“We can crack them through the tempo game”

“This is a team that has recently achieved good results and is eligible for something in every hall. That will be difficult. To measure ourselves against this – we should definitely accept this challenge,” said SCM coach Bennet Wiegert before the game against TVB Stuttgart on Sunday (17:00, Dyn). “For us, it’s important that we find the right balance between looseness and tension.”

The Swabians have been able to gradually improve in the league in recent weeks, picking up points in seven games in a row and including a home win against THW Kiel. This means that coach Misha Kaufmann’s team is currently in twelfth place in the table with a lead over the relegation places.

In terms of personnel, the team has changed in parts since the last meeting in September (32-23). The Swabians have swapped goalkeepers with HBW Balingen-Weilstetten: Daniel Rebmann was released, replaced by Mateusz Kornecki. Marco Mengon (VfL Potsdam) is new to the squad, while pivot Gianfranco Pribetić and backcourt player Achilleas Toskas have left the club. Meanwhile, former and soon again Magdeburg player Antonio Serradilla has developed into an important player in Stuttgart’s game. Strong in defence (including nine steals), the Spaniard also plays his role in attack, currently boasting 39 goals and 19 assists.

“It’s a new way of playing handball – especially with their four backcourt players, who always go to the defence and look for the duel. In defence, they work with a compact, large middle block,” analyses Magdeburg’s Sergey Hernandez. “The most important thing is that we stand together in defence and then always go into the counter-attack when we get the ball. We can crack them through the tempo game.”