DEL preview, matchday 50: EHC Red Bull München hosts Adler Mannheim

Saturday, 01. March 2025 | DEL preview, matchday 50: EHC Red Bull München hosts Adler Mannheim

Classic at the end of the first round in the SAP Garden: Red Bulls await Mannheim// DEL - PREVIEWThe last home game before the playoffs has it all. On Sunday, the Red Bulls face Adler Mannheim in front of another sold-out crowd at 7:15 pm (live on MagentaSport, Sportdeutschland.TV, DF1 or on our blog).

Both teams are locked in a fierce battle for third place together with the Pinguins Bremerhaven with three games to go in the main round. Munich and Mannheim will now face each other at the SAP Garden, with the Red Bulls two points behind the Eagles after Friday night's narrow and bitter 3-2 defeat against the Eisbären Berlin. With three points on Sunday, we would move past the Palatinate team.

Pressekonferenz: EHC Red Bull München vs. Eisbären Berlin (28.02.2025)

// DEL - INTERVIEW

Red Bulls want to continue their streak

In the duel between the two heavyweights, there is a series that now stretches back to December 2021. Back then, Mannheim won in the Bavarian capital, but since then the home team has always triumphed in the past 13 games. The last away win was therefore over three years ago. This season, too, all three previous duels have gone to the respective hosts. The Eagles won both of their home games 4:1, while our boys prevailed 5:4 at the end of October. This makes the home playoff spot, for which the two teams - who would meet in the quarter-finals as things stand today - are fighting, all the more important. A win on Sunday would not only be an exclamation mark in the race for third place in the table, but would also give us a tailwind for the last few metres of the main round. In the two remaining games, two derbies await us: Ingolstadt and Straubing.

Highlights: Adler Mannheim vs. EHC Red Bull München (20.12.2024)

// DEL - HIGHLIGHTS

Surprising home defeat

Mannheim travels to Munich with two defeats in a row in its luggage. Coach Dallas Eakins' team suffered a surprising 3-2 defeat at home to relegation candidates Iserlohn Roosters on Thursday, followed by a 5-3 loss in Bremerhaven. In terms of points, the Eagles are actually much better at home than away. Recently, however, it has been the other way around. The Kurpfalz team has won six of its last seven away games.

An old acquaintance in the Adler attack

With six points in his first nine appearances, Austin Ortega has also played his part. The former Munich native, who played for the Red Bulls from 2021 to 2024, moved to the city of squares from HC Slovan Bratislava in Slovakia in mid-January. The focus in the Adler squad, which is deep both offensively and defensively, is not on individual players this season, but more on the collective. No fewer than five players have at least 30 scoring points - the ranking is even led by a defender. And his name is Leon Gawanke (seven goals, 29 assists). The best attacker is Luke Esposito with 16 goals.