Greuther Fürth - Fortuna Düsseldorf

Dusseldorf to continue their unbeaten run

TEAM NEWS

Greuther Furth’s Mathis Bolly and Secan Sararer miss again with injury concerns. They will be unavailable for several more weeks.

Dusseldorf will miss first ‘keeper Michael Rensing again with a broken rib but can count on a strong squad with all other players ready for this encounter.

Greuther Furth

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Mathis Bolly (muscle problems), Secan Sararer (unspecified)

Dusseldorf

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Michael Rensing (broken rib)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: DRAW

After four defeats in a row, Greuther Furth managed to claim their first 2.Bundesliga point this season when drawing 1-1 at Dresden last time out. With interim coach Mriko Dickhaut on the sidelines, the team showed a different face compared to recent weeks. Nevertheless, the result was not deserved as Dresden controlled the game and should have decided it early. It was Dickhaut’s last game as all hopes are now on Damir Buric who takes over as head coach. He has arrived from Austrian club Admira Modling and he will now focus on leading his new team out of the relegation zone. However,  the 53-years old  has a busy week ahead of him as he has to prepare his squad for three league matches in just one week.

Dusseldorf’s excellent record of four win and one draw looks likely to be extended against Greuther Furth away from home this weekend. The team have won four in a row, with Braunschweig the only team they have not managed to beat so far. They have also kept a clean sheet in two of their five matches and scored at least two goals in every game. Following their 3-2 win against Union Berlin last time out, they are top of the league and three points ahead of Darmstadt in second.

Damir Buric will give Greuther Furth a much needed boost and despite their abysmal start to the campaign, I expect them to claim a point here, with a valuable draw against high-flying Dusseldorf.

SECOND PREDICTION: FIRST TEAM TO SCORE – GREUTHER FURTH

Six of the last seven encounters between Greuther Furth and Dusseldorf have seen the respective home team score first. With hosts Greuther Furth desperate to return to better days, I would not be surprised if they found the net first here too.

HEAD TO HEAD

Greuther Furth have won the last four meetings against Dusseldorf at home. Overall, they have a positive record against Dusseldorf, losing only two, drawing two and winning four of the last eight matches.

VfL Bochum - FC Heidenheim

Bochum set to continue their run

TEAM NEWS

Bochum are still without Jannik Bandowski, Partick Fabian, Timo Perthel and Nico Rieble who are all injured, but none of them has played an important so far this season.

Heidenheim have no important injuries to worry about, with Denis Thomalla their only absentee.

Bochum

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Jannik Bandowski (lung), Patrick Fabian (nose); Timo Perthel, Nico Rieble (both knee)

Heidenheim

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Denis Thomalla (unspecified)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: HOME WIN

After a horrible start to the new season without a win in three matches, Bochum have managed to turn things around and are coming off two wins in a row. However, their winner against Dresden before the international break arrived late, only two minutes from time, while they came from behind with two goals in the last nine minutes against Darmstadt last time out. Neverthless, coach Ismail Atalan’s men are improving from week to week and have now accumulated seven points from their first five games. Their aim will now be to continue this way in order to close the three-point gap between themselves and the top 3.

Heidenheim are no way near the team they were last season and have found it difficult to score so far, with just four goals in five games. They sit almost at the bottom of the table and have to improve a lot in the upcoming weeks. Heidenheim’s coach Frank Schmidt has not managed to get the season going, with four defeats and only one win, as Heidenheim lost 3-1 at home against newly-promoted Regensburg last time out. He has to find a solution quickly as it will otherwise be very hard to see him on the sidelines in the upcoming weeks.

Bochum have found their form while Heidenheim struggle more week after week. I’ll go with a home win here.

SECOND PREDICTION: HALF TIME HAD – HOME WIN

Bochum have led at half time in two of their last three home games against Heidenheim. With the hosts on a good run and the visitors going through a crisis, I expect Bochum to lead again after 45 minutes.

HEAD TO HEAD

Bochum have not lost against Heidenheim in three home matches. They have won twice and drawn one.

SV Darmstadt 98 - Arminia Bielefeld

Darmstadt to bounce back after suffering first defeat

TEAM NEWS

Darmstadt will be pleased with thire current squad situation as Peter Niemeyer and Romuald Lacazette are the only players on the injury list. The club will be able to choose from a very strong squad and put up a very balanced team.

Bielefeld will have to do without the long-term injured Christopher Nothe and Nils Quaschner.

