Two German teams skip the round of 16

This has never happened before: the two German handball teams in the Champions League came first in their groups and are allowed to skip the round of 16.

In the 14 group games of Season B, SC Magdeburg collected an impressive 24 points and even finished ahead of FC Barcelona thanks to their victory in Veszprem on Thursday evening. THW Kiel has 22 points in Group A and secured the relay victory ahead of Aalborg.

This means that the German clubs will be in the quarter-finals at the end of April and beginning of May; The opponents could then be Kielce for Magdeburg and Montpellier for Kiel, two real hurdles on the way to the longed-for Final Four tournament in Cologne at the beginning of June.

The SCM made it to the last eight with remarkable victories within a week – first against Barcelona, ​​then in Veszprem. Playmaker Felix Claar stood out both times. After two opening defeats against these two clubs, coach Bennet Wiegert’s team won all twelve games thereafter. Kiel improved after a weak phase in the autumn and played more stable in the Champions League than in the Bundesliga.

Published/Updated: Recommendations: 2 Frank Heike Published/Updated: Recommendations: 7 Frank Heike Published/Updated:

For the SCM, second in the league, the top duel against league leaders Füchse Berlin continues just three days after the highlight in Hungary with the top duel on Sunday at 4 p.m.