FC Ingolstadt - Jahn Regensburg

Two winless teams aiming for first victory in Bavarian Derby

TEAM NEWS

Moritz Hartmann and Max Christiansen are missing for Ingolstadt while Marcel Gaus and Alfredo Morales have slight minor injuries and are considered doubts.

Regensburg’s Oliver Hein and Uwe Hesse are still on the club’s injury list while Marvin Knoll succumbed to injury in a cup game against Darmstadt on Saturday and is doubtful.

Ingolstadt

Suspended: None

Doubtful: Marcel Gaus, Alfedo Morales (both unspecified)

Injured/unavailable: Moritz Hartmann (unspecified), Max Christiansen (thigh)

Regensburg

Suspended: None

Doubtful: Marvin Knoll (unspecified)

Injured/unavailable: Oliver Hein (knee), Uwe Hesse (ankle)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: DRAW

Ingolstadt are coming into this Bavarian derby with huge pressure on their shoulders, having failed to collect a single point in their first two league matches. Both games were lost without scoring a goal. A home match will be a welcome opportunity for the team to get back on track, but it will be important that they claim the three points here if they do not want to lose too much ground on the top. In the cup, Ingolstadt secured a confidence-boosting 2-1 win over lower league team 1860 Munich on Sunday.

Regensburg find themselves in almost the same sitation, having lost their two opening games against Bielefeld and Nurnberg. The team will put a lot of hope into this game and will be pleased with their 3-1 cup win over Darmstadt on Saturday, who are considered one of the top teams in the 2.Bundesliga. That victory will have boosted their morale and restored trust their play. Regensburg are employing a very offensive style with high pressing, which makes it very difficult for opponents to take control of the game. However, it costs a lot of energy week after week – and fatigue might have been the reason for their two league defeats as both winning goals were conceded in the final 12 minutes.

This is a hard match to predict because it is too important for both teams and neither can afford to lose it. Draw.

SECOND PREDICTION: HALF TIME HAD – HOME WIN

Ingolstadt should take advantage from beginning as they have the much better players who can make a difference in this Bavarian derby. I think they will be ahead by half time, but ultimately fail to keep hold of the lead.

HEAD TO HEAD

Ingolstadt have played only once against Regensburg in the 2.Bundesliga in an entertaining game which they won 4-2 in 2012.

1.FC Nürnberg - Union Berlin

Two in-form teams fighting for the top

TEAM NEWS

Nurnberg can count on the same team as in their previous matches. Lukas Muhl, Dennis Lippert and Philipp Forster are all out, but they are not considered important players.

Union Berlin will be travelling to Nurnberg without Kenny Prince Redondo, Dennis Daube and Akaki Gogia which are all still injured. Coach Jens Keller will be able to employ his best starting line-up after almost all key players were rested in their recent cup game.

Nurnberg

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Lukas Muhl (unspecified), Dennis Lippert (knee), Philipp Forster (knee)

Union Berlin

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Kenny Prince Redondo (shoulder), Dennis Daube (knee), Akaki Gogia (heel)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: DRAW

Nurnberg have a 100% record so far, having registered two wins out of two matches. They were the better side in both games and can count on a strong defensive line. The team have kept a clean sheet in both games while up front they are dangerous and produce good goalscoring opportunities. Nurnberg were also victorious against Duisburg in the cup on Monday, winning 2-1.

Union Berlin were involved in a great showdown against Kiel in the league two weeks ago. They came from behind twice but scored the winning goal in the second half. Like their opponents, Union have clinched two victories so far and are sitting in second on goal difference. Another win would mean that they can leapfrog their opponents, but it will be tough. They beat Saarbrucken in extra time in the cup on Sunday.

If Union Berlin can continue their winning streak at in Nurnberg it is quite possible that they will be amongst the top teams of the 2.Bundesliga this season. However, with both teams in convincing form a draw seems likely here.