Darmstadt

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Peter Niemeyer (heel), Romuald Lacazette (unspecified)

Bielefeld

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Christopher Nothe, Nils Quaschner (both knee)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: HOME WIN

Darmstadt’s unbeaten run came to an end against Bochum at home last weekend. After winning their last two home matches in a row without conceding a single goal they suffered their first defeat in front of their own fans. Although they took the lead early in first half they lost by two late goals from Bochum in the end. This result came as a surprise, considering that they had won three and drawn one of their first four league matches beforehand, and they will be in for a fight here in order to return to winning ways in an attempt to close the three-gap between themselves and league leaders Dusseldorf.

Bielefeld are in a similar situation. They registered three wins and one draw in the first four games of the season but were completely outplayed by newly promoted Duisburg last time out, losing 4-0. Their defence was just poor and clearly cost them as three of the four goals were conceded due to individual mistakes.

Bielefeld’s last result could of course only be a blip, but the result is likely to have had an effect on their confidence while Darmstadt’s squad is of much better quality. Home win.

SECOND PREDICTION: FIRST TEAM TO SCORE – DARMSTADT

Despite losing at home last time out, Darmstadt were the first to score and have in fact recorded the first goal of the match in their last three home games. Expect the same to happen here.

HEAD TO HEAD

Darmstadt’s all-time home record against Bielefeld in 2.Bundesliga consists of three wins and two draws.

Jahn Regensburg - Dynamo Dresden

Regensburg aiming for their first home points

TEAM NEWS

Regensburg will again be without both their long-term injured players Uwe Hesse and Oliver Hein.

Dresden are still missing the long-term injured Pascal Testroet, Justin Lowe and Soren Gonther.  They received a big blow on Wednesday with the club confirming that key left back Philip Heise is out with a thigh injury.

Regensburg

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

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

Dresden

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Pascal Testroet (knee), Justin Lowe (unspecified), Soren Gonther (Achilles)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: HOME WIN

After a disappointing start with two defeats, newly-promoted Regensburg have finally found their way into Germany’s second division and could win their third away game in a row here. Having scored seven in their last two away games, they are capable of playing really great football up front and coach Achim Beierlorzer will hope that his team can continue this way in their own stadium, too. Their home form is in stark contrast to their performances away from home as they are still winless at home, having lost the last two with just one goal scored.

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Dresden only managed to draw against Greuther Furth at home last time out despite being the better side. Although they had plenty of good scoring opportunities they only registered a single goal and they will be disappointed with this result against the league’s worst team. Since their frustrating 4-0 defeat at home to Sandhausen in week two, they have not been able to claim another win and coach Uwe Neuhause will have to work hard to find good solutions for their defensive problems.

I think this game will come too soon for the visitors, with Regensburg registering their third win this season.

SECOND PREDICTION: TOTAL GOALS – THREE

Both teams average just over three goals per game this season while Regensburg’s last home match saw exactly three goals too. I predict the same of number here.

HEAD TO HEAD

The teams last met in Germany’s third division more than two years ago, with Dresden clinching a 3-2 win away from home – and the team are in fact unbeaten in their last six league encounters.

1.FC Nürnberg - FC St. Pauli

Nurnberg to extend good home record

TEAM NEWS

Nurnberg’s key player Sebastian Kerk will miss out with a long-term injury while Dennis Lippert is out with a knee injury, but he does not play an essential role at Nurnberg.

St. Pauli have Bernd Nehrig marked as doubtful and are still without Ryo Miyaichi and Philipp Ziereis, but they have no suspension concerns.

Nurnberg

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Sebastian Kerk (hamstring), Dennis Lippert (knee)

St. Pauli

Suspended: None

Doubtful: Bernd Nehrig (calf)

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

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: HOME WIN

Nurnberg’s unbeaten run came to an unexpected end as they were beaten convincingly 3-1 by a very motivated Aue side before the break. The team struggled to find the same goalscoring form as in their last three matches and were clearly overrun. Coach Michael Kollner will have been surprised by his men’s horrible performance and will have been looking for solutions over the international break. He will have to ensure that Nurnberg return to their normal selves quickly. However, Sebastian Kerk’s absence will be a big blow, but the team have signed Tobias Werner from Stuttgart hoping that he can take over in midfield. Nurnberg are still unbeaten at home, with one win and one draw.

After kicking the campaign off with four points in two games, St. Pauli have found goals more difficult to come by recently, having registered just one in their last two matches when beating Heidenheim at home last time out. That result was down to luck, however, with the winner arriving in the 90th minute, and the team have a lot of to work ahead of them if they want to increase their efficiency up front, having netted just four in total so far.

