SCM Coach Wiegert Ahead of the Super Cup: "We Want to Win This Thing"

SC Magdeburg is aiming to clinch its first trophy right at the start of the competitive season. “We want to win this thing,” said SCM coach Bennet Wiegert ahead of Saturday’s Super Cup at Munich’s SAP Garden (6:00 p.m./Dyn). There, the German handball champions will face the cup champions, Füchse Berlin. “Even if it were a friendly, we’d still want to win it—especially against Füchse,” added Wiegert.

Despite the departures of Lasse Andersson and Dejan Milosavljev, the 44-year-old coach still counts the Berliners among the favorites in the national top division, now known as the Opel Handball Bundesliga. Kiel and Flensburg are the usual suspects, joined by Melsungen and Gummersbach as potential dark horses. The SCM will play its first league match in the Bergisches Land on August 30 (3:00 p.m./Dyn).

Four backcourt players in Eisenach: “It’s got something”

Wiegert sees the fact that Magdeburg is once again entering the new season as the team to beat as a compliment to the squad, which has earned that status through its performance. “We know we can’t just coast along, but we have the chance to win a lot of games if we work hard,” said Wiegert.

There’s still a question mark hanging over Omar Ingi Magnusson ahead of the Super Cup, as he had to leave the court after just 13 minutes at the Wartburg Cup last weekend. “I would have liked to let him play longer,” said Wiegert, who at times relied on four backcourt players in Thuringia. The experiment could have a future for Magdeburg, Wiegert said with a smile: “I thought it had some potential.”