Kiel and Berlin march in step to Cologne

Füchse Berlin and THW Kiel are marching in step before they face each other in the all-German semi-final of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 on 26 May in Cologne. After Kiel had extended their winning series on Wednesday, Füchse followed suit on Friday evening with a successful dress rehearsal for Cologne.

Thanks to a 26:21(15:11) victory at HBW Balingen (including a goal from goalkeeper Silvio Heinevetter), Füchse remain third in the Bundesliga table, which would mean direct qualification for next season's VELUX EHF Champions League. Currently three points ahead of HSV Hamburg, Berlin need just one more victory in the final two games (played after the VELUX EHF FINAL4) to ensure they end the season in third spot.

THW Kiel beat HSG Wetzlar on Wednesday evening 33:27 (19:16) and extended their series to 62 points from 31 Bundesliga matches. On Sunday they will face N-Lübecke in their last league game before the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Cologne. The current season record of THW is – in all competitions (league, cup, VELUX EHF Champions League) - 46 victories, three draws and one defeat.

"We are aiming to play at full throttle, as this is the best preparation for the VELUX EHF FINAL4," THW coach Alfred Gislason said before Sunday’s match. But he added: "Some players need to recover before the season’s finale, as they have minor injuries."