I think Nurnberg will put their recent defeat behind them and return to winning ways against St. Pauli.

SECOND PREDICTION: FIRST HALF HAD – DRAW

Both teams have found it difficult to find the net in the first half this season, with Nurnberg and St. Pauli only scoring one of their goals within the first 45 minutes. With both sides appearing to be much more clinical in front of goal in the second half, I expect a scoreless draw at half time here.

HEAD TO HEAD

St. Pauli won the last meeting against Nurnberg 2-0 in April, but it was their first win since 2001.  Overall they have not had much success at Nurnberg, losing three and drawing two of the last five matches.

Fortuna Düsseldorf - Union Berlin

Fourth to get the better of first

TEAM NEWS

Dusseldorf will miss first ‘keeper Michael Rensing again with a broken rib while Justin Toshiki Kinjo is not ready either after suffering knee injury, but Havard Nielsen is set to return shortly.

Union Berlin’s coach Jens Keller cannot count on the injured Kenny Prince Redondo and Dennis Daube, but Toni Leistner should be an option again after he missed the last game. Grischa Promel won’t be available, however, as he has to serve his suspension. Newly signed Atsuto Uchida who featured in the squad against Bielefeld might be given his debut here.

Dusseldorf

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Justin Toshiki Kinjo (knee), Michael Rensing (broken rib), Havard Nielsen (muscle)

Union Berlin

Suspended: Grischa Promel

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Kenny Prince Redondo (shoulder), Dennis Daube (knee), Toni Leistner (hamstring)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: AWAY WIN

Dusseldorf managed to register their third win in a row when beating Sandhausen 2-1 away from home before the break. Rouwen Hennings and Ihlas Bebou both scored as the team outplayed their resolute opponents to strengthen their position at the top of the 2.Bundesliga. The clinical manner in which Rouwen Hennings took his goal after coming on as a 75th minute substitute did perhaps indicate that he has developed into a player who is ready to grab his chance this time around. Dusseldorf are one of four teams in the league who are still unbeaten, with three wins and one draw.

Union Berlin produced a dominant home performance against Bielefeld last time out, but they were unable to follow up their 4-3 victory over Holstein Kiel with another home success, with the game ending 1-1. Jens Keller’s side applied incessant pressure on the Arminia from the moment the game kicked off, but they found the net only once. Nevertheless, Union Berlin continued their unbeaten run, and they are also without a defeat in their last three away matches, with two wins and one draw.

Both teams are unbeaten so far this season, but the quality of the squads is different. League leaders Dusseldorf have surprised while Union Berlin were expected to play for promotion. The visitors do have the better squad on paper and I think they will clinch the three points here.

SECOND PREDICTION: FIRST TEAM TO SCORE – DUSSELDORF

Union Berlin have been the first team to concede in two of their last four league matches while Dusseldorf scored first in three games so far this season. They should be the first to find the net here again.

HEAD TO HEAD

Dusseldorf have lost only two of their last eight matches against Union Berlin at home.

Eintracht Braunschweig - SV Sandhausen

Braunschweig to beat Sandhausen

TEAM NEWS

Braunschweig’s Julius Biada was injured last time out against Kaiserslautern and is out for several weeks while Patrick Schonfeld and Steve Breitkreutz miss again with injury concerns.

Bielefeld travel to Braunschweig with several players out injured as the club look to replace Stefan Kulovits, Marcel Seegert, Mirco Born, Rick Wulle, Robert Herrmann and Korbinian Vollmann.

Braunschweig

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Julius Biada (calf), Patrick Schonfeld (infection), Steve Breitkreutz (pubis)

Sandhausen

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Stefan Kulovits (muscle), Marcel Seegert (eye); Mirco Born, Rick Wulle (both knee); Robert Herrmann (broken foot), Korbinian Vollmann (unspecified)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: HOME WIN

Promotion candidates Braunschweig’s start to the new season has not been as good as expected, with three draws and just one victory to date. Of course they are still unbeaten, but they will need to start converting those draws into wins soon to be in with a chance of promotion. The team have scored in their last 24 home games and they have registered three goals in their first two home fixtures so far.  They will hope to continue with this scoring touch and clinch their second home win here.

