Will Flensburg prevail in the witch’s cauldron of Szeged?
It is not only football fans who sometimes go into an electrified state when the Champions League anthem sounds. In handball, too, the premier league exerts a great fascination on supporters. To be in it as long as possible can only be the goal of the SG Flensburg-Handewitt, who will play the second leg of their Round of 16 match against Hungarian champion Pick Szeged on Thursday.
The Pick Arena will literally be packed. More than 8,000 spectators will turn the multi-purpose hall into a witch’s cauldron and will give everything to make up for the 21:25 defeat in the first leg. Four goals is no mean feat, but it is still conceivable that the Hungarians will make it to the quarter-finals, where the team from Paris Saint-Germain will be waiting.
The Hungarian champions are seen as clear favourites to win this match. However, much lower odds are offered on the German runners-up to progress. For now, we think you should do well with a prediction on a home win in this second leg between Pick Szeged and Flensburg alone.
In terms of advancing, it will probably be extremely tight. Once again, a handball thriller is threatening to be staged, which could become very exciting in the final minutes. We believe that the Hungarians will be able to make up the deficit from the first leg and are actually inclined to bet on the home side to progress in the Pick Szeged vs Flensburg clash.
Pick Szeged – Statistics & current form
The national tasks are usually just a formality for Pick Szeged. Basically, with Telekom Veszprem, there is only one team that can hold a candle to Juan Carlos Pastor’s team. Both clubs will fight it out for the Hungarian championship again this year. At the moment, Pick Szeged are just ahead of Veszprem (38:2 points) at the top of the standings with 41:1 points.
A power in the Pick Arena
The real challenges await in the Champions League, however, and the Hungarians are not expected to call it a day in the round of 16. The last home defeat for the Hungarians was against Elverum in October last year. Since then, there have been 14 wins and one draw in 15 home games. This suggests that the odds on a win for the home side should be interesting ahead of the clash between Pick Szeged and Flensburg.
Last weekend, Juan Carlos Pastor was able to spare many of his regular players for the last-place team, Kecskemeti TE. That’s why it was actually a bit closer than expected in the end, but Pick Szeged prevailed with 34:31 and maintained their lead in the standings. Now the focus is fully on the game against Flensburg.
The whole of Szeged is hoping and fearing for captain Bence Banhidi before this second leg. The circle runner is considered one of the best in the world and cannot be replaced 1:1 even by such a strong Hungarian team. After back problems, however, his deployment is still in doubt. If it is somehow possible, the defender will be at the plate on Thursday.
Predicted line-up of Pick Szeged:
Alilovic, Mikler – Sostaric, Frimmel, Tönnesen, Bodo, Banhidi, Bombac, Rosta, Garciandia Alustiza, Mackovsek, Gaber, Martins Soares, Henigman, Radivojevic, Christoffersen Blonz – Coach: Pastor
Last matches of Pick Szeged:
NB I
04/02 2022 – Kecskemeti TE 31 – 34 Pick Szeged
Champions League Final Stage
03/30 2022 – SG Flensburg-Handewitt 25 – 21 Pick Szeged
NB I
03/26 2022 – Veszpremi KKFT 23 – 42 Pick Szeged
03/13 2022 – Komloi BSK 28 – 38 Pick Szeged
Champions League Grp. A
03/10 2022 – Pick Szeged 29 – 29 Montpellier
Flensburg – Statistics & current form
The current situation is extremely difficult for the SG Flensburg. Maik Machulla’s team is running on fumes and has hardly any personnel alternatives, at least not of the quality needed in the Champions League. The northern Germans have also fallen behind in the Bundesliga in the meantime.
Flensburg is going down the drain
Flensburg’s renewed qualification for the top flight is hanging by a thread. To do so, they have to finish second in the standings. First place seems to have been awarded to Magdeburg. The SG is currently only fourth and has two minus points more than Kiel and even three more than Füchse Berlin. Therefore, before this Champions League round of 16 match between Pick Szeged and Flensburg, we are not making any predictions that the SG will continue to play at this level in the coming season.
The game last weekend, when Flensburg were guests of the Rhein-Neckar Löwen, was also a feat of strength. It was a very close game over 60 minutes, in which Maik Machulla’s team only managed to equalise 29:29 in the last seconds. This means that they have been undefeated for four games. However, this game again took a lot of energy, so we will have to see how fresh the North Germans can be in Szeged.
Franz Semper and Aaron Mensing will certainly not be in the game. Both are out injured and possibly won’t be an option at all this season. Jim Gottfridsson is badly injured and had to play longer than he should in Mannheim. Magnus Röd, Teitur Einarsson, Lasse Svan and Emil Jakobsen were all ill. With them it will be seen how much substance this has cost.
Predicted line-up of Flensburg:
Buric, Möller – Einarsson, Golla, Gottfridsson, Hald Jensen, Jakobsen, Johannessen, Mensah Larsen, Röd, Steinhauser, Svan, Wanne – Coach: Machulla
Last games played by Flensburg:
Bundesliga
04/02 2022 – Rhein-Neckar-Löwen 29 – 29 SG Flensburg-Handewitt
Champions League Final Stage
03/30 2022 – SG Flensburg-Handewitt 25 – 21 Pick Szeged
Bundesliga
03/27 2022 – MT Melsungen 26 – 32 SG Flensburg-Handewitt
03/13 2022 – SG Flensburg-Handewitt 35 – 21 Balingen-Weilstetten
Champions League Grp. B
03/10 2022 – Barcelona 29 – 22 SG Flensburg-Handewitt
Pick Szeged – Flensburg Direct comparison / H2H-Balance
Nine matches have been played between Pick Szeged and Flensburg-Handewitt so far. One match fell victim to the pandemic and was rated 10:0 for the Germans. Even without this success at the green table, the SG is clearly ahead in the direct comparison. After victories, Flensburg are 6:1 ahead, and once they separated with a draw.
The first leg a week ago was clearly dominated by the German runners-up. Only in the initial phase did Maik Machulla’s team have slight problems. In the course of the game, however, they were able to extend their lead to as many as five goals. With a 25:21 victory at the end of the game, the Flensburg team can be said to be in a good starting position.
Pick Szeged – Flensburg Tip
Once again, a win with a four-goal lead from the first leg is certainly a good cushion for the SG Flensburg. However, the current personnel situation may be a cause for concern. Some injured players will not be able to play in Szeged, others are injured or coming back from illness. One cannot speak of a cushion after the first leg victory.
After all, they have not lost in four games. But because of the English weeks, these games also took a lot of energy. Therefore, we have to see what the SG is capable of in Hungary on Thursday.
Furthermore, we think it is not unlikely that the Hungarians will make it to the quarter-finals. After all, they have won 14 and drawn one of their last 15 home games and on Thursday the crowd at Pick Arena will turn the arena into a witch’s cauldron. That’s why we decided to play the betting odds on the Hungarians advancing between Pick Szeged and Flensburg.