SECOND PREDICTION: TOTAL GOALS – FOUR

This encounter should produce goals with both teams being proficient up front, with Nurnberg having scored four and Union Berlin five – the league’s highest – so far. If one team take the lead early in this game the match will be stretched wide open and have a lot of space. For this reason I expect the goals to flow in this game and predict four in total.

HEAD TO HEAD

Four of the last five meetings were won by the respective home team, while the other match ended in a draw.

Fortuna Düsseldorf - 1.FC Kaiserslautern

A draw seems likely

TEAM NEWS

Dusseldorf are still without Justin Toshiki Kinjo and Havard Nielsen who are both injured. Nevertheless, coach Friedhelm Funkel has a large squad at his disposal.

Kaiserslautern won’t have Kacper Przybylko and Giuliano Modica at their disposal.

Dusseldorf

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Justin Toshiki Kinjo (meniscus), Havard Nielsen (pulled muscle)

Kaiserslautern

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Kacper Przybylko (foot), Giuliano Modica (thigh)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: DRAW

Dusseldorf have got off to a good 2.Bundesliga start with one win and one draw, while the team also advanced to the next stage of the German cup, having beating Bielefeld in extra time. The team have the potential to do better than last season, but there are certain areas they will need to improve as well. They should keep an eye on controlling the game more and be more clinical in front of the goal. However, they have scored four in their first two matches, which is the joint-second highest in the league.

After a horrible start in Nurnberg where they were beaten 3-0, Kaiserslautern have been continuously been improving. Their first home game in the league ended with a deserved 1-1 draw against Darmstadt and they were in the game the whole time. In the cup, they thrashed lower league team Eichede 4-0 with ease and advance to the next round of the competition.

Kaiserslautern may be getting their confidence back, but I still think that in-form Dusseldorf should get the job done here. Home win.

SECOND PREDICTION: TOTAL GOALS – ONE

Despite Dusseldorf’s four goals in two games, neither of the teams are known for their proficiency up front and don’t tend to score a lot of goals, with Dusseldorf netting 37 and Kaiserslautern 29 goals in 34 games last season. In addition, both coaches prefer a defence-minded approach and this is likely to lead to a very boring game with perhaps just one goal.

HEAD TO HEAD

The last two meetings between Dusseldorf and Kaiserslautern have ended in draws.

Dynamo Dresden - SV Sandhausen

Dresden set to claim their second home win in a row

TEAM NEWS

Dresden have Justin Lowe, Pascal Testroet and Eero Markkanen out with injuries, while Niklas Hauptmann is still doubtful with calf problems.

Sandhausen are still missing Mirco Born, Rick Wulle, Tim Kister and Robert Herrmann.

Dresden

Suspended: None

Doubtful: Niklas Hauptmann (calf)

Injured/unavailable: Justin Lowe (ankle), Pascal Testroet (knee)

Sandhausen

Suspended: None

Doubtful: Andrew Wooten (unspecified)

Injured/unavailable: Mirco Born (knee), Rick Wulle (knee), Robert Herrmann (broken foot)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: HOME WIN

Dresden have got off to a good start this season, having claimed a win in their opener against Duisburg at home, followed by a deserved draw against St. Pauli. Of course, they will be hoping for this unbeaten run to continue, but such promising results at the beginning of the new campaign have come as a surprise. They beat lower league team Koblenz 3-2 in the cup last Friday, but were lucky to secure a win as youngster Markus Schubert saved a penalty in the last minute.

Nevertheless, this might be a tricky game for them as they will face very uncomfortable opponents. With one of the best starts in the club’s history, Sandhausen are yearning for more. The team were close to winning at Kiel in the opener but conceded a late equaliser while they won deservedly 1-0 against Ingolstadt, who are a higher rated team. Sandhausen can count on a strong defence and fast counter-attacks which appears to have hurt some of their opponents already. Sandhausen were knocked out against lower league outfit Schweinfurt in the cup on Sunday.

This will be a tough encounter with both teams having started the season with an unbeaten run. I’ll back a home win.

