King League comeback for SCM

The SC Magdeburg is back in the Champions League. One of the most successful handball clubs in the world simply belongs in the top division. SCM won the European Champion’s Cup twice and also triumphed in the Champions League in 2002. Many other international titles are on the Anhalt club’s letterhead. On Thursday, Bennet Wiegert’s team will make their comeback to the top flight after 17 years when they play Romanian champions Dinamo Bucharest

Maybe Group B is a little easier to handle than the parallel pool this year. In the group of eight, with Paris Saint-Germain, GOG from Denmark or Telekom Veszprem, among others, the SCM is aiming for one of the first two places that lead directly to the quarter-finals. Alternatively, with third to sixth place, they will have to take a diversion via the round of 16. An early exit in the group phase would be out of the question for the SCM.

Last season, the Romanians narrowly missed out on the play-offs by finishing seventh. The group was put together in a very similar way. So it will be difficult for Dinamo again this season. Even before the opening match between Dinamo Bucharest and SC Magdeburg, the first prediction is more in the direction of an away win, even if the German champions will not get anything for free in the Romanian capital.

Never the less, SCM should have the greater quality in the squad. That actually sounds quite decent, so we are already leaning towards a tip on a win for the visitors in the match between Dinamo Bucharest and Magdeburg.

Dinamo Bucharest – Statistics & current form

Dinamo Bucharest is anything but a lightweight in international handball. The Romanians have been national champions 18 times, won the cup seven times and the Super Cup five times. Now they finally want to strike on the international stage. To this end, they brought in Xavier Pascal Fuertes, the successful coach of FC Barcelona for many years, before the last season.

Strong squad at the Romanian champions

The player material also offers a lot. The stars are certainly Alex Pascual Garcia, the coach’s son, the French Olympic champion Cedric Sorhaindo or Eduardo Gurbindo from Spain. Christian Dissinger, a German European champion from 2016, is also in the squad of the Romanian champions. These names alone show that the SCM will not take home two points in Bucharest in passing.

The Romanians have already played five games in their national league. With 10:0 points, they are at the top of the league table. In fact, Dinamo Bucharest have won nine matches in a row over the course of the season. However, in Romania you also meet teams that are not comparable in terms of level to the teams you meet in Germany.

Nevertheless, Xavier Pascal Fuertes’ team has enough self-confidence to aim for a successful start in the Champions League. In Bucharest in particular, a number of favourites have already stumbled. Nevertheless, the Romanian champions are only outsiders and that is why we mainly look at the odds for a home win in the duel between Dinamo Bucharest and SC Magdeburg.

Predicted line-up of Dinamo Bucharest:
Bucaturu, Ghedbane – Negru, Pascual Garcia, Popa, Ghionea, Dissinger, Racotea, Zein, Silva, Kukic, Gurbindo, Kasparek, Sorhaindo, Shebib, Bochan – Coach: Pascual Fuertes

Last matches played by Dinamo Bucharest:

Liga Nationala
09/09/2022 – Dinamo Bucuresti 39 – 29 Timisoara

04/09/2022 – HC Odorheiu 28 – 43 Dinamo Bucuresti

02/09/2022 – CSU Suceava 32 – 38 Dinamo Bucuresti

29/08/2022 – Dinamo Bucuresti 34 – 30 Oradea

26/08/2022 – CS HC Buzau 2012 22 – 34 Dinamo Bucuresti

Magdeburg – Statistics & current form

17 long years the fans in Magdeburg had to wait to watch their team play in the Champions League again. Now the time has finally come and it would be great if the SCM could report back directly with a victory on the big handball stage. The tendencies are definitely positive, as the German champions had a decent start to the season.

Good start to the season for SCM

The defeat in the German Supercup against cup winners THW Kiel hurt, but after that there were three wins in the first three games in the Bundesliga. With 6:0 points, the Anhalt players are among the leaders in the table. If they manage to bring this form to the plate in Romania as well, then the prediction in the duel between Dinamo Bucharest and Magdeburg has to go to a victory for the guests.

However, Bennet Wiegert’s team has already revealed weaknesses this season. The narrow victory at promoted Gummersbach showed that the SCM still has its problems in finishing. At the weekend, the champions struggled at home for a long time in their 32:28 win against Wetzlar, even though the victory was never in danger.

The bottom line is that there is still a lot of room for improvement and the game in Bucharest would not be a bad way to realise the potential. Except for Moritz Preuss, Bennet Wiegert has all his players on board. Michael Damgaard and Piotr Chrapkowski, however, are not yet in full possession of their powers and will probably not get beyond short appearances in Romania.

Predicted Magdeburg line-up:
Jensen, Portner – Bezjak, Chrapkowski, Damgaard, Hornke, Kristjansson, Magnusson, Meister, Mertens, Musche, O’Sullivan, Pettersson, Saugstrup, Smits, Weber – Coach: Wiegert

Last matches played by Magdeburg:

Bundesliga
11/09/2022 – SC Magdeburg 32 – 28 HSG Wetzlar

08/09/2022 – VfL Gummersbach 28 – 30 SC Magdeburg

04/09/2022 – SC Magdeburg 31 – 23 ASV Hamm-Westfalen

12/06/2022 – SC Magdeburg 37 – 34 Rhein-Neckar-Löwen

09/06/2022 – SC DHfK Leipzig 31 – 36 SC Magdeburg

Dinamo Bucharest – Magdeburg Direct comparison / H2H-balance

Till today there have only been two direct duels between the two teams of Dinamo Bucharest and SC Magdeburg. Both matches were played in the 2015/16 season in the EHF Cup, the predecessor of the European League. Both games were won by the Magdeburg team. However, the first leg in Bucharest was very close in February 2016 with a 34:33 away win.

In the second leg, the SCM flexed their muscles and won 39:22 in their own hall. Michael Damgaard was the best scorer for Magdeburg at the time, who were later eliminated in the quarter-finals against Frisch Auf Göppingen, while the Romanians’ European journey was already over after the group phase.

Dinamo Bucharest – Magdeburg Tip

After 17 years of abstinence, SC Magdeburg will be especially eager to present themselves in the Champions League again. The opponent Dinamo Bucharest is grateful in itself, but to win in the Sala Polivalenta will not be easy. The Romanian champions have acquired top-class personnel at the coaching position and on the plate.

The Romanians’ problem is that they are often not challenged in the national league. As a result, they already have 10-0 points this season. Flipping the switch in the top flight is no easy task.

Of course, there is also the possibility to include a small handicap in your bets, but Bennet Wiegert’s team is expecting a tough match in the Romanian capital, where it will only matter to somehow take the two points home. That’s why we decided to play the betting odds on an easy away win between Dinamo Bucharest and Magdeburg