Who will take on the giants? TTBL season enters the hot phase
The season in the German Table Tennis League (TTBL) is entering the hot phase, with only two and a half match days left in the main round. With Borussia Düsseldorf and 1. FC Saarbrücken TT, two top teams have already qualified for the play-offs, while the two other tickets are still vacant. Meanwhile, the Liebherr TTBL final on June 30 is already casting its shadow. Advance ticket sales for the big showdown in Frankfurt are underway.
Which team will stop Borussia Düsseldorf and 1. FC Saarbrücken TT? The two giants of the German Table Tennis League (TTBL) have faced each other three times in a row in the Liebherr TTBL final, and the two teams have even contested seven major finals in the past three years. Record champions Düsseldorf and two-time Champions League winners Saarbrücken are also considered the big favorites in the current season. Both teams already have their ticket to the play-offs in the bag before the end of the main round: FCS has an unassailable lead with 32:4 points, while Düsseldorf is already in second place with 26:10.
Their opponents in the knockout round, on the other hand, have yet to be determined. Saarbrücken will face the fourth-placed team in the main round in the play-off semi-finals, while Borussia will play the third-placed team. The play-offs will be played in a best-of-3 format. This means that the two teams with two wins each in the play-offs will advance to the Liebherr TTBL final. In the decisive third match, the team with the higher ranking in the main round would then have the right to play at home again. The match dates for the play-off pairings will be determined after the conclusion of the main round on April 28, 2024 at the latest.
Secure your tickets for the Liebherr TTBL final now
The next decision in the play-off race could be made as early as next Saturday. Two and a half match days before the end of the main round, TSV Bad Königshofen are third in the table, six points ahead of fifth place. A win against Post SV Mühlhausen would see the club from Lower Franconia qualify for the knockout round for the first time in its history. However, Mühlhausen also still has a chance of reaching the top four, as do SV Werder Bremen, who are currently fourth in the table, TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt and TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau. Bremen are currently two points ahead of their rivals, but have already played one match more. Further decisions could be made on Sunday, when Grenzau faces Bergneustadt and Bremen meets ASV Grünwettersbach.
If you want to be there for the big TTBL showdown, you can secure your ticket now. Tickets for the Liebherr TTBL final on June 30 at the Süwag Energie ARENA Frankfurt are already on sale. Tickets are still available in all categories and start at just 15 euros - there is a very special offer for groups with the Lotto Hessen group ticket. All information can be found in the TTBL ticket store.
Featured image above: Patrick Franziska from 1. FC Saarbrücken TT and Timo Boll from Borussia Düsseldorf (Photo: BeLa Sportfoto)