SC Magdeburg vs. Füchse Berlin – More Than Just a Showdown Between Stars

On Thursday evening during prime time (8:15 p.m./MDR, Dyn), defending champion SC Magdeburg and the Füchse Berlin—arguably the best German handball teams of recent years—will face off. At the same time, this showdown is also a duel between Magdeburg’s exceptional talent Gisli Kristjansson and World Handball Player of the Year Mathias Gidsel.

In the Super Cup to kick off the season, Magdeburg clearly came out on top with a 38–31 victory, but Magdeburg’s successful coach, Bennet Wiegert, doesn’t want to read too much into it. “Both teams will be looking to seize their chance in this new competition,” explained the 44-year-old. Wiegert isn’t bothered by the second matchup against their Berlin rivals within two weeks: “I never get tired of Berlin versus Magdeburg.” 

Wiegert: “Plenty of exceptional handball players on the court”

The focus on a Kristjansson vs. Gidsel showdown bothers the Magdeburg coach much more. “There are plenty of exceptional handball players on the court. Reducing it all to Mathias Gidsel and Gisli Kristjansson is too simplistic for me. I always feel a little sorry for all the other Foxes that Mathias Gidsel is seen as the center of attention—because they all have their own merits and are doing their jobs very, very well.”

Kristjansson sees it similarly: “Gidsel is an outstanding handball player, but handball remains a team sport, and it wouldn’t be fair to say about Berlin that they only have him on the roster who can play well.” In the Super Cup, however, the Dane was once again his team’s standout player—and the only one in top form. No wonder teammate Matthes Langhoff emphasized that it’s also important for the Berliners to “try not to let Mathias do everything.”

Kristjansson: “We’re very well put together and play well as a team”

In the Magdeburg game, Kristjansson plays a similarly central role as Gidsel does in Berlin, but he doesn’t outshine his teammates—such as Felix Claar or Omar Ingi Magnusson—to the same extent. “We’re a well-rounded team in Magdeburg and have been playing together for years,” Kristjansson says, emphasizing the importance of his teammates: “That’s obviously a big advantage for us.”

The result on Thursday—so early in the season—shouldn’t be overrated, but neither should it be underestimated, according to the 27-year-old: “In recent years, we’ve been the two teams battling for the titles. In the Super Cup, we came out on top and were able to shut down Berlin’s fast-paced style of play. We need to do that again and execute just as precisely as we did in Munich—but it won’t be easy.” If the SCM can pull that off, they’ll be able to rack up big points as early as Matchday 2.