeat would put Emir Kurtagic’s team even further behind. We have decided to play the betting odds on a handicap win (-2.5) in the match between Balingen and Nettelstedt-Lübbecke.
