Recap
After a botched start to the season in the home game against Metzingen (20-34), Neckarsulmer travels to TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the first away game of the season. In the Ostermann Arena, Thomas Zeitz’s team will be fighting for the first two points, but will have a difficult task without the best three players from last season Vasiliki Gkatziou, Munia Smits, and Veronika Andryskova.
Leverkusen were also still without a point after the first round and had to admit the expected defeat by Thuringer 32:22. The team around the new head coach Michael Biegler urgently needs to score points in their first home game due to the aggravated relegation situation in the Women’s Handball Bundesliga. After an injury at the Dentsply Sirona Cup, Mareike Thomaier will be back in the team. The playmaker is one of the main pillars of the Bayer 04 Leverkusen team alongside other players such as Mariana Ferreira Lopes, national player Viola Leuchter and goalkeeper Miranda Nasser. They also strengthened in the summer with pivot Annika Ingenpaß, who came from league rivals Bad Wildungen Vipers.
in their 7 mutual matches at Ostermann Arena, Leverkusen has 6 wins and 1 defeat.