Bremen are under pressure against Heidenheim. Hamburger SV visit last-place Aue. Kiel will face Rostock in a match that points the way ahead. One day later, Andre Schubert makes his debut as Ingolstadt coach against Schalke.
“This is a huge opportunity,” said Bremen coach Markus Anfang about Friday’s match (18.30, LIVE! on kicker) against Heidenheim. And the Bundesliga relegated team should probably make the most of it. After two recent defeats in the North derby against HSV and in Dresden, Werder are in tenth place, four points behind third place – occupied by the in-form 1. FC Heidenheim. Frank Schmidt’s team has recently won three matches in a row. Will Bremen manage the turnaround? Or will the FCH continue their winning streak?
At the same time as their northern rivals, Hamburger SV will be playing last-place Aue. A change of coach was not enough to turn the tide in the Erzgebirge. After the dismissal of Aleksey Shpilevski, Aue lost in Regensburg with interim coach Marc Hensel and are still waiting for their first win of the season. This will not be an easy task against HSV. The Hanseatic League side have been unbeaten for five games and could move back into the top flight with a win at the last-place team. In addition, captain Sebastian Schonlau returns after a yellow-red suspension.
“Six-point game” in Kiel – Fortuna without Kastenmeier
In a landmark match, Holstein Kiel and Hansa Rostock square off on Saturday (13:30). KSV managed an important liberation strike after Ole Werner’s resignation in Paderborn. Under interim coach Dirk Bremser, the Störche now await their neighbours from Rostock in the Baltic Sea duel. The team from Rostock recently lost two games, so the advantage is probably slightly on the side of Kiel. Who can win the “six-point game” and take a step away from the bottom of the table?
Fortuna coach Christian Preußer will have to do without Kastenmeier when Fortuna Düsseldorf host fourth-placed Paderborn at the same time. In the win in Ingolstadt, the goalkeeper was sent off for a handball outside the penalty area – and will now be absent against the second best offensive team in the league (17 goals). Lukas Kwasniok’s team should be striving for more consistency. In the last four games, there were two wins and two defeats each.
Jahn hosts KSC – Will Nuremberg remain unbeaten?
Leaders Jahn Regensburg have only suffered one defeat so far. After the defeat at St. Pauli, Jahn got back on track and regained the lead in the standings with a three-goal win against Aue. Now Karlsruher SC is waiting for the best attack in the German Unterhaus (18 goals). After a strong start to the season, KSC have slipped into mid-table with just one win from their last six league games. So will Jahn remain the league leaders after this matchday?
1. FC Nuremberg remain unbeaten going into this evening’s home match (8.30 p.m.) against Hannover 96. Although coach Robert Klauß has been diligently pressing the euphoria brakes for weeks, the FCN is playing its best season in years – and with a win against Hannover could further establish itself in the top group. The Hannover team is once again only bobbing around in the lower half of the table and, after two wins in a row, landed back at the bottom of the table with a defeat against Sandhausen. With another defeat, the air could become thinner again for 96.
Schanzer against Schalke – Dynamo at Millerntor
How is Andre Schubert’s debut at FC Ingolstadt going? The former Bundesliga coach replaced Roberto Pätzold last Sunday, who was released after the defeat against Düsseldorf. So on Sunday (1.30 pm) Schubert will be on the touchline of the penultimate-placed team for the first time – and then straight away against Schalke 04. Particularly interesting: In Gelsenkirchen, the top scorer in the second division Simon Terodde (ten goals) meets the worst defence (20 goals conceded).
“St. Pauli could very well” finish the season in second place in the table, said Kiez kicker Daniel-Kofi Kyereh after the success against Karlsruhe. The Hamburg team does not have an easy task ahead of them: Dynamo Dresden travel to the Millerntor. After three defeats in a row, the promoted team seems to be back on track with an eight-point win against Bremen. So who will continue the recent positive trend?
Next win for Schwartz?
Meanwhile, the change of coach at Sandhausen has had an effect. After the dismissal of Gerhard Kleppinger and Stefan Kulovits, returnee Alois Schwartz scored a direct win against Hannover. SV Darmstadt now await in the second game. Torsten Lieberknecht’s team has been looking for consistency so far, losing two of its last three games, most recently at Heidenheim. Darmstadt will be under double pressure at Sandhausen: If they lose again, SVS could draw level on points and catapult the Hessians further down the table.
