SV Darmstadt 98 - Hamburger SV

Hamburg to return to winning ways

TEAM NEWS

Darmstadt’s Rouven Sattelmaier and Selim Gunduz are out with knee injuries.

Christian Titz’s Hamburg are at full strength. Only the long-term injured Gideon Jung, Jairo Samperio and Kyriakos Papadopoulos are absent.

Darmstadt

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Rouven Sattelmaier, Selim Gunduz (both knee)

Hamburg

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Gideon Jung, Jairo Samperio (all knee)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: AWAY WIN

Darmstadt are a side in desperate form as they have lost three and drawn only one of their last four matches in the league. Since drawing 1-1 against lowly Sandhausen at home at Bollenfalltor in the middle of September, defeats have followed to Dresden (4-1), Bielefeld (2-1) and Holstein Kiel (4-2). As a result, the Lilies have dropped from third down to 13^thplace in the table, with no side in Germany's second division having experienced such a bad run recently. 

The pressure is mounting on Hamburg coach Christian Titz after a three-match winless run with only two points secured during that time. Although the team have lost just one of their last seven league outings (two draws, four wins), the fact that they have drawn a blank in the last 270 minutes of action has become a worry. Hamburg dominated their local city derby against St. Pauli last Sunday but were not able to see through their attacks with the league game ending scoreless. The outfit have now dropped into third placeand are trailing leaders Cologne by five points.

Both teams have been in poor form of late, but I expect Hamburg to be pushing for all three points against out-of-form Darmstadt. My money is going on an away victory here.

SECOND PREDICTION: FIRST TEAM TO SCORE – HAMBURG

Hamburg have opened the scoring in three of their four league wins this season so far while Darmstadt conceded the first goal in two of their last three league matches. Expect the visitors to score the first goal in this encounter. 

HEAD TO HEAD

These two sides have not yet met in this division, with their last league encounter taking place in the top flight in April 2017 and ending 2-1 in Darmstadt’s favour away from home. However, Darmstadt have not won in four home league meetings with Hamburg, drawing two and losing two.