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In this ninth round match of the German league, we have a North Germany derby of fourth Buxtehuder and second ranked Oldenburg. Prior to the break, Buxtehuder suffered their first defeat this season, in away match against Bietigheim (26-29). Then they won two matches in the EHF Cup against VOC Amsterdam, but lost three very important players to injuries in the same period. First captain Isabell Klein broke a bone in her foot and will be out for months, Jana Podpolinski had a similar issue in her left foot and will be away for a month as well, and the last injury was Friederike Gubernatis. all three are perimeter players and combined they scored 65 goals, while Gubernatis was third best scorer on the team, after Jessica Oldenburg and Lona Fischer. To battle these issues, Buxtehuder reactivated their retied all time best scorer, 37-year old Stefanie Melbeck, after exactly two years since she retired. Having scored over 1000 goals for her team, she is very experienced, but it remains to be seen what shape she is in after two years without a competitive match. Adding to this is the fact Randy Bulau, middle back, once again suffered knee tendon issues this month, which already cost her the start of the season, and the long term injury list also includes Stefanie de Beer (right back/right winger) i Josephine Techert (left back).
Oldenburg are a pleasant surprise with six wins and a draw, and lost their first to defending champions Thuringer (27-32) before the break. Theirs is one of the most efficient perimeter lineups so far this season, with Caroline Muller, Julia Wenzl and Angie Geschke, and the latter two in the top 10 scorers of the league. Geschke is the third best with 60 goals, and was the second best and most efficient scorer for the national team in the past EC, playing as left winger. Goalie Tess Wester also left a great impression playing for the Dutch national team. The only problem for coach Krowicki prior to this match is the injured knee of Silja Svedsen, but it's only the amount of time that's in question, as she will be able to play. Oldenburg have a tuned in roster, with main players in great form, while Buxtehude have a disheveled perimeter lineup with only Jessica Oldenburg as the regular starter and only Stefanie Melbeck as a lefty, after a two year break. A great chance for Oldenburg, worth playing at least with this handicap.