SECOND PREDICTION: HALF TIME HAD – DRAW

Both teams count on a strong defensive line. Having lost just two of their last 15 home games, they are solid and defend better in front of their own fans and Sandhausen will find it difficult to score against them. A scoreless draw at half time is therefore possible.

HEAD TO HEAD

The teams last met in March, with Dresden beating their opponents 2-0 in front of their own fans. However, Sandhausen won their own home game 2-0 in September the year before.

FC Heidenheim - MSV Duisburg

Heidenheim to continue their unbeaten home run

TEAM NEWS

Heidenheim have no important injuries worries and Denis Thomalla is their only absentee due to injury concerns.

Duisburg will have to do without the long-term injured Zlatko Janjic, Tim Albutat and Branimir Bajic who all missed the game against Heidenheim.

Heidenheim

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Denis Thomalla (unspecified)

Duisburg

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Zlatko Janjic (knee), Tim Albutat (ankle), Branimir Bajic (unspecified)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: HOME WIN

Heidenheim started the season with a 2-0 loss at Braunschweig but managed a 2-1 win against Aue last Wednesday with their match having been rescheduled. The cup match against third-tier team Unterhaching was tougher than expected – but only in the first half, with the team thrashing their opponents 4-0 by the time the final whistle was blown. Having registered two competitive wins in a row, they will have momentum on their side as they go into this match and they will be high in morale.

Newly-promoted Duisburg have had an average start to the season, having claimed just one point against Bochum in their first two games, but they have been producing good performances – and this will let them hope for better results in the upcoming weeks. However, they will need to address their apparent lack of chances to score goals quickly.

This game will come too soon for Duisburg. I’ll back a home win.

SECOND PREDICTION: HALF TIME HAD – DRAW

With neither of the teams producing many goals, having scored just three in their combined four matches so far, I expect a close match with only a small number of goals finding the back of the net and I tend towards a draw at half time.

HEAD TO HEAD

Duisburg have not claimed a victory against Heidenheim in recent years and have lost the last two league games without scoring.

FC St. Pauli - Dynamo Dresden

St. Pauli set to win first home match of the season

TEAM NEWS

St. Pauli are still missing Ryo Miyaichi and Philipp Ziereis, but they have no suspension concerns.

Dresden were dealt a big blow as striker Pascal Testroet suffered a knee injury while the team are also still without midfielder Niklas Hauptmann.

St. Pauli

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Ryo Miyaichi (knee), Philipp Ziereis (muscle)

Dresden

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Pascal Testroet (knee), Niklas Hauptmann (unspecified)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: HOME WIN

St. Pauli got the season off to a good start and showed a lot of potential in their first game of the campaign at Bochum. They controlled the match, particularly in the first half, and had momentum on their side, registering a narrow 1-0 win. The team were very active in the first part of the game and created excellent attempts on goal without managing to convert them. The second half saw them sit back and wait for fast counterattacks, with one of them leading to the winning goal from Christopher Buchtmann, who – assisted by Sami Allagui – scored with a nice shot outside the box. In the end it was impressive team work by all players involved that secured St. Pauli’s first win of the opener.

As expected, Dresden experienced a tough start to the campaign when hosting Duisburg last weekend, but they managed to clinch a win, with new signing Lucas Roser scoring the match winner two minutes from time with a header after getting on the end of a great cross from Niklas Kreuzer. Although the team had more good attempts on goal they were not able to beat Duisburg’s ‘keeper Mark Flekken who had an incredibly good day. However, Dresden gained no joy from winning as their striker Pascal Testroet suffered a serious injury and will be out for the upcoming match. 

Both teams registered a 1-0 win in their season opener, but St. Pauli have so far never lost or even drawn against Dresden at home in 2.Bundesliga and I think their excellent home record against this weekend’s opponents should be enough to hand them another home win.

SECOND PREDICTION: ODD/EVEN – ODD

Although the last meeting between St. Pauli and Dresden ended 2-0 for this weekend’s hosts, overall six of their eight 2.Bundesliga encounters have seen an odd number of goals – and this could quite well be the case again here.