Sandhausen’s unbeaten run ended with a 2-1 home defeat against Dusseldorf before the international break. Although they took the lead early through Lucas Holer they were unable to make it back-to-back victories after beating Dresden convincingly 4-0 in their previous 2.Bundesliga outing. After two clean sheets in a row, their watertight defence found itself under pressure against Dusseldorf and they conceded the winning goal in the 88th minute.

Given the fact that Sandhausen have a lengthy injury list, they will find it very difficult to line up a strong starting XI here and that gives me reason to believe that Braunschweig will be victorious.

SECOND PREDICTION: HALF TIME HAD – HOME WIN

Braunschweig have been leading at half time in three of their last four home games in the league. I can see this trend continuing here.

HEAD TO HEAD

Braunschweig’s all-time home record against Sandhausen in 2.Bundesliga consists of three wins and one defeat.

SV Darmstadt 98 - VfL Bochum

In-form Darmstadt set for another home win

TEAM NEWS

Darmstadt will be pleased with the current squad situation as Peter Niemeyer is the only player on the injury list. The club will be able to choose from a very strong squad and put out a very balanced team. They signed Felix Platte before the transfer window shut and the striker should strengthen their squad and give coach Torsten Frings one more option in attack.

Bochum are still missing Jannik Bandowski, Patrick Fabian, Timo Perthel and Nico Rieble who are all out injured.

Darmstadt

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Peter Niemeyer (heel)

Bochum

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Jannik Bandowski (lung), Patrick Fabian (nose); Timo Perthel, Nico Rieble (both knee)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: HOME WIN

Darmstadt sit in second after playing out a close 2-1 win against Duisburg before the international break. Torsten Frings’ side had the better opportunities on target and although Tobias Kempe missed a second-half penalty, the team found the winning goal in the 88th minute with a nice shot from Yannick Stark. Darmstadt are one of only four teams who are still unbeaten in the league, having registered three wins and one draw. They have won both of their home matches without conceding.

Bochum came from behind to beat Dresden in a contested match before the international break. Defender Felix Bastians scored twice to give Bochum a 2-1 lead at half time, with the team cementing their victory in the 88th minute. It was their first win under coach Ismail Atalan and it will give them additional motivation going forward after starting the campaign with an inconsistent run of one win, one draw and two defeats.

Darmstadt have been nearly unstoppable this season with the team only dropping points in a draw at Duisburg so far. I think they will win again here.

SECOND PREDICTION: HALF TIME HAD – HOME WIN

Bochum were behind twice at half time in their last two matches against Darmstadt and with the hosts being one of the in-form teams this season and having scored first in their last two home matches, there is no doubt in my mind that they will lead by half time.

HEAD TO HEAD

Darmstadt have won their last three home matches against Bochum with the teams’ last meeting taking place in 2015. The home side managed to keep two clean sheets while Bochum scored only once in those three matches.

Holstein Kiel - 1.FC Kaiserslautern

In-form Kiel to beat Kaiserslautern

TEAM NEWS

Holstein Kiel are still without Ilir Azemi, Christopher Lenz, Aaron Seydel, Arne Sicker and Dominik Schmidt who are all injured, but none of them is a key player.

Kaiserslautern won’t have Kacper Przybylko and captain Daniel Halfar at their disposal.

Holstein Kiel

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Ilir Azemi (foot), Christopher Lenz (adductor), Aaron Seydel (muscle), Arne Sicker (infection), Dominik Schmidt (back)

Kaiserlautern

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Kacper Przybylko (foot), Daniel Halfar (concussion)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: HOME WIN

Both Kingsley Schindler and Marvin Ducksch scored in Holstein Kiel’s last league outing as the team trashed Regensburg 3-1 away from home in an encounter between two newly promoted clubs. The visitors could even have increased the lead after dominating the first half as they thoroughly outplayed their opponents. Kiel’s attacking trio of Dominick Drexler, Schindler and Ducksch are on fire and if they can keep their momentum after the international break then it will be difficult for any opposition to stop them. Having started the campaign with just one defeat in their first four games and having scored the highest amount of goals in the league (ten), coach Markus Anfang will hope that his team can continue their impressive run.

Kaiserslautern’s coach Norbert Meier was very disappointed after their 1-1 draw against Braunschweig in the last league outing. The home side had 54% of possession and 13-12 shots on target but could not find a winner at home. It is annoying for Kaiserslautern to have so many chances and score only a single goal, but this is where the problem lies for Norbert Meier’s team as the same pattern was evident last season. If it is set to continue then it could become a real problem in the future, and Kaiserslautern’s start to the season with only two points in four games doesn’t bode well.

