This is the first game between Holstein Kiel and 1860 Munich. After 33 years Kiel has the chance to return to 2.Bundesliga while 1860 was in third league 22 years ago. Both teams meet each other exactly one year ago. This was in Cup and it was a very close one but 1860 could win the game 2-1 and advanced. This time Holstein Kiel is hot and wants to turn things around.
The team from Coach Neitzel has not the best start and they did not well in first half of the season and stands only on Place 8 but in second half they start a good run and they were unbeaten 15 times in a row but the 7 wins between Round 24 and 30 put them in a very good position. They had the chance till the end to get promoted directly but they lost the direct duel against rival MSV Duisburg. Additional the weak performance on the road where they lost all last 4 games let them fail in the end.
The man of success is for sure Coach Neitzel who did a great job and he trust a very balanced starting lineup over the last weeks, month. Therefore it is not far away that he changes not much. He trusts the same as he did lately. They play a very good system above all in offensive where the players change the positions a lot what is hard to defend for the opponent. The guys who are there are very quick and a big hope is on former 1860 player Schläffler who plays up front. Behind him are Siedschlag, Kazior and Heider which support him. Nevertheless the best part from Kiel is the defense, they allowed only 30 goals in 38 matches what is a very good number. The defensive line is working very well and they are very hard to beat although they have not much experience there. Only Kohlmann has played high before but the team spirit is very good and allows them to play on a high level.
The team from Munich 1860 had some problems in the past but this season is a disaster. Before the start new Coach Moniz talk from promotion but this was far away from reality. He must leave after a very bad start, next one von Ahlen could also not manage the turnaround and was fired. After U23 Coach Fröhling took over the situation is getting a bit better but not as expected. He collected 18 Points in 13 matches what was enough to end up on Place 16. It was very close till the end but they have the chance to avoid to be relegated in these two games. If you take a look at some of the last games you can see that the luck was on their side like against Nürnberg or on last Round where Aue played only 2-2.
The personal situation is better as one week ago. With Kagelmacher returns a important player after suspension and replace youngster Kovac who played against KSC but could not convince much. All the other positions remain unchanged in defense, also in central midfield with Weigl and Stahl. In offensive there can be a few changes because with Rama is an important and dangerous player back from suspension. He can be an option for the starting lineup also youngster Wolf, both are alternatives to Wittek and Simon. It is absolutely needed because the offensive play was not exists against KSC and needs some fresh power. Up front they have not much available, all Spain players are not in the squad anyway and Rodri and Hain could not convince in the past what allow long injured Okotie to start here. They hope for his goals but he is far away from good after his injury. He search for his form but he has some good memories on Kiel because he scored twice in Cup against them.