The SG Flensburg-Handewitt does not have a free Christmas. They have to face Bergischer HC on the second national holiday. It is the 19th matchday of the DAIKIN HBL. Kick-off is at 17:30 in the GP JOULE Arena.
After an extensive Monday session, the SG family said goodbye to a very short "Christmas break". Today, Tuesday, is free, as is tomorrow's Christmas Eve. "The boys should spend some time with their families," emphasized Aleš Pajović. The SG coach will welcome his charges to the last training session of the year on the first national holiday. The goal is clear: two points against Bergischer HC. The first leg was one of the highest-scoring encounters ever: The SG won 43:33 in Düsseldorf. Since then, things have gone a little better for the West Germans and they have improved to 15th place. "The BHC have achieved some good results and played well," says Aleš Pajović. "But of course we really want to win in front of our fans."
The tradition of Christmas games
A game on Boxing Day is nothing new for the SG. Back on December 26, 2003, there was the premiere in "Hell North", which saw a clear 38:22 win over relegation candidates VfL Pfullingen. What surprised many at the time was that the game was completely sold out. Today we know that handball fans love to make a pilgrimage to DAIKIN HBL venues at the end of the family festival. Also interesting: The SG is unbeaten on Boxing Day so far. The statistics show a total of eleven wins and one draw. On December 26, 2017, the SG drew 27:27 with TSV Hannover-Burgdorf, but still became German champions at the end of the season. The best "Christmas story" occurred on December 26, 2012, when the SG finally celebrated another derby win against THW Kiel after a five-year hiatus with only three healthy players at the back. Also noteworthy: On December 26, 2021, the SG defeated the eventual champions SC Magdeburg 30:27. What will the current Christmas game bring?