Matchday 17: Dusseldorf welcome Saarbrucken at the Castello
Matchday 17 of the German Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) brings a standout headline: record champions Borussia Dusseldorf host 1. FC Saarbrucken-TT and superstar Fan Zhendong on Sunday — and will move the game to the Castello for the first time in more than ten years. The round opens on Friday with SV Werder Bremen travelling to fellow play-off contenders TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt. All matches will be streamed live on Dyn.
TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – SV Werder Bremen
For Bremen, there has been a magic number since last matchday’s win over Ochsenhausen: at most two more victories are needed to secure qualification for the Liebherr TTBL Final4. Team manager Sascha Greber rightly called the win over a direct rival “a huge step towards the play-offs”. Bergneustadt also benefited from Bremen’s result: their own 3:1 win in Fulda looked even better in the bigger picture, as the team led by Benedikt Duda stretched its cushion in the play-off race to four points. Duda delivered two points in Fulda and, with an 18:6 record, moved to the top of the TTBL individual standings.
ASC Grunwettersbach – TTC RhonSprudel Fulda-Maberzell
ASC Grunwettersbach will try to end a run of eight straight defeats in front of their home crowd on Saturday. With six matchdays left, Karlsruhe sit second-bottom and are fighting to preserve their top-flight status. They pushed leaders Borussia Dusseldorf hard last time out, but still let a 2:0 lead slip. Fulda’s likely line-up could offer hope: top man Dimitrij Ovtcharov is competing at the Star Contender in India and could miss the match. Behind the national-team star (10:5), no TTC player has a positive TTBL record. For Fulda, a win would bring breathing room in the basement — the gap between the teams is currently four points.
Borussia Dusseldorf – 1. FC Saarbrucken-TT
“This will be the game of the year” — Borussia manager Andreas Preuss’ announcement underlines the scale of Sunday’s marquee match. Fan Zhendong leads reigning Champions League winners Saarbrucken into a showdown with Dang Qiu and table leaders Borussia Dusseldorf. For the occasion, Borussia will move to the Castello for the first time in more than a decade. More than 3,000 spectators are expected and tickets have been unavailable for weeks. The sporting stakes are just as high: Dusseldorf aim to defend top spot, while Saarbrucken are chasing a better seeding position for the Liebherr TTBL Final4. The FCS travel as third in the table and, alongside Fan Zhendong, can field two more elite TTBL performers in Darko Jorgic and Patrick Franziska.
TSV Bad Konigshofen – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen
Defending champions TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen may be fifth in the table and therefore far better placed than 10th-placed TSV Bad Konigshofen, but the hosts should arrive in the better mood. The Bavarians pulled off a surprise win at Borussia Dortmund last time out and have taken three victories from their last five matches. For TTF, it has been five games since their last win, with four straight defeats — often against direct rivals in the play-off race. That leaves Ochsenhausen under pressure in the Shakehands Arena on Sunday. Bad Konigshofen sit two points above the relegation line and could be dragged back into danger with a defeat.
Post SV Muhlhausen – TTC Zugbrucke Grenzau
Recent form is a concern for Post SV Muhlhausen. The Thuringians have been collecting points regularly, but every win has been followed by an immediate defeat. Since matchdays two and three, Post have not won consecutive TTBL matches. On Matchday 16, they earned a 3:2 win in Bad Homburg. As the top side in the bottom half of the table, Muhlhausen have built a solid six-point buffer to the relegation places, while the play-offs appear out of reach. Grenzau, who recently extended Feng Yi-Hsin’s contract, are bottom after five straight defeats. “We’re obviously aware of the table situation,” said TTC manager Markus Stroher, while also striking a defiant tone: “At the same time, it’s also clear that most of the matches against our direct competitors are still to come — and we still have it in our own hands to stay up.”
TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg – Borussia Dortmund
The two clubs are only two places apart in the table. Yet Dortmund’s focus has recently been directed upward in the play-off chase, while Bad Homburg — eighth despite good form — still cannot relax in the relegation battle. Four of the next five matches for Helmut Hampl’s side come against teams in the top half. Dortmund suffered a setback in the play-off race with the 1:3 defeat to Bad Konigshofen, but with four points to make up on Bergneustadt, the situation remains far from hopeless.
Matchday 17 fixtures
Friday, 13 February:
19:00: TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – SV Werder Bremen
Saturday, 14 February:
17:30: ASC Grunwettersbach – TTC RhonSprudel Fulda-Maberzell
Sunday, 15 February:
13:00: Borussia Dusseldorf – 1. FC Saarbrucken-TT
15:30: TSV Bad Konigshofen – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen
17:00: Post SV Muhlhausen – TTC Zugbrucke Grenzau
Monday, 16 February:
19:00: TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg – Borussia Dortmund
Picutre: Fan Zhendong of 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT (Photo: Ulrich Höfer)