After 17 years Champions League again in Magdeburg
As a player, Bennet Wiegert won the Champions League with SC Magdeburg in 2002. As a coach, he had no contact with the top division before this season. This is also true for most of his players, who will be able to measure themselves against the European handball elite for the first time this season. After 17 long years, the SCM will make their home comeback in the top flight against Croatian champions PPD Zagreb.
Although Bennet Wiegert’s team, as German champions, will of course enter the Champions League with certain expectations, it should not be assumed that it will be enough for one of the first two places in the group stage. However, third to sixth place and a place in the last 16 should be the minimum goal for SC Magdeburg. A win on Thursday would bring them a big step closer to that goal.
The team from Anhalt made a successful start in Bucharest last week and booked the first two points on their account. Zagreb, on the other hand, lost their first match at home against GOG Handbold from Denmark.
The only open question might be how high the victory of the German champions will be. The SCM’s results this season have been decent, but not in such a way that they will go into the match against the Croats with the expectation of a landslide victory. Therefore, we can also imagine placing a tip on a handicap win (+7.5 goals) for the visitors between Magdeburg and Zagreb.
Magdeburg – Statistics & current form
The SC Magdeburg squad has remained almost identical on the whole compared to last year. Nevertheless, the Anhaltiners do not look as confident this season as they did last season. However, this is complaining at a very high level, because the results that the German champions have achieved so far are still good. What is missing, however, is a little bit of serenity.
Five wins in a row, but without the big sovereignty
The only real top opponent Bennet Wiegert’s team has faced this season, namely THW Kiel in the Supercup, was defeated. After that, however, there were five victories in five competitive matches. In some cases, however, the SCM had a harder time than one would have expected, for example against the promoted team in Gummersbach, or against Wetzlar and in Bucharest.
That’s why we don’t look at the high handicaps for Thursday’s match, but rather tend to play the odds on a home win with a one to five goal difference between Magdeburg and Zagreb. That is the range in which four of the last five games of the SCM took place. Only against the promoted team from Hamm-Westfalen was there a 31:23 victory in their own hall.
Last Sunday, Magdeburg were guests at Göppingen. That was not a match in which the SCM takes the points in passing. The game was still open until Anhalt’s 20:18 midway through the second half, before the champions pulled away and won 31:26 in the end. Right winger Daniel Pettersson was the most successful scorer with six goals. Whether Gisli Kristjansson will be able to play after his knee injury from the Göppingen game is still up in the air. A final diagnosis is still pending.
Expected 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:
Bundesliga
18/09/2022 – FA Göppingen 26 – 31 SC Magdeburg
Champions League Grp. A
15/09/2022 – Dinamo Bucuresti 28 – 30 SC 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
Zagreb – Statistics & current form
Croatian handball continues to produce outstanding talent year after year. PPD Zagreb, among others, is largely responsible for this. It is not without reason that world-class players such as Igor Vori, Ivano Balic, Domagoj Duvnjak or Blazenko Lackovic were trained there or matured into absolute top players. Currently, there are no such outstanding players of Croatian origin in the line-up.
The big class is missing
That’s why Zagreb are only outsiders in this Champions League. To be honest, it has to be said that sixth place and a place in the last 16 would already be a great success. That has not been achieved in recent years. Therefore, you probably have to make a clear prediction on the home victory in the duel between Magdeburg and Zagreb.
In the Croatian league, Ivica Obrvan’s team will probably be champions again. More important are the successes in the SEHA League, a kind of super league in the Balkans, and in the top division. All in all, however, they have only won 3:2 this season. However, in the SEHA League, for example, they only just lost to Veszprem by two goals.
Last weekend, PPD Zagreb was able to take a step back in the Croatian league. There was a 33:27 compulsory victory against Sesvete. However, it is always problematic when you are not seriously challenged in the league, then have to flip the switch in the premier league. Timur Diborov, in particular, should be able to do that. The Russian, who won the Champions League twice with Vardar Skopje, is definitely the player to pay the most attention to in Zagreb.
Predicted line-up of Zagreb:
Slavic, Turcic – Cavar, Cupic, Dibirov, Dodic, Faljic, Gojun, Grahovac, Klarica, Klis, Leimeter, Matanovic, Musa, Sirotic, Srna – Coach: Obrvan
Last matches played by Zagreb:
Premijer Liga Grp. B
17/09/2022 – RK Zagreb 33 – 27 Sesvete
Champions League Grp. A
15/09/2022 – RK Zagreb 27 – 31 GOG 2010
Premijer Liga Grp. B
09/09/2022 – RK Zagreb 32 – 25 RK KTC Krizevci
SEHA League Final Stage
04/09/2022 – RK Zagreb 30 – 32 Veszprem
02/09/2022 – RK Nexe 26 – 32 RK Zagreb
Magdeburg – Zagreb Direct comparison / H2H-Balance
The SC Magdeburg has already caused a sensation on the international stage in GDR times. The same is true for Zagreb, when today’s Croatian capital was still part of Yugoslavia. Both clubs once won the European Cup of national champions. In terms of tradition, this duel actually has a lot to offer. Until today, however, as unbelievable as it sounds, the two teams have never faced each other.
Magdeburg – Zagreb Tip
Magdeburg will be looking to underline their ambitions of finishing in at least one of the top six places in this group on Thursday. They have already won against Dinamo Bucharest away from home and should they also manage a win against Zagreb, Bennet Wiegert’s team would be well on the way to achieving their minimum target early on.
The Magdeburg team recently won five matches in a row and can go into this match with a broad chest. The Getec Arena will be the venue for a home match of the SCM in the Champions League for the first time in 17 years. This occasion should be duly celebrated.
However, the German champions have not usually won all that highly recently. In addition, the loss of Gisli Kristjansson is looming. The Croatians, on the other hand, have brought in Timur Dibirov, a strong thrower from the outside position. Therefore, we have decided to play the betting odds between Magdeburg and Zagreb on a home win with a difference of one to five goals
