Wiegert ahead of cup finals: "Anything but an easy draw"

The roles of the favorites are clear, but SC Magdeburg's cup semi-final against Bergischer HC will not be a walkover. "We already know what to expect. The last game clearly showed that. Why should it be any different in the cup?" said SCM head coach Bennet Wiegert ahead of the final four in Cologne. In the German Handball League, the leaders won their away game at BHC in March by the narrow margin of 27:25.

Bergischer HC had SCM "on the brink of defeat"

"The BHC will take a lot from this, because they had us almost on the brink of defeat there. The short trip to Cologne is anything but an easy draw. Nevertheless, we're really looking forward to it," said Wiegert and added in view of the preparation for the game on Saturday (6:45 p.m./Dyn): "It's not bad at all to have this level of experience."

Because SCM and Füchse Berlin, who have to face TBV Lemgo in the semi-final, are clear favorites. They don't want to push that away. "Maybe we've worked for that over the course of the season. Cups, even across all sports, not just in handball, always have special things in store, always. That's why it's always challenging what happens on a weekend at a neutral venue," said Wiegert.

In 2016, SCM needed extra time against BHC

For the 44-year-old, this weekend also brings things full circle. He won his first title as coach with SCM a good ten years ago. They beat SG Flensburg-Handewitt 32:30 in the cup final in Hamburg. Left winger Matthias Musche and today's assistant coach Yves Grafenhorst were there as players. And in the semi-final, it was a thriller that went all the way to overtime: Their opponents back then were BHC in a 36:33 shoot-out.

"First of all, it doesn't seem like it was ten years ago. We're now in 2026, 2016 is already over, that's when we made our history. We're now trying to find a new way into the books," said Wiegert and emphasized: "Now we're not a team that just wants to be there. I can already tell, just like at the first training session, that the anticipation is very high."