Matchday 14: Top games in Mühlhausen and Bad Königshofen

There will be plenty of table tennis this Sunday when the six matches of the 14th matchday of the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) take place. Then, among other things, the race for the play-offs between Post SV Mühlhausen and 1. FC Saarbrücken TT and between TSV Bad Königshofen and TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen will come to a head.

TSV Bad Königshofen - TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen

The duel on the 14th matchday is described by the TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen as a "key match in the fight for the play-offs". The upcoming opponent has developed into a serious competitor and is preparing to reach the play-offs for the first time in the sixth year in the Tischtennis Bundesliga (TTBL). Currently, the Lower Franconians are succeeding in almost everything: Last Sunday, there was a 3:2 against Düsseldorf, so that the success counter now stands at five wins from the latest six games. With 16:10 points, Bad Königshofen is tied with fourth-placed Mühlhausen and only one win behind Ochsenhausen (18:8). Although Kilian Ort in our recent interview preferred to talk about staying in the league rather than the play-offs, he then explained: "If we should succeed in the sensation with a place in the play-offs, of course we have nothing against it." But the TTF can also see themselves on a good path: Four of the last five games were won, most recently there was a 3:0 against Grenzau.

1.FSV Mainz 05 - SV Werder Bremen

In the second half of the season, SV Werder Bremen has not yet been able to get things going: Twice the Hanseatic League had to go to the double and lost there both times to 2:3, most recently in Fulda. In the standings, Werder has therefore had to let Bad Königshofen pass and is now in sixth place with 12:14 points, four points behind the top four. If it were to go to doubles on Sunday as well, the Bremen team would probably still start as the favorite: 1. FSV Mainz 05 has fought its way into the final doubles five times so far, but is still waiting for its first win. Partly due to this shortcoming, the promoted team is in last place in the table with 4:22 points and now needs a short series to leave the relegation places. They are currently two points behind Grenzau and four behind tenth-placed Bergneustadt. If the third win of the season is to come, a win against Mattias Falck would be good: The top player from Bremen and doubles world champion currently has a 16:6 singles record and is still undefeated in four appearances in the second half of the season.

TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt - Borussia Düsseldorf

Borussia Düsseldorf's motto for the upcoming match is making amends: last matchday, the league leader surprisingly lost 3-2 to Bad Königshofen and thus conceded its second defeat from the last four TTBL matches. As a result, the lead over Saarbrücken has melted down to two points. "The reduced lead now puts us under a bit of pressure, because we definitely want to enter the play-offs as the first team," says manager Andreas Preuß, who expects a tough match at TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt: "For me, Bergneustadt is stronger than the current standings suggest. It will be another hot box on Sunday." Even more than Düsseldorf, the TTC is dependent on points: As the tenth in the table with 8:18 points, Bergneustadt is currently just ahead of Grenzau (6:20) and the relegation zone. The first leg in December went 3:1 to Borussia, but Bergneustadt had to do without Benedikt Duda at that time.

TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau - ASV Grünwettersbach

TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau might look back on the first leg with mixed feelings: Even though the performance was good, the team was empty-handed last September. After the singles victories of Feng Yi-Hsin (against Ricardo Walther and Deni Kozul), the Westerwälder lost in the doubles. "Like in the first leg, this can be a tight match. On a good day, we can stand up to any Grünwettersbach player. But everything has to be right for that," hopes TTC manager Markus Ströher ahead of Sunday's reunion. Because in view of the table constellation, Grenzau urgently needs a win: with 6:20 points, the TTC is currently in a relegation spot. But Grünwettersbach (12:14) is also hoping for the next big points on the way to staying in the relegation zone after the 3:0 win against Mainz the previous week. "The spectators can look forward to what we hope will be another exciting duel," announces Ströher.

Post SV Mühlhausen - 1. FC Saarbrücken TT

Both Post SV Mühlhausen and 1. FC Saarbrücken TT can currently look back on remarkable series of successes. Both teams won six of their last seven matches - Mühlhausen lost against Bad Königshofen, Saarbrücken in Düsseldorf - and have thus established themselves in the upper regions of the table. The fact that the guests are still the favorites is due to the history of this duel: Post SV has only managed a victory against FCS once, in a 3:1 home win in the preseason. "We have done our homework with the two wins. Saarbrücken is an absolute bonus match for us," Post SV manager Thomas Stecher therefore told the Thüringische Landeszeitung. Mühlhausen won the previous two second-round matches 3:2, against Grünwettersbach and Neu-Ulm. Saarbrücken also had to go to doubles in each case and was victorious against Neu-Ulm and Bergneustadt.

TTC Neu-Ulm - TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell

Last Friday, TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell took a deep breath: Not only did Wong Chun Ting make a successful debut, but the 3-2 win against Bremen was also an important victory, which allowed last year's fourth-place team to slightly extend its lead over the relegation zone. With 10:16 points, Fulda is now four points ahead of Grenzau in eleventh place. And it is possible that the next coup will be achieved on Sunday, which would allow Wong and Co. to move further towards the middle of the table. TTC Neu-Ulm is still waiting for its first TTBL win in the new year and has now lost five matches in a row. In the second round matches so far, they have lost 2:3 against Saarbrücken and Mühlhausen.

The 14th matchday in overview

Sunday, January 22
1 p.m.: TSV Bad Königshofen – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen
2 p.m.: 1. FSV Mainz 05 – SV Werder Bremen
3 p.m.: TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – Borussia Düsseldorf
3.30 p.m.: TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – ASV Grünwettersbach
4.30 p.m.: Post SV Mühlhausen – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT
5 p.m.: TTC Neu-Ulm – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell

You can see all the games live on Spontent's channels on Twitch.