Kiel clearly have the momentum at the moment and I think they will secure their third league victory.

SECOND PREDICTION: HALF TIME HAD – HOME WIN

Holstein Kiel have scored seven of their ten goals in the first half of their four league matches. Kaiserslautern have netted just twice so far, with one of them arriving via an own goal, and they have been behind at half time in three of their league matches. I expect Kiel to lead after 45 minutes.

HEAD TO HEAD

These teams will meet for the first time in 2.Bundesliga.

Arminia Bielefeld - MSV Duisburg

Another win for Bielefeld possible

TEAM NEWS

Bielefeld will have to do without the long-term injured Christopher Nothe and Nils Quaschner.

Duisburg will again not have the long-term injured players Zlatko Janjic and Tim Albutat at their disposal, as they have been suffering from a knee and an ankle injury respectively.

Bielefeld

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Christopher Nothe, Nils Quaschner (both knee)

Duisburg

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

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

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: HOME WIN

Bielefeld’s 100% start to the season came to an end before the international break as a terrible second half cost them the victory at Union Berlin. The Arminia were on course to lead the 2.Bundesliga table again after Andreas Voglsammer scored the opening goal for his team at the beginning of the second half, but their opponents levelled the score only ten minutes later. Bielefeld have now conceded exactly one goal in three of their four league matches and not being able to keep a clean sheet will be a concern.

Duisburg were unlucky in their last league outing as they lost 2-1 at home to Darmstadt, with the winning goal arriving two minutes from time. Their attack just wasn’t up to scratch, but overall the team performed well. The international break meant they had plenty of time to practice their offensive play, and having scored only one goal on average so far this season, this is an area they clearly need to improve on quickly.

Two different teams are facing each other here. Bielefeld are one of the biggest surprise packages this season and despite their recent draw, they are on fire while Duisburg lack quality up front. I cannot see past a home win here.

SECOND PREDICTION: TOTAL GOALS – THREE

Two of Bielefeld’s last four matches have seen three goals exactly while the same can be said about two of Duisburg’s four games. With this encounter seeing both teams score on a consistent basis, I predict another three-goal match here.

HEAD TO HEAD

Bielefeld are unbeaten in their last five encounters, having clinched three wins and two draws.

FC Ingolstadt 04 - Erzgebirge Aue

Ingolstadt aiming for the first home win

TEAM NEWS

Ingolstadt have two players on their injury list in the form of Phil Neumann and Moritz Hartmann.

Aue are only without long-term absentee Nicky Adler, but they have a suitable replacement for him.

Ingolstadt

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Phil Neumann (knee), Moritz Hartmann (muscle)

Aue

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Nicky Adler (adductor)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: HOME WIN

Relegated Ingolstadt scored their first away goal and recorded their first points in the 2.Bundesliga season with a narrow 1-0 win over struggling Greuther Furth last time out. The team began the new campaign with three defeats and it was anticipated this contest would be a war of attrition, even at this early stage of the season. Interim Coach Stefan Leitl made several changes following their 4-2 defeat at home to Regensburg the week before. He changed to a more compact 4-3-3 system and gave some of his back-up players a chance. Following their victory, the side will now hope that they have found the winning formula and will be more successful in the upcoming matches.

Dominik Wydra scored his first Aue goal as his team eased to their first win of the season against a timid Nurnberg side at the Sparkassen-Erzgebirge Stadium. Aue had to be patient as they found it difficult to break down their opponents, but it was a professional performance from the whole team and a deserved 3-1 victory in the end. Since firing coach Thomas Letsch in mid-August, with interim coach Robin Lenk taking over the reigns, Aue have been unbeaten, having registered one draw and one win. The 33-year-old coach seems to have found a better system and mix for the starting line-up. However, time will tell if the team can keep the momentum going.

Both teams improved during the last round, but whether they manage another win after a two week break is another matter. However, I think Ingolstadt should have the quality to beat this Aue side and record their first home victory.

SECOND PREDICTION: FIRST TEAM TO SCORE – AUE

After starting the campaign with two defeats, Aue’s confidence received a welcome boost with Robin Lenk’s appointment as interim coach and the team have been the first to score in their last two league matches. With Ingolstadt conceding the first goal in three of their four league matches so far, I can see that trend continuing here.

HEAD TO HEAD

Ingolstadt have not managed to win a single match in five attempts at home against Aue. They have managed three draws and lost twice in their own stadium.