Will Magdeburg give the defending champions a leg up?

The 2022/23 handball season is coming to an end. But one title is still up for grabs, and it’s the biggest in European handball. This weekend, the Final Four in the Champions League will take place. The spectators in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne can be happy that at least one German team is in the running, even if our Magdeburg vs. Barcelona tip clearly shows that the Catalans are favoured in this semi-final.

There are some teams in international handball that can be described as world class without any ifs and buts. SC Magdeburg as reigning champions of the IIHF Super Globe, i.e. the World Cup, and Barcelona as defending champions of the top division are certainly among them. So this first semi-final could not actually be much bigger.

At betting provider Bet365, however, the tendency in this duel goes relatively clearly in the direction of the defending champions. But that is a fact that should not bother the SCM too much, because Bennet Wiegert’s team knows how to beat the Spaniards, as the Magdeburg team achieved this feat in the Super Globe final three quarters of a year ago.

However, in the first instance between Magdeburg and Barcelona, we would also make a prediction on a victory for the Spaniards. If you like, the Catalans are the measure of all things in world handball, even though other teams, including the other semi-finalists from Paris and Kielce, also invest an extreme amount of money in their squads. In any case, the spectators can look forward to an extraordinary handball festival on the Rhine with many of the best players in the world.

Magdeburg – Statistics & current form

For Magdeburg, it is a great honour to be part of the Final Four in the Champions League. The other three participants have already gained much more experience in this final tournament. Therefore, it is safe to assume that the SCM will be the biggest underdogs in Cologne, especially since they will have to deal with the toughest opponent in the semi-finals.

Full of confidence into the Final Four

Never the less, Bennet Wiegert’s team will arrive with a broad chest. The Anhalt team has been unbeaten for ten games. There has been one draw. The last defeat for Magdeburg was in the final of the DHB Cup after extra time against the Rhein-Neckar Löwen. Since then, things have gone almost perfectly, despite a few injury worries. Most recently, there have even been six winners in a row, including in the Bundesliga against Flensburg and the revenge against the Rhein-Neckar Löwen. Nevertheless, between Magdeburg and Barcelona we are primarily looking at the odds for a Catalan victory.

In the past Bundesliga season, a good final spurt was enough to secure a commanding second place. Until the last match day, there were even theoretical chances of defending the championship. In any case, SCM will be able to compete in the top division again next season. But first they want to say goodbye to the current season with a bang.

Bennet Wiegert makes it clear that the tasks in Cologne will be extremely difficult, but that they are not insurmountable. A victory against the defending champions would certainly have been somewhat more realistic if the SCM had been able to count on Omar Ingi Magnusson. The Icelander is one of the best handball players in the world, but has been out for months with a heel injury. Philipp Weber, Gisli Kristjansson, Magnus Saugstrup and Oscar Bergendahl were also out of action in the meantime, but will all be playing in the Final Four.

Predicted line-up of Magdeburg:
Jensen, Portner – Bergendahl, Bezjak, Chrapkowski, Damgaard, Hornke, Kristjansson, Lipovina, Mertens, Musche, Pettersson, Saugstrup, Smits, Weber – Coach: Wiegert

Last matches played by Magdeburg:

Bundesliga

  • 11/06/2023 – HSG Wetzlar 30 – 35 SC Magdeburg
  • 08/06/2023 – SC Magdeburg 31 – 27 TVB 1898 Stuttgart
  • 01/06/2023 – GWD Minden 30 – 44 SC Magdeburg
  • 21/05/2023 – SC Magdeburg 30 – 28 SG Flensburg-Handewitt

Champions League Final Stage

  • 17/05/2023  – SC Magdeburg 30 – 28 Orlen Wisla Plock

Barcelona – Statistics & current form

FC Barcelona is not only one of the big players in football, but currently especially in handball. The Catalans have played a season that is second to none. After the Liga Asobal and Copa del Rey titles, Antonio Carlos Ortega’s team is now aiming for the triple with the Champions League triumph and can match Manchester City in football.

The almost perfect season

There’s no getting around some of the metrics of what the Catalans have led this season. In the Spanish championship, Barcelona have become national champions with 30 wins from 30 games. The distance on the competition is probably more than just the 18 points lead at the end of the season. There were no problems in the Copa del Rey either.

Even in the Champions League, the Spaniards have swept through in sensational style. In 16 games, Barca won 15 and drew one. The draw, however, came on German soil, namely in the group phase at THW Kiel. The only defeat ever this season came in the final of the IIHF Super Globe, against SC Magdeburg of all teams. That is one of the few reasons that might lead one to make a prediction on a final appearance of the World Cup winner between Magdeburg and Barcelona.

The Spaniards have absolute world class at every position. Outstanding between the posts is Gonzalo Perez de Vargas, who is competing with Niclas Landin for the position of the best goalkeeper in the world. Then there are the French stars around Dika Mem, Melvyn Richardson, Ludovic Fabregas and Timothey N’Guessan, the Swedes Jonathan Carlsbogard and Hampus Wanne and not to forget the numerous Spanish internationals.

Predicted Barcelona line-up:
Nielsen, Perez de Vargas – Biescas, Carlsbogard, Cindric, de Borbon, Fabregas, Frade, Gomez, Mem, N’Guessan, Parera Ibanez, Petrus, Richardson, Valera, Wanne – Coach: Ortega

Last matches played by Barcelona:

Liga Asobal

  • 02/06/2023 – Barcelona 43 – 30 Ademar Leon
  • 27/05/2023 – Cantabria Sinfin 28 – 39 Barcelona
  • 25/05/2023 – Helvetia Anaitasuna 26 – 40 Barcelona
  • 20/05/2023 – Barcelona 41 – 30 Cisne

Champions League Final Stage

  • 19/05/2023 – Barcelona 36 – 31 GOG 2010

Magdeburg – Barcelona Direct comparison / H2H balance

Since 2003 there have been six duels between SC Magdeburg and FC Barcelona. The direct comparison is even in the last 20 years. Both teams picked up three victories each. The last two matches even went to the German top club and are not as long ago as the victories of the Catalans. Barcelona, for example, has been waiting for a win against the SCM since 2005.

The last two matches took place in the IIHF Super Globe, a competition that obviously suits the Magdeburg team, as both duels went in favour of the Anhalt team. In October, Bennet Wiegert’s team surprisingly won 41:39 against the Catalans after overtime in the final of the World Cup. As we know today, that was the only defeat for Barcelona in the entire season.

Magdeburg – Barcelona Tip

SC Magdeburg have played a great season and defied many injuries. Second place in the Bundesliga is a remarkable achievement. Add to that the title in the World Cup and a place in the Final Four in the Champions League. Anything more this weekend in Cologne is just the icing on the cake of a terrific season.

But what Barcelona has delivered this season has been sensational. In the Champions League, in the Copa del Rey and in the championship, there was only one draw. They currently have 34 consecutive victories to their name. The only defeat of the season came in the final of the World Cup against SCM.

We expect the German runners-up to put everything on the line, but that the Spaniards will probably be out of their league in the end. We have little doubt that the Catalans will win. The question is how long the game will be open and how big the victory will be in the end. We have decided to play the betting odds on a Catalan handicap victory (-3.5 goals) between Magdeburg and Barcelona.

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