Matchday 14: Chasing duel in Ochsenhausen, Rhineland-Palatinate derby in Grenzau

Shortly after the end of the 13th matchday of the German Table Tennis League (TTBL), the 14th is already waiting in the wings. On Friday evening, 1. FC Saarbrücken TT will host TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell and would like to jump to first place in the table, at least for the time being. TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau will be aiming for their fourth win in a row on Sunday, while SV Werder Bremen will be hoping for their first success since mid-December on Monday.

1.FC Saarbrücken TT - TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell

The year 2024 is not yet going according to plan for 1. FC Saarbrücken TT: First there was the final defeat against Düsseldorf in the Liebherr Cup Final Four, then - albeit without Patrick Franziska and Darko Jorgic - a 1:3 defeat in the German Table Tennis League (TTBL) against Mainz. With a home win against TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell on Friday, the team from Saarland is aiming to secure its tenth win of the season in the TTBL and jump to the top of the table, at least for two nights. FCS and league leaders Düsseldorf are currently level on 18-4 points each. Fulda, on the other hand, can look back on a sensational few weeks and recently celebrated three of their four wins so far this season. Last Sunday, they beat Düsseldorf 3:1. However, the East Hessians will also have to do without Chih-Yuan Chuang and Chun Ting Wong in Saarbrücken, who are on international duty. With 6:18 points, the TTC is level on points with bottom-placed Mainz.

TF Liebherr Ochsenhausen - TSV Bad Königshofen

A landmark duel will take place on Saturday evening in the Dr.-Hans-Liebherr-Sporthalle: TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen (12:12 points) and TSV Bad Königshofen (14:10), two neighbors in the table who have already announced their ambitions to take part in the play-offs, will meet. The club from Lower Franconia got off to the better start to the year, winning the first two second-round duels, while Ochsenhausen recently lost to Mainz. "Bad Königshofen has four strong players in its squad - it will certainly be a tough battle," says TTF leader Hugo Calderano. "Especially as it's against a direct competitor for the play-offs, there's a lot of explosiveness in this duel. It's certainly a small advantage for us to play at home in front of our great fans, who always support us loudly."

TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt - Borussia Düsseldorf

Until recently, TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt had been plagued by relegation worries, but thanks to new tactics, the team has suddenly moved up to fifth place. With Benedikt Duda in one of the back positions, Bergneustadt has won four of its last five matches and can therefore go into the clash with Borussia Düsseldorf with confidence. The record champions recently conceded their second defeat of the season in a 3-1 loss in Fulda, but remain in first place with 18-4 points, just ahead of Saarbrücken, who are level on points. "A lot of things went wrong. Match points, scheduling problems with the international calendar and so on. We don't want to go through that again," said Borussia coach Danny Heister, looking ahead to the clash with Bergneustadt: "We can't go into a game like that with half our strength. We're not counting on Timo because he's a bit ill. Kay Stumper and Anton Källberg are set. I don't know yet whether we'll play with Dang Qiu or Borgar Haug."

TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau - 1. FSV Mainz 05

The start of the second half of the season could hardly have gone better for both TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau and 1. FSV Mainz 05. Both teams scored two wins each: Grenzau in Grünwettersbach and Bremen, Mainz against Saarbrücken and Bremen. But while the TTC is preparing to tackle the upper half of the table and possibly even fourth place, Mainz is stuck in last place. With 6:18 points, the club from the Rheinhessen region is still bottom of the table, as Fulda also won recently - so they need their third win in a row in the derby in the Zugbrückenhalle to leave the relegation zone. "We're keen to repeat our victory from the first leg in Mainz and pick up the next important points," said TTC coach Slobodan Grujic, recalling Grenzau's 3:0 win in October. "But of course we've been warned: FSV have a good team and have proven it recently."

SV Werder Bremen - Post SV Mühlhausen

Both SV Werder Bremen and Post SV Mühlhausen have had difficult weeks. The Hanseatic team suffered three defeats in a row, against Grenzau (1:3), Bad Königshofen (0:3) and - even before Christmas - against Bergneustadt (0:3). Mühlhausen lost twice at the start of the second half of the season, in Ochsenhausen (1:3) and against Bergneustadt (0:3). As a result, both teams forfeited a better starting position in the battle for the play-offs; with 12:12 points each, Bremen and Mühlhausen belong to the chasing group in the middle of the table, as do Ochsenhausen, Bergneustadt and Grenzau. The first-round duel went to Post SV: Ovidiu Ionescu (2) and Steffen Mengel ensured a 3:1 home win for Mühlhausen at the end of November.

Overview of the 14th matchday

Friday, 2. February 2024
7 p.m.: 1. FC Saarbrücken TT – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell

Saturday, 3. February 2024
7 p.m.: TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – TSV Bad Königshofen

Sunday, 4. February 2024
1 p.m.: TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – Borussia Düsseldorf
4 p.m.: TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – 1. FSV Mainz 05

Monday, 5. February 2024
7 p.m.: SV Werder Bremen – Post SV Mühlhausen

All TTBL matches are broadcast live on Dyn.

Featured image above: Simon Gauzy from the TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen (Photo: BeLa Sportfoto)