Top match in the Flens-Arena
In the Handball Bundesliga, four clubs were named before the season to compete for the title. In the meantime, the Rhein-Neckar Löwen have joined the Big Four. It is always a big event when the best teams in the Bundesliga meet. Accordingly, Saturday’s clash between the SG Flensburg-Handewitt and champions Magdeburg is also eagerly awaited.
The Flensburg team is the only one of the top clubs to have really lost ground so far. After five games, they have 7:3 points. At the end of the season, every minus point will count, so it would be important if the SG could beat the champions from Magdeburg on Saturday. At the moment, Flensburg is only in seventh place in the standings.
SC Magdeburg, on the other hand, is still without a loss in the Bundesliga, but also had a much easier programme to complete than the North Germans. However, 10:0 points sound very good for the time being.
We are of the opinion that it always depends on the form of the day, especially in matches between the top teams in the league. That’s why we think anything is possible in this duel. That doesn’t make it any easier to find the right tip on the outcome of the match between Flensburg and Magdeburg. You might want to try betting on the number of goals scored.
Flensburg – Statistics & current form
With teams like the SG Flensburg-Handewitt, you don’t expect to be subject to major fluctuations over the course of a season. However, the Northern Germans are currently experiencing these fluctuations. Maik Machulla’s team must therefore not allow itself any slackness in the top match. A defeat would mean that the SG would fall behind in the title race and in the fight for the Champions League places for weeks, maybe even months.
Drop in points in the Bundesliga
Three minus points at this stage is three too many in Maik Machulla’s estimation at the early stage of the season. However, there was a draw against Füchse Berlin and a narrow defeat at Rhein-Neckar Löwen. The Flensburg team did not have the luck of the game on their side. That should now be completely different on Saturday in Hölle Nord.
After the two winless games in the Bundesliga, the SG regained their self-confidence in the qualification for the European League. The Flensburg team won 39-25 away from home at MMTS Kwidzyn in Poland, and it doesn’t take a prophet to say that the SG is sure to make it into the group phase before the second leg in the Flens-Arena.
With the wind at their back, they now want to beat the champions, who only suffered two defeats in the Bundesliga in the pre-season, one of them in Flensburg. If Maik Machulla’s team manages to keep the weak phases to a minimum, then you can definitely flirt with the odds on a home win in the top match between Flensburg and Magdeburg.
Predicted Flensburg line-up:
Buric, K. Möller – Einarsson, Golla, Gottfridsson, Hansen, Jakobsen, Johannessen, Lindskog, Mensah Larsen, L. Möller, Pedersen, Röd, Semper, Sögard – Coach: Machulla
Last games of Flensburg:
EHF European League Preliminary Rounds
27/09/2022 – MMTS Kwidzyn 25 – 39 SG Flensburg-Handewitt
Bundesliga
24/09/2022 – Rhein-Neckar-Löwen 28 – 27 SG Flensburg-Handewitt
15/09/2022 – SG Flensburg-Handewitt 31 – 31 Füchse Berlin
10/09/2022 – TSV Hannover-Burgdorf 25 – 35 SG Flensburg-Handewitt
07/09/2022 – SG Flensburg-Handewitt 36 – 23 GWD Minden
Magdeburg – statistics & current form
If you sum up the entire season of the German champions, then SC Magdeburg is playing a good season. However, you have to differentiate a little bit, because the SCM has won all the compulsory games, but had clear problems against the European top teams and that is exactly what Bennet Wiegert’s team will meet on Saturday.
Heftige Pleite nach sieben Siegen
At the beginning of the season, there was a defeat in the German Supercup against the cup winner THW Kiel. Afterwards, the SCM won seven games in five Bundesliga matches and twice in the Champions League. After this good series, however, the team suffered another defeat in the Champions League on Wednesday. This one has to be digested first, because the Anhalt team was completely without a chance against Paris Saint-Germain.
That was mainly due to the fact that there was little going on in attack. Keeper Jannick Green, who moved from Magdeburg to Paris, played an outstanding game and showed his former colleagues their limits time and again. By the break, the game was effectively lost at 10:18. In the end, Magdeburg were well served by the 22:29 defeat.
The secret of a top team, however, is to get back up after setbacks. This is exactly the line taken by national player Philipp Weber, who is focusing directly on Saturday’s match after the defeat against PSG. However, we think it will be difficult for the champions to hold their own in Hölle Nord and would rather predict a home win between Flensburg and Magdeburg.
Predicted line-up of Magdeburg:
Jensen, Portner – Bezjak, Chrapkowski, Damgaard, Hornke, Kristjansson, Magnusson, Meister, Mertens, Musche, O’Sullivan, Pettersson, Saugstrup, Smits, Weber – Coach: Wiegert
Last matches played by Magdeburg:
Champions League Grp. A
29/09/2022 – SC Magdeburg 22 – 29 Paris Handball
Bundesliga
25/09/2022 – SC Magdeburg 39 – 25 GWD Minden
Champions League Grp. A
23/09/2022 – SC Magdeburg 35 – 25 RK Zagreb
Bundesliga
18/09/2022 – FA Göppingen 26 – 31 SC Magdeburg
Champions League Grp. A
15/09/2022 – Dinamo Bucuresti 28 – 30 SC Magdeburg
Flensburg – Magdeburg Direct comparison / H2H-balance
With Flensburg and Magdeburg, two teams meet on Saturday that have largely been on a par for decades. In total, there are 64 duels between the two opponents. In the direct comparison, Flensburg-Handewitt has the edge with 35:35 victories. Four times, the two top teams parted with a draw.
The Flensburg team won four of the last five direct duels. It was also the SG who inflicted one of only two defeats on the SCM last season. On Boxing Day, Magdeburg was the guest in the Flens-Arena. The home side won 30:27. Hampus Wanne was the match-winner for the Flensburg team with seven goals.
Flensburg – Magdeburg Tip
In principle, anything can happen in the Bundesliga’s big top matches. Flensburg already got the frustration of three losing points off their chest during the week when they won by 14 goals in Kwidzyn and have more than one leg in the group stage of the European League. Maik Machulla’s team can therefore fully commit to the duel with the champions.
Magdeburg, on the other hand, suffered a nasty defeat during the week, which may still have repercussions on Saturday. This season, the SCM has not yet proven that they can beat big teams.
Tendentially, we go with the bookmakers’ assessment, who see Flensburg as slight favourites in this duel. After all, the SG has won four of the last five direct duels against the SCM and also celebrated a home victory in the Anhaltiners’ last championship season in Hell North. Nevertheless, we prefer to leave betting on the outcome of the match and play the betting odds on more than 57.5 goals between Flensburg and Magdeburg on