HEAD TO HEAD

St. Pauli’s all-time home record against Dresden in the 2.Bundesliga consists of four wins in four matches, with the team keeping one clean sheet in the most recent encounter in February.

Erzgebirge Aue - Fortuna Düsseldorf

Both teams happy with a draw

TEAM NEWS

Aue are again without Nicky Adler while the rest of the squad are available for the upcoming match against Dusseldorf.

Dusseldorf will only be missing Justin Kinjo, meaning coach Friedhelm Funkel nearly has his entire squad to choose from.

Aue

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Nicky Adler (groin)

Dusseldorf

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Justin Kinjo (knee)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: DRAW

Aue’s match in Heidenheim was aborted after 12 minutes because of a heavy thunderstorm as the waterlogged pitch became unplayable. New coach Thomas Letsch is placing his trust in the same offensive trio (Pascal Kopke, Mario Kvesic and Dimitrj Nazarov) as last season as they performed well in preseason, but he has plenty of choice when it comes to the rest of the team as Christian Tiffert, Clemens Fandrich, Dominik Wydra, Nicolai Rapp, Dennis Kempe and Fabian Kalig are all available among others. Although the results in their friendlies were only average the team will hope to get off to a good start at home here.

Dusseldorf coach Friedhelm Funkel chose a very offensive 3-4-1-2 formation in the team’s opening match against Braunschweig and two new players were given their debut on Monday. Dusseldorf took the lead early in what would become an entertaining match, but they couldn’t cope with the pressure and had conceded twice by the 60th minute. Nevertheless, they managed to equalise only 11 minutes from time, but were unable to increase their lead despite playing withnumerical advantage in the last nine minutes as Braunschweig had a man sent off. Overall, Dusseldorf deserved the draw.  

Neither of the teams will want to risk losing at this stage of the season and I expect Dusseldorf to register their second draw in a row.

SECOND PREDICTION: HALF-TIME RESULT: DRAW

Neither team are particularly efficient up front, with Aue and Braunscheig both registering 37 goals in 34 games last season. In addition, both teams will focus on their defence, which could mean a slow start to the game and I predict a draw at half time.

HEAD TO HEAD

Aue have won three times and registered one draw against Dusseldorf in their ten 2.Bundesliga encounters.

Greuther Fürth - Arminia Bielefeld

Furth set to register first win against weak travellers Bielefeld

TEAM NEWS

Greuther Furth will once again be without regulars Richard Magyar, Sercan Sararer, Philipp Hofmann, Mathis Bolly and Mario Maloca and will be looking for suitable replacements.

Bielefeld will be travelling to Furth without Christopher Nothe, Tom Schutz and Soren Brandy who are all injured.

Greuther Furth

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Richard Magyar (ankle), Sercan Sararer (groin), Philipp Hofmann (ligaments), Mathis Bolly (muscle), Mario Maloca (broken toe)

Bielefeld

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Christopher Nothe (knee), Tom Schutz (hamstring), Soren Brandy (muscle)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: HOME WIN

Greuther Furth’s performance in their season opener at Darmstadt surprised many: The team pressed really well and made life difficult for their opponents. Coach Janos Radoki placed his trust in two youngsters in central midfield, despite the fact that the experienced Jurgen Gjasula was available too. The match was very even and neither team created many attempts on goal, while both defensive lines did an effective job. Gjasula came off the bench in the second half and gave the team’s attack fresh impetus. However, Serdar Dursun missed a huge opportunity and following this big miss Furth’s opponents scored the winning goal after a free kick, with the visitors unable to reply.   

Bielefeld got the season off to a good start with a late winning goal against Jahn Regensburg – however, their 2-1 victory was also down to a degree of luck. Regensburg took the lead with a great counter attack in the first half, but Bielefeld managed to get back into the game through a nice shot outside the box from Keanu Staude, resulting in an equaliser. The second half was more even with both teams having good opportunities to win this game. However after Nils Teixeira’s sending-off, Bielefeld focused on defending and saving the draw, but a defensive mistake from Marvin Knoll allowed the hosts to score the winner in stoppage time.

