Cup party in Kiel
There will be a big cup party in the Wunderino Arena on Thursday. The Kiel heroes from last weekend will be cheered for the home match in the Bundesliga against HSG Wetzlar. The atmosphere in the hall will be great and if the Zebras are then able to bring home a clear victory, then THW will be able to talk about a successful evening.
In the Bundesliga table, the Schleswig-Holstein side are in a tough battle with the Füchse from Berlin and SG Flensburg for second place and the associated qualification for the Champions League. These three teams are within two points of each other. The title is likely to go to SC Magdeburg this year.
The Kiel team, however, has no points to give away in order to be able to compete in the top league next season, where the Zebras certainly belong in terms of performance. Against the HSG, they must not allow any slip-ups and we are not the only ones to give a clear prediction of a home victory in the duel between Kiel and Wetzlar.
But the Hessians should not be underestimated at all, because they are playing the best season in the club’s history. Benjamin Matschke’s team is currently in seventh place. This puts them in a four-way fight for two places in next season’s European League. On Thursday, however, there is likely to be a setback in this respect, as we tend to bet on a handicap win for the home side between Kiel and Wetzlar.
Kiel – Statistics & current form
It has been a month since THW Kiel played at home. The return on Thursday could not be bigger after the away win in the Bundesliga in Magdeburg and the cup success last weekend. It will be important for the Kielers not to experience a drop in tension, because the current situation in the table does not currently give any such.
Impressive form in 2022
But as the new and now twelve-time German Cup winners, they will now be sure of extreme support from the home fans. What’s more, their form couldn’t be better. The Zebras have won 16 of their last 17 games. The only defeat came at home against the extremely fit Füchse Berlin in 2022.
With the knowledge of their own strength, you probably only have to check the odds between Kiel and Wetzlar on Thursday, which will have anything to do with a home win. If the team from Schleswig-Holstein manages to perform again like they did last Sunday in the final of the DHB Cup, then there is absolutely nothing against a commanding home victory.
In Hamburg, the leaders from Magdeburg were really taken apart in the second half after a tight first half. A stable defence and a once again outstanding world handball player Niklas Landin were the key to the Zebras’ sensational 28:21 victory. In attack, it was Sander Sagosen who played a decisive role in the first title win of the season with his eight goals.
Predicted line-up of Kiel:
N. Landin, Quenstedt – Bilyk, Ciudad Benitez, Dahmke, Duvnjak, Ehrig, Ekberg, Horak, M. Landin, Pekeler, Reinkind, Sagosen, Weinhold, Wienczek, Zarabec – Coach: Jicha
Last matches played by Kiel:
Bundesliga
10/04/2022 – GWD Minden 27 – 30 THW Kiel
26/03/2022 – SC Magdeburg 25 – 30 THW Kiel
13/03/2022 – THW Kiel 27 – 31 Füchse Berlin
Champions League Grp. A
11/03/2022 – THW Kiel 10 – 0 HC Meshkov Brest
Bundesliga
06/03/2022 – Balingen-Weilstetten 25 – 31 THW Kiel
Wetzlar – Statistics & current form
Participation in the European Cup is always a big goal for HSG Wetzlar. However, there have not been many international appearances so far. After all, they are on the verge of repeating sixth place from the 2016/17 season, their best placing ever. If everything goes perfectly, maybe even fifth place is possible. The Hessians have never managed that before.
Negative series of the Hessians
However, Benjamin Matschke’s team seems to be running out of steam a bit on the home stretch. The HSG has been waiting for a win for four games. Most recently, there were three defeats in a row. It doesn’t sound like you have to make a prediction between Kiel and Wetzlar that the underdogs will win a point.
After all, they now had more than two weeks off. They could use this time to regenerate and recharge their batteries. But on the other hand, this negative series has been in their heads for a fortnight without them being able to do anything about it. Especially the defeats in Lemgo and at home against Bergischer HC were painful.
At least the form curve showed some signs of improvement in the last match, when they were able to stand up to SC Magdeburg in their own hall for a long time. HSG were even ahead until the middle of the second half, before they were beaten 26-29. Domen Novak was the most successful scorer for the Hessians, scoring a total of six goals.
Predicted line-up of Wetzlar:
T. Klimpke, Komok – Boczkowski, Cavor, Danner, Forsell Schefvert, Frederiksen, Holst, O. Klimpke, Mellegard, Mirkulovski, Novak, Nyfjall, Srsen – Coach: Matschke
Last matches of Wetzlar:
Bundesliga
10/04/2022 – HSG Wetzlar 26 – 29 SC Magdeburg
26/03/2022 – HSG Wetzlar 23 – 27 Bergischer HC
13/03/2022 – TBV Lemgo 29 – 27 HSG Wetzlar
04/03/2022 – TVB 1898 Stuttgart 26 – 26 HSG Wetzlar
27/02/2022 – Rhein-Neckar-Löwen 27 – 30 HSG Wetzlar
Kiel – Wetzlar Direct comparison / H2H balance
In total, THW Kiel and HSG Wetzlar have crossed paths 50 times. The direct comparison is a very clear affair for the Zebras, who are 37:9 ahead after victories. Four encounters ended in a draw. However, this impression of Kiel’s dominance is a little deceptive, as the HSG has recently been standing up to the record champions more and more clearly.
The Hessians have won three of the last four direct duels. The first leg in Wetzlar also went to the HSG, when they won 29:27 against the big favourites. With a great performance by national keeper Till Klimpke and an otherwise united team, Wetzlar is in a position to win against THW Kiel as well.
Kiel – Wetzlar Tip
Both teams still have big goals in the Bundesliga this season. THW Kiel are desperate to finish second so that they can also play in the top flight next season. HSG Wetzlar is striving for a place among the top six in order to at least be allowed to play in the European League. At least one of the two teams will suffer a setback on the way there on Thursday.
Kiel are in outstanding form, having won 16 of their last 17 games, including twice recently against SC Magdeburg.
While the Hessians have won three of their last four games against Kiel, they have recently gone four games without a win and three defeats in a row. We think it’s time for THW to set the record straight. Therefore, we have decided to play the betting odds on a handicap win (-5.5) for the home side in the match between Kiel and Wetzlar.
