Matchday 18: Top match in Saarbrücken and state derbies
The 18th matchday of the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) awaits with a real cracker. 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT welcomes Borussia from Düsseldorf as the current second-placed team with only one win difference. TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt receives the team from TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell, Grenzau meets Werder Bremen.
TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen - ASV Grünwettersbach
The current third-placed TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen might not have good memories of the first-round match against Grünwettersbach. After a 2:0 lead, the team of Simon Gauzy, Shunsuke Togami and Alvaro Robles had to pay price and lost 3:2. What happened in December should not be repeated now in February. At home, the Ochsenhausen team will welcome their Baden-Wuerttemberg rivals from Grünwettersbach on Sunday at 1 pm. The match is important for both teams. Ochsenhausen is currently in 3rd place in the TTBL with 22:12 points, Grünwettersbach is tied for 8th place with Bremen and Neu-Ulm with 16:18 points.
TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt - TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell
At 3 p.m., the match between TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt and TTC Rhönsprudel Fulda-Maberzell will take place. Both teams are currently separated by only two places in the standings, and with 12:22 points, they are tied on points with Grenzau, who currently separates the two opponents. For both teams, a win is important in order to gain some breathing room in the bottom of the table. Bergneustadt is coming off a 3-1 loss to Neu-Ulm last week. In Fulda, a win is urgently needed after two 3-0 defeats against Saarbrücken and Ochsenhausen.
TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau - SV Werder Bremen
The opening match of the 18th matchday is completed with the match between Grenzau and Bremen at 16:30. Grenzau needs a win to break away from the 12:22 point trio, in Bremen they want to put the painful 2:3 defeat against Saarbrücken from last week behind them. There Mattias Falck had provided the points, but the final doubles then decide Patrick Franziska and Cedric Nuytinck for themselves. In the last match against Mühlhausen, Grenzau had to see how their own four-game winning streak was flattened with a 3-0 defeat. The match promises to be exciting again, as the Bremen team won the first leg 3:2.
TSV Bad Königshofen - TTC Neu-Ulm
On Tuesday, the Bavarian derby between TSV Bad Königshofen and TTC Neu-Ulm will take place starting at 6 pm. The Königshofeners currently have a one win lead and are in fifth place in the league, Neu-Ulm would like to catch up in the rematch of the 3:1 win from the previous round. Neu-Ulm comes from a week full of games. First they won in the TTBL against TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt, then they fought for a narrow 3:2 victory against Düsseldorf in the Champions League. After the headlines surrounding the suspensions, Neu-Ulm now wants to come up trumps again with sporting performances when the team travels to Bad Königshofen in the north of Bavaria. There, in turn, they are coming off two defeats against Grenzau and Grünwettersbach, the latter of which saw an injured Kilian Ort unable to play. Bad Königshofen now wants to build on its strong start to the second half of the season, when it celebrated two wins against Fulda and Borussia Düsseldorf.
1st FC Saarbrücken-TT - Borussia Düsseldorf
On the same evening - just one hour later at 7 p.m. - there will be a showdown between the current top of the TTBL. The first-placed team from Düsseldorf travels to the second-placed team in Saarbrücken. The ambitions are high on both sides, not least it is for both to consolidate the leadership claim of the league. The first leg went clearly to the guests from Düsseldorf with 3:0. Now things are set to change. Düsseldorf comes with a tailwind from two victories against Ochsenhausen and Mainz. Saarbrücken, on the other hand, is even building on a three-game winning streak against Bremen, Fulda and Mainz.
1st FSV Mainz 05 - Post SV Mulhouse
With some time to spare, promoted Mainz will welcome the team from Post SV Mühlhausen on Sunday at 3 pm. Before that, the 19th matchday already starts on Friday and Saturday. For the last team in the table from Mainz, a win is urgently needed. In the second half of the season, Yuto Muramatsu's team has only managed to win one match against TTC Neu-Ulm. Mühlhausen, on the other hand, is in a comfortable fourth place in the league with 20:14 points. The team had won 3:0 against Grenzau last week, but the first leg against Mainz was only a close 3:2.
The 18th matchday in overview
Sunday, February 19
1 p.m.: TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – ASV Grünwettersbach
3 p.m.: TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt –TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell
4.30 p.m.: TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – SV Werder Bremen
Tuesday, February 21
6 p.m.: TSV Bad Königshofen – TTC Neu-Ulm
7 p.m.: 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT – Borussia Düsseldorf
Sunday, February 26
3 p.m.: 1. FSV Mainz 05 – Post SV Mühlhausen
You can see all the games live on Spontent's channels on Twitch.