Furth may have lost their first game, but generally speaking, their defence isn’t that bad and that makes me think that they can beat a weak travelling team like Bielefeld. Home win.

SECOND PREDICTION: TOTAL GOALS: ONE

Greuther Furth’s home games haven’t seen a lot of goals recently, with only one of their last seven matches ending with more than one goal. Combined with the fact that Bielefeld are not the most proficient travellers, I think this could be a very low-scoring game too.

HEAD TO HEAD

Greuther Furth have registered five wins, one draw and three defeats at home against Bielefeld in 2.Bundesliga, with the team scoring 11 and conceding 8 goals.

Jahn Regensburg - 1.FC Nürnberg

In-form Nurnberg set for their next win

TEAM NEWS

Regensburg are still missing Oliver Hein, Bastian Lerch and Sven Kopp who are all out injured.

Nurnberg won’t have Lukas Muhl, Dennis Lippert and Philipp Forster at their disposal.

Regensburg

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Oliver Hein (knee), Bastian Lerch (arm), Sven Kopp (muscle)

Nurnberg

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Lukas Muhl, Dennis Lippert, Philipp Forster (all knee)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: AWAY WIN

Jahn Regensburg coach Achim Beierlorzer included two new players in the starting line-up against Bielefeld in the season opener, but despite these changes the team arrived at the North Rhine-Westphalian club with a lot of confidence and played a brave game. Although Regensburg gave their opponents’ attack a lot of space they managed to take the lead with an excellent counterattack in 24^th minute. Regensburg’s captain and top striker Marco Gruttner passed through for Jann-Christopher George who finished with a low shot. Following that goal, it looked as if everything went in the visitors’ favour, but they were unable to withstand the pressure and conceded an equaliser in the first half. Both teams had good attempts on goal in the second part of the game, but didn’t manage to score until Regensburg’s central defender Marvin Knoll made a big mistake, resulting in Bielefeld’s very late winning goal.

Nurnberg, on the other hand, claimed an impressive 3-0 victory at home against Kaiserslautern in their first game of the game. They dominated the game throughout and their home win was never in jeopardy as a result of Kaiserslautern’s unimpressive performance. Captain Hanno Behrens and Kevin Mohwald both found the back of the net while the third goal was an own goal from Kaiserslautern’s ‘keeper Marius Muller. The convincing win means Nurnberg are currently at the top of the 2.Bundesliga rankings.  

Nurnberg were dominant and free-scoring against Kaiserslautern and I think that form is likely to continue against newly-promoted Regensburg. The hosts produced a good performance against Bielefeld, but they will still struggle away from home against Nurnberg. Away win.

SECOND PREDICTION: TOTAL GOALS: THREE

Jahn Regensburg and Nurnberg have not met in league action since 2004, but they have played each other in three friendlies since, and three of their last four games overall have seen exactly three goals, with Regensburg winning 2-1 on every occasion. Although I don’t expect the hosts to claim the three points here, I still predict three goals.

HEAD TO HEAD

Regensburg and Nurnberg last played each other competitively in April 2004, with the match ending in a 2-1 for hosts Regensburg.

1.FC Kaiserslautern - SV Darmstadt 98

Darmstadt to beat hapless Kaiserslautern

TEAM NEWS

Kaiserslautern won’t have Kacper Przybylko, Marcel Correia and Gervane Kastaneer at their disposal for this encounter.

Darmstadt will be traveling to Kaiserslautern with an almost full squad, but they will be missing Jan Rosenthal with a knee injury.

