FC Ingolstadt 04 - SV Darmstadt 98

Statistic:

- All of the 4 matches between these two teams finished with a draw, always 2-2.
- Ingolstadt could win only 1 of the last 7 BL games and they are winless the last 4.
- Darmstadt could win only 1 of the last 6 and they are winless the last 3.
- In 6 of their 12 BL matches Ingolstadt could not score a single goal.
- They have the weakest offensive line in the league with only 7 goals scored / 12 matches.
- But they have the second best defensive line with only 9 goals conceded / 12 matches.
- After the first two national breaks Darmstadt could always celebrate a win (Lever 1-0 / FCA 2-0).
- Both teams are newcomers this Season and they do both well with 16 and 14 Points.

Both promoted teams face each other in Bundesliga the first time today and it would be a very interesting game. Of course both are not the biggest teams who can overcome an opponent very easy but they fight very hard for success and the outcome was very positive so far. Both are very pleased with the Season so far but if you take a look back to other newcomers which are really promotion candidates like Greuther Fürth and Paderborn recently all played a strong first half and in second half they have capitulate. For this reason we have to wait what happen in 2016 with both teams.

The team from Coach Hasenhüttl is doing well but only on the road, they have really big problems if they have to play at home and to control the game against an opponent who stands deep and try to go for counter attacks. And even if the opponent team takes the lead it is getting more worse for them to turn the match into their favor. At home they have to be the more active team and Hasenhüttl has to find the right balance between offensive and defensive. The team looks well balanced and strong but what count is to score goals and this was the case only 2 times at home against Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0. All the other matches they scored nothing, against Dortmund 0-4, Hamburg 0-1, Hertha 0-1 and Wolfsburg 0-0. Of course all these teams said that it was very hard and difficult to play in Ingolstadt but in the end they could get the Points. But if you compare all the matches from last Seasons it is not far away, they always had this problems. It is only up to their strong defensive that they got promoted. It is not sure if Hasenhüttl wants to make some changes according to the last 0-0 draw in Gladbach where they showed a good match. Former Darmstadt player Bregerie plays in central midfield but only because Roger was injured, he is back for the match today. Let's see what the Coach decides here, if he changes. In attack they have to replace Leckie who saw is fifth yellow card against Gladbach and is suspended here. For him is Lex a candidate in offensive but he returns shortly from injury.

It is almost the same for Darmstadt, they did much better on the road and could collect more Points there as at home. It is clear that these teams have not the weapons to make and control the game. Their style is more pressing high and try to get the ball to overcome the opponents with their fast wings. They manage to be unbeaten until the game in Stuttgart where they lost 0-2 in the end but were very close to take here something above all if they have finished some of their good attacks. With 2-2-1 and 6-5 goals they did really well on the road and they are absolutely hard to play. With opponents like Dortmund 2-2, Leverkusen 1-0 won, Augsburg 2-0 won, Schalke 1-1 they had not the easiest one and they showed that they are able to compete with these strong teams. The mood and attitude is great in these team and they fight all together for their dream.
Key for them is the strong defensive while up front they can always score with the fast wings like Heller, Rausch while Rosenthal plays more a second striker. Up front plays Wagner but he is suspended here what gives promotion hero Stroh-Engel a chance to start here. All the other positions remain unchanged.

Both teams have almost the same style of play, and both love to play more on the road where they can do what they can. In home games have both a lot of problems and the style of play is more different to away. In this case it is nor far away that we can see a very close game with a lot of fight and additional less goals. This means if one of the teams can take the lead it is almost the winner here. Both could surprise the league with their excellent own way although some of the big teams do not like such a defensive wall. All in all we expect a big fight and why not finish with a draw between both newcomers where both can be happy and life with.

PICK: SV Darmstadt 98 AHC + 0,5 @ 1,83 (3 Units / Flat Stake)