HSG Krefeld expects a hell of a spectacle

3. Handball Bundesliga
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Eagles expect one hell of a spectacle

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Like here after the game against Konstanz, the Eagles want to celebrate after the last home game against Schalksmühle. Before that, a victory in Pforzheim is to come.
Photo: Schoofs

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Krefeld Third division handball team HSG Krefeld Niederrhein is a guest at SG Pforzheim/Eutingen in the promotion round to the 2nd Bundesliga on Saturday. The team wants to advertise the last group home game with a win.

Maik Pallach made his way from his home in Gummersbach to Krefeld in the early afternoon on Thursday to prepare for the evening’s practice session in his trainer’s cabin in the Glockenspitzhalle. Because before working on the hard floor, he prepared his team for the game on Saturday (7 p.m.) at SG Pforzheim/Eutingen via video. Because in the handball stronghold on the northern edge of the Black Forest, a hot dance awaits the HSG Krefeld Niederrhein in the fight for promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga.

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The starting position is extremely exciting in the promotion round group south before the weekend. Five of the six teams can still hope for one of the first two places in the table. “We are basically starting from scratch again. So it remains very exciting,” says Pallach. That’s why we need a win on Saturday: “We want to secure a mega final for the last game at home against Schalksmühle in front of a maybe sold-out hall. In the end there could be a three-way comparison and the goal difference would count.” For the coach, a promotion model with a return match in each group and one promoted player would have been more attractive. It is not yet clear what the mode for the 3rd league will look like in the coming season.

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Just like in the home win against Konstanz, the Eagles have to put in a top performance in Pforzheim. The logo of the 2nd Bundesliga is already on the opponent’s homepage. “Pforzheim is an exciting project. The team only got promoted from the Oberliga two years ago. Your trainer is responsible for the entire male area and does very good youth work over a longer period of time. That’s why many players from our own youth team are now part of the team. Something really seems to be happening there,” explains Pallach.

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The venue of the Spielgemeinschaft Pforzheim, which was created in 1996 from the two clubs TB Pforzheim and TV Eutingen, is already ready for the second division. The Bertha Benz Hall was built in 2015 in connection with a training center and offers space for 2000 spectators. There the Eagles probably expect a hell of a spectacle. The team won the first home game of the promotion round against Schalksmühle with 35:27. With Bastianutschmann there is a goalkeeper with first division experience from his time at Bergisches HC between the posts. In addition, the SG has a throwing backcourt.

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The Krefeld team has been concentrating on the last guest appearance of this round since Tuesday. Pallach dismissed the attacks from Constance: “I understand that you are disappointed when you, as the top favourite, assume a win in advance. I was very irritated by the statements. When the coach says that we played handball from the 1980s, I don’t know why his team didn’t win that handball. I sent the manager a WhatsApp and wished the injured players all the best.”

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The Eagles have to be prepared for a variable defense on Saturday. “Depending on the opponent, they always come up with something,” says Pallach. You have to be prepared for two fast outside players: “Our retreat has to be firmly in our heads, like we did against Konstanz, where we defended 55 minutes really outstandingly. Up until then we had only conceded 26 against a team that scores an average of 35 goals.”

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All in all, it’s a “completely different game” for the coach than against Konstanz: “There was a lot of suspense due to the three-week break before that. Now we’ve only had time since Tuesday to keep the tension high.” Within the team, however, you can feel the pride that you still have the opportunity to make the play-offs. We want to confirm that on Saturday as well.”

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