Kaiserslautern

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Kacper Przybylko (foot), Marcel Correia (pulled muscle), Gervane Kastaneer (knee)

Darmstadt

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Jan Rosenthal (knee)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: AWAY WIN

Despite registering good results in their preseason friendlies, Kaiserslautern started the season opener against Nurnberg nervously – perhaps due to the fact that they had never won a game at Nurnberg in 2.Bundesliga. That trend continued with a 3-0 defeat for the team, with coach Norbert Meier possibly fielding too many new players. With more than half the line-up consisting of new recruits (six), the players did not know each other well enough and it is clear that a lot of time will be required to get this team on track. They will without a doubt have to improve a lot against giants Darmstadt.

Darmstadt experienced a difficult and slow start to the season, but nevertheless they secured their first win last time out, beating Greuther Furth 1-0 in what was an important first match at home. Aytac Sulu was the hero in an even game, with the captain scoring the winning goal after a free kick from Tobias Kempe. However, with five new players in the starting line-up Darmstadt found it difficult to find their rhythm right from the beginning. They lacked creativity and ideas when it came to finding a way through Furth’s lines and they have their great morale and fighting spirit to thank for rather than their playing style. Despite the positive result, there is a lot to improve and coach Torsten Frings has his work cut out.

I can’t see Kaiserslautern turn a corner after last weekend’s heavy defeat and weak play and fully expect Darmstadt to continue their winning run. Away win.

SECOND PREDICTION: ODD/EVEN – ODD

Four of Kaiserslautern’s last five home matches have seen an odd number of goals, while this was also the case in Darmstadt’s last three away matches. Judging by this pattern, I predict a repeat of this here.

HEAD TO HEAD

Kaiserslautern have hosted Darmstadt three times in the top flight and second division, with the games ending in one win and two draws for the home team.

SV Sandhausen - FC Ingolstadt 04

Ingolstadt aiming for first points of the season

TEAM NEWS

Sandhausen have Andrew Wooten marked as doubtful and are still missing Mirco Born, Rick Wulle and Robert Herrmann.

Ingolstadt have two players on the injury list in the form of Max Christiansen and Moritz Hartmann, who are suffering from a thigh and muscle injury respectively.

Sandhausen

Suspended:

Doubtful: Andrew Wooten (muscle)

Injured/unavailable: Mirco Born, Rick Wulle (both knee); Robert Herrmann (broken foot)

Ingolstadt

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Max Christiansen (thigh), Moritz Hartmann (muscle)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: AWAY WIN

Sandhausen were involved in a very entertaining 2-2 draw away to Holstein Kiel in their first 2.Bundesliga match of the season, with Richard Sukuta-Pasu and Philipp Klingmann registering the goals for them. However, the result was disappointing because they dominated the first half and led 2-0 at half time. In the second part of the game they missed several counter-attacks which would have allowed them to increase their lead while their opponents pressed a lot and managed to score a goal of their own in 75^th minute. Sandhausen became panicky and lost control over the game, resulting in a late equaliser in stoppage time which left them very frustrated.

Meanwhile, Ingolstadt coach Maik Walpurgis included four new players in his starting XI against Union Berlin, which came as a big surprise. Phil Neumann, Marcel Gaus, Tobias Schrock and Stefan Kutschke all started the game in the hope that the Bavarian club would register their first win. The team did indeed control the match and played well and fast at the beginning, with their opponents finding it difficult to stop Ingolstadt’s impressive attack. However, despite their superior play well into the second half, the hosts were unable to take the lead and conceded the winning goal, with Union Berlin scoring with a great shot outside the box.

Ingolstadt will have no excuses this time round and will feel the pressure, but they should manage a win here. Sandhausen’s defensive line showed some weakness against Holstein Kiel and Ingolstadt could take advantage of this to secure a victory.

SECOND PREDICTION: INGOLSTADT TO SCORE FIRST

The last four meetings between the teams have all seen the visiting side score first. Coupled with the fact that Ingolstadt are the favourites here, I believe there is a real possibility that they will take the lead here first too.

HEAD TO HEAD

Sandhausen have met Ingolstadt three times at home in Germany’s 2.Bundesliga, registering one win and two defeats, whilst scoring three and conceding six goals.