Handball | Füchse Berlin: Without a doubt, the first championship title

"How many games have we won in a row?" At the moment of Füchse Berlin 's tenth consecutive victory, Mathias Gidsel couldn't answer his own question. The two-time World Handball Player of the Year wasn't bragging, but rather wanted to leave no room for doubt before the final and decisive Bundesliga match and make it clear: " We are ready for this championship ," said the Danish backcourt player.

Showdown on Sunday

The Berliners don't have much time left until the showdown on Sunday in Mannheim: Friday was mainly about regeneration after the 45:35 victory the night before against VfL Gummersbach and some video study, the final training for the match on matchday 34 against the Rhein-Neckar Löwen follows this Saturday.

Even though the handball schedule is immensely demanding and exhausting, it seems to be an advantage for the Füchse to have their next opponent right in front of them. On the one hand, because they're riding an incredible wave of success: The Berlin team is unbeaten in 20 matches across all competitions, suffering their last defeat in February in the Champions League against Polish club Wisla Plock. But because the tension is mounting the closer the title draws, it's also good to have little time to think about what this team can achieve: the first championship title in the club's history.

No inconstancy

Bob Hanning is responsible for speaking clearly at the Füchse. And so, on Thursday evening, the manager quelled any hint of inconstancy in the Max-Schmeling-Halle: "Winners don't doubt, doubters don't win." For Hanning, after 20 years with the capital club, a "lifelong dream" would come true. The 57-year-old is undoubtedly the father of the team's success, though the names of the protagonists have changed repeatedly over the years.

It's hardly surprising that the world handball player is currently making the biggest headlines. Gidsel scored eleven goals against Gummersbach, and with a total of 265, he has surpassed the Bundesliga record for field goals scored – excluding penalty shots – that he set last year by two goals. And he still has one game left, so his opponents have been warned. "What Gidsel is doing right now is unlike anything I've ever seen. I've never seen such dominance from a player," said an impressed playmaker Juri Knorr of the Rhein-Neckar Löwen. For Mannheim, who are in ninth place, one place lower than VfL Gummersbach, Sunday's match is meaningless from a sporting perspective. That could be precisely the danger: In the farewell game for Knorr, who is moving to Denmark, neither the national player nor the club want to embarrass themselves.

Best Coach

Jaron Siewert believes his team can handle the pressure. The coach of the Berlin handball team is the second star player for the capital club. The 31-year-old was celebrated by 9,000 spectators even before kickoff on Thursday evening – as Coach of the Year. The managing directors and coaches of all Bundesliga clubs had previously cast their votes.

"I would trade this award for the championship in a heartbeat," said Siewert after the match against Gummersbach, whose "great importance" he could tell from his team's "nervous start." But after 20 minutes, his players had their opponents under control, just as they had in the previous week's home game against Melsungen, who were level on points at the time. The coach's praise: "Scoring 45 goals in a Bundesliga game where everything is at stake is outstanding. What we brought to the table again today was incredible." Anyone who has seen the Füchse, who have been playing so brilliantly in recent weeks, can have little doubt that they will take that final, decisive step. A draw on Sunday in Mannheim is enough to clinch the championship – with a one-point lead and a 55-goal better goal difference than SC Magdeburg.