Does the leader stumble in the Black Night?
It was just a fortnight ago when HC Erlangen and SC Magdeburg faced each other in the Final Four of the DHB Cup in Hamburg. The Franconians were without a chance in the semi-final, but afterwards they still spoke of a great experience to be part of this event at all. On Saturday, the SCM will have the opportunity to take revenge at the Nürnberger Versicherung Arena.
It remains to be seen whether HC Erlangen will have the desire to give the title contenders another leg up. For Raul Alonso’s team, nothing is at stake. They have a ten-point cushion on the relegation places. Most of the teams still have six games to play, but the relegation candidates will not get that many points. At the moment, 23:33 points mean eleventh place.
So the Franconians can approach this match quite relaxed. That will not be the case for the guests from Magdeburg. The clear leaders have a six-point cushion on second place and still have seven games to play. Therefore, it is not too risky to make a prediction on the title win of the Anhalt team before the match between Erlangen and Magdeburg.
Bennet Wiegert’s team still has five points to lose on the way to their first German championship since 2001. But the sooner they get the points, the better. Therefore, we expect highly motivated guests who will definitely want to take the two points home with them.
Erlangen – Statistics & current form
After two long years, Erlangen will finally have Black Night again. Team and fans will be dressed all in black. There will also be a very special choreography. The Black Night is the highlight of the HCE every year. The fact that SC Magdeburg, currently the best team in the country, will be our guests makes this evening even more special.
Good run in the Bundesliga
The home side will definitely be expecting something on Saturday. If you disregard the clear cup defeat against SCM, things are going really well at the moment. In the Bundesliga, there have been three wins in a row and the danger of relegation is basically non-existent. If it wasn’t against the league leaders, one could have thought about targeting the odds on a home victory between Erlangen and Magdeburg.
After all, they have already defeated the team from Melsungen, which is peppered with German internationals, after the lost cup match and then celebrated a historic victory in Lemgo. The Franconians have never won at the East Westphalians, but Raul Alonso’s team delivered a very strong performance in the 33:27, after trailing 10:16 at one point.
They have to build on that on Saturday. Many hopes are again pinned on keeper Kim Sonne, who often found himself in the stands for a long time, but delivered an outstanding game in Lemgo. He should also get plenty of playing time on Saturday in his first Black Night. So at least in goal there are strong options. It is questionable whether ex-national player Steffen Fäth will be back on the pitch against the leaders.
Predicted line-up of Erlangen:
Ferlin, Sonne – Bissel, Büdel, Firnhaber, Jäger, Jeppsson, Kellner, Leban, Link, Metzner, Olsson, Överby, Sellin, Steinert, Zeche – coach: Alonso
Last matches played by Erlangen:
Bundesliga
30/04/2022 – TBV Lemgo 27 – 33 HC Erlangen
28/04/2022 – HC Erlangen 32 – 31 MT Melsungen
07/04/2022 – HC Erlangen 30 – 23 Bergischer HC
31/03/2022 – TVB 1898 Stuttgart 34 – 29 HC Erlangen
25/03/2022 – HC Erlangen 23 – 25 FA Göppingen
Magdeburg – statistics & current form
No hurdle seems to be too high for SC Magdeburg this season. Bennet Wiegert’s team has two titles firmly in its sights. The Anhalt team will not let the championship be taken away from them. The Magdeburg team will hardly give up a six-point cushion in the last seven Bundesliga games. The only question is when the big triumph will be clinched.
SCM continue to impress on the road
In addition, the SCM handball players are in the semi-finals of the European League. However, the opponent and the venue for the Final Four have not yet been determined. In this competition, too, the Bundesliga leaders are favoured and that is why it is not difficult to make a prediction on two more titles for the SCM before the match between Erlangen and Magdeburg.
SC Magdeburg have won seven of their last eight games. However, it is bitter that the defeat came in the final of the DHB Cup. But even the defeat against THW Kiel does not change the fact that SCM is extremely stable. This also became clear on Tuesday in the second leg of the European League against HBC Nantes.
The Magdeburg team got on the winning track early and led by nine goals in the meantime, after they had already won by three goals in France. Reason enough, therefore, to shift down a few gears. In the end, 30:28 was enough to advance safely to the semifinals. Especially Michael Damgaard showed a sensational game with twelve goals.
Predicted line-up of Magdeburg:
Green, Jensen – Bezjak, Chrapkowski, Damgaard, Gullerud, Hornke, Kristjansson, Magnusson, Mertens, Musche, O’Sullivan, Pettersson, Saugstrup, Smits, Weber – Coach: Wiegert
Last matches played by Magdeburg:
EHF European League Final Stage
04/05/2022 – SC Magdeburg 30 – 28 HBC Nantes
Bundesliga
01/05/2022 – SC Magdeburg 28 – 27 Füchse Berlin
EHF European League Final Stage
27/04/2022 – HBC Nantes 25 – 28 SC Magdeburg
Bundesliga
10/04/2022 – HSG Wetzlar 26 – 29 SC Magdeburg
EHF European League Final Stage
06/04/2022 – SC Magdeburg 36 – 35 Sporting CP
Erlangen – Magdeburg Direct comparison / H2H-balance
There have been just 15 games between HC Erlangen and SC Magdeburg to date. The direct comparison is a clear affair for the Anhalt team, who are 11:3 ahead after victories. Once, the two opponents parted with a draw. However, the SCM has had its problems in the Franconian metropolitan region in recent years.
HCE won three of the last four home games against Magdeburg. On the other hand, the SCM has won four of the last five encounters overall. Moreover, Bennet Wiegert’s team has never been as strong as they are this season. The last time both teams faced each other was a fortnight ago at the Final Four in Hamburg. There, the Anhalt team showed all their class in a 30:22 victory in the semifinals.
Erlangen – Magdeburg Tip
The betting providers tested see SC Magdeburg as the clear favourites on Saturday. However, Bennet Wiegert’s team has always struggled in Franconia in recent years, losing three of their last four games there. In addition, the HCE have won their last three games in the Bundesliga and are in good form.
Their only defeat came in the cup against Magdeburg, and it was a very heavy eight-goal loss. Not for nothing is SCM the clear leader in the Bundesliga. But the important thing on Saturday will be to take the two points and extend the good series with seven wins in the last eight games. We think that this mission should be successful and tend to bet on a win for the visitors between Erlangen and Magdeburg
However, Black Night will also be celebrated on Saturday. The atmosphere in the hall will be very special. Raul Alonso’s team will therefore put everything into the scales once again on this day in order to annoy the leaders. We therefore expect a relatively close match and have decided to play the betting odds on a handicap win (+4.5) for the HCE between Erlangen and Magdeburg.
