This Wednesday, the Borussia Dortmund women’s handball team are in Bundesliga action away to TuS Metzingen (19:30 CET). The game at the Öschhalle will see the two sides battle it out for third place. 

Just as they did on Saturday, when they played away to VfL Waiblingen, Henk Groener’s BVB team are hitting the road in the direction of southern Germany. The coach was not happy with how his charges started their last game: “We were not where we wanted to be. Then we changed to a 5-1 defensive set-up and showed more aggression. In the end, it turned out to be a commanding victory.”

This is not to be expected in Metzingen, as the TuSsies are one of the top sides in the league, even though they suffered a 39-33 defeat away to VfL Oldenburg at the weekend. Placed sixth in the table, the hosts are still aiming for Europe, and a win against direct competitors BVB could reduce the gap to third place to three points. The game is therefore of great importance for both teams as they look ahead to next season and qualification for the European League.

“This definitely won’t be an easy game. Metzingen are definitely better than their table position shows at the moment. It is a home game for them and I am keen to see how Metzingen will perform in front of their own fans. Especially after their last performances, they will be eager to prove themselves,” said Groener.

The Dutchman has a clear sense of how Metzingen will approach the game tactically. “We know what to expect and we are preparing ourselves accordingly. Generally, they play very fast and with a lot of tempo. I expect Metzingen to put us under a lot of pressure. That’s why our transition play will be very important, not to mention our defence. We’ll have to combine these elements of play with our aggressive tempo game,” said the BVB coach.

The game will be broadcast free of charge on the streaming platform Sportdeutschland.TV. The start is scheduled for 19:30 CET.