Will HSV catch up with the Löwen?
The standings in the Handball Bundesliga are still a little confused. The teams currently have between 23 and 26 games under their belts. Even if the overall picture is still a bit skewed, the important decisions in the best handball league in the world are getting noticeably closer. Once again, the Rhein-Neckar-Löwen have nothing to do with any of that this season.
The Mannheim team, who recently hired Ljubomir Vranjes as coach, await HSV Hamburg at the SAP Arena on Thursday. The Mannheim team will finish the season in the meaningless midfield. They currently have 22:28 points. That is at least ten to twelve points too few to even come close to meeting their own expectations.
Tenth place is already a certain disappointment for a top-class team that should actually have other goals with this squad. Nevertheless, the Lions will be favourites against the promoted side at home on Thursday.
This is an assessment we can agree with. Hamburg are currently twelfth and can be satisfied with their first season after returning to the top flight. 20:28 points mean they are unlikely to have anything to do with relegation and can catch up with RNL with an away win. However, between Rhein-Neckar Löwen and HSV Hamburg, we are more inclined to place a tip on Ljubomir Vranjes’ team.
Rhein-Neckar Löwen – Statistics & current form
It’s hard to say what the reason is that the Rhein-Neckar Löwen have failed to get going again this season. It’s probably a conglomeration of reasons that add up to tenth place and missing out on qualification for international competition once again. And yet the Mannheim team has a squad that is capable of playing at the very top of the league.
Upward trend recognisable
No continuity in the coaching position, injured or out-of-form key players or the lack of support from the stands are just a few points that can be cited to explain Mannheim’s supposedly weak season. At least things seem to be looking up again with only one defeat in the last five games.
Last weekend, Ljubomir Vranjes’ team hosted his old love Flensburg and in this game it became clear what the Löwen are actually capable of. For a long time they were on a par with one of the best teams in the Bundesliga and almost managed to get both points. Just before the siren, however, Flensburg equalised at 29-29.
But all in all, it was a point for morale. That is why we continue to look at the odds for a home win in the duel between the Rhein-Neckar Löwen and HSV Hamburg. However, Uwe Gensheimer will still not be available. For the former captain of the national team, the season is over after an operation on his Achilles tendon.
Predicted line-up of Rhein-Neckar Löwen:
Appelgren, Birlehm – Abutovic, Gislason, Groetzki, Helander, Horzen, Katsigiannis, Kirkelökke, Knorr, Kohlbacher, Lagergren, Nilsson, Patrail, Schmid, Zacharias – Coach: Vranjes
Last matches of Rhein-Neckar Löwen:
Bundesliga
04/07 2022 – Rhein-Neckar-Löwen 28 – 34 HSV Hamburg
04/02 2022 – Rhein-Neckar-Löwen 29 – 29 SG Flensburg-Handewitt
03/27 2022 – Rhein-Neckar-Löwen 24 – 29 Füchse Berlin
03/24 2022 – Balingen-Weilstetten 22 – 31 Rhein-Neckar-Löwen
03/13 2022 – Rhein-Neckar-Löwen 29 – 26 MT Melsungen
HSV Hamburg – Statistics & current form
Hamburg HSV cannot yet match the great times of winning the Champions League after the insolvency, but the goals in the Hanseatic city are currently much more modest anyway. Staying in the league and having a good season were the goals and in this respect Torsten Jansen’s team is on the verge of having had a successful season.
Wonder bag HSV
But the coach continues to urge them to get as many points as possible. In purely mathematical terms, relegation is still possible, but no longer realistic. Hamburg are something of a surprise package in the Bundesliga. On good days, they sweep strong opponents off their feet, and when things don’t go their way, they can quickly fall to the bottom of the table.
The record of two wins and six defeats from the last eight games is certainly capable of improvement. Last weekend, there was another game like that in which not much went right. SC DHfK Leipzig were guests in the Alsterdorf sports hall and within a few minutes the score was already 1:6 from HSV’s point of view. Basically, the game was almost over at that point.
In the end, the Hanseatic League suffered a clear 24:33 defeat. If the North Germans perform like that on Thursday, then the forecast between the Rhein-Neckar Löwen and HSV Hamburg must be for a clear success for the home side. The Hamburg team will continue to be without captain Lukas Ossenkopp due to a shoulder injury.
Predicted line-up of HSV Hamburg:
Bitter, Vortmann – Andersen, Axmann, Bauer, Forstbauer, Gertges, Mortensen, Schimmelbauer, Späth, Theillinger, Tissier, Vaiullin, Weller, Wullenweber – Coach: Jansen
Last matches played by HSV Hamburg:
Bundesliga
04/07 2022 – Rhein-Neckar-Löwen 28 – 34 HSV Hamburg
04/03 2022 – HSV Hamburg 24 – 33 SC DHfK Leipzig
03/27 2022 – GWD Minden 23 – 27 HSV Hamburg
03/10 2022 – HSV Hamburg 30 – 29 HC Erlangen
03/03 2022 – MT Melsungen 26 – 22 HSV Hamburg
Rhein-Neckar Löwen – HSV Hamburg Direct comparison / H2H-balance
30 matches have been played between Rhein-Neckar Löwen and HSV Hamburg to date. The direct comparison is in favour of the Hanseatic League with 18:11 victories. Two games ended in a draw. However, most of the matches between these two opponents date back to a time when the Hamburg team was still an absolute European top team.
The Löwen have now been waiting for a win against the North Germans for almost six years. However, the first leg of the current season was also the first match since then. HSV won 32:27 in Hamburg. Finn Wullenweber was the most successful scorer for the Hanseatic team with six goals and stood out from an otherwise united team performance.
Rhein-Neckar Löwen – HSV Hamburg Tip
The HSV can draw level on points with the Rhein-Neckar Löwen with a win on Thursday. Before the season, that would have been unthinkable. If the Mannheim team loses, they will even have two more minus points on their account than the Hamburg team. Nevertheless, it has to be said that the home team is favoured in this duel.
The decisive factor is not only the generally better squad of the Löwen, but also the impression of last weekend’s game, when Ljubomir Vranjes’ team had the SG Flensburg on the brink of defeat.
After the performance of the Hanseatic League last weekend at home against Leipzig, we even expect that there could be another clear defeat for Torsten Jansen’s team on Thursday. Therefore, we have decided to play the odds on a handicap win (-2.5) for the home side in the match between the Rhein-Neckar Löwen and HSV Hamburg.
