Hot off the heels of the first international break of the season we get to enjoy matchday 6 of the new 2.Bundesliga campaign.
Hamburg currently leads the way with Kiel and Magdeburg just behind them. Hertha Berlin remain in the bottom two, while Schalke’s struggles also continue. What does the weekend action have in store?
Paderborn v Wehen Wiesbaden
The action kicks off on Friday when Paderborn host Wiesbaden at the Home-Deluxe Arena. Lukas Kwasniok’s side were one of the pacesetters last season, but so far his side have just four points from their opening five matches are currently in the bottom three. They will be looking to get their season going with a win under the floodlights.
Wiesbaden snatched a dramatic late equaliser last time out at home to Schalke to rescue an unlikely point and will be looking for their second away win of the season to go with the impressive 1-0 victory they achieved over Hertha on matchday 2.
Nürnberg v Grether Fürth
The atmosphere is sure to be red hot at the Max Morlock Stadion as it hosts the 271st Frankenderby- one of Germany’s oldest and fiercest rivalries. The hosts have won their last two home games and a third would give them the bragging rights over their neighbours and a healthier league position.
Last season saw der Club win to end a run of three successive home losses to Fürth. The Kleeblätter started the season with a big win over Paderborn, but Alexander Zorniger’s side have failed to build on that and have lost their last three matches. A turnaround in form on Friday would be very timely.
Karlsruhe v Kaiserslautern
Karlsruhe lost 3-1 at Fortuna last time out, while visitors Kaiserslautern won by the same scoreline at home to Nürnberg to maintain their position in sixth place. Christian Eichner’s KSC finished a point above the Red Devils last season, but have had a mixed bag thus far this season with two wins, two defeats and a draw.
Having lost their opening two matches, Kaiserslautern are now on a three-match winning streak and will be keen to extend that at the weekend.
Hansa Rostock v Fortuna Düsseldorf
Both sides have three wins to their name already this season and will be looking to maintain their position at the top end of the table. Rostock lost out to Northern rivals Hamburg in the last match before the international break and back at home will be hoping for a return to winning ways.
Fortuna’s last away trip saw them hit five goals past Elversberg, but the trip to the Ostseestadion should provide a sterner test for Daniel Thioune’s side on Saturday.
Elversberg v Hamburg
Newly promoted Elversberg have found life in the 1.Bundesliga tough going so far, but managed to secure their first win of the season last time out when they emerged with 1-0 win away at fellow strugglers VfL Osnabrück in their bottom of the table clash. The arrival of title favourites Hamburg to the Ursapharm-Arena an der Kaiserlinde will be a huge challenge for coach Horst Steffen and his side
The Rothosen have started the new season well and sit at the top of the table. They however know that being there now counts for nothing, it’s the end of the campaign where it really matters. That said they should be going to minnows like Elversberg and notching up the three points. However, anything is possible in the world of the 2.Bundesliga.
Schalke v Magdeburg
You’d be forgiven for presuming that it would be Schalke riding high in third place just two points behind league leaders HSV, but it is in fact Magdeburg in that position. Their crazy 6-4 win over Hertha Berlin on matchday 5 will in all likelihood go down as the game of the season as Christian Titz’s side went behind four times and still emerged at the victors.
The pressure is already mounting on Königsblauen trainer Thomas Reis after a disappointing start to life back in the second tier. The Ruhr side have already suffered three defeats and gave up three points late on against Wiesbaden in their last match.
Hertha Berlin v Eintracht Braunschweig
Hertha’s 5-0 win over Greuther Fürth looked like it could be the catalyst for them to finally kick start their season, but then they went down to a bizarre 6-4 defeat at Magdeburg. The Alte Dame are already realising that an instant return to the Bundesliga is not going to be a formality and the capital club need to really improve if they are not to follow in HSV’s footsteps and become a mainstay in the 2.Bundesliga.
Braunschweig struggled last season and the early signs are that they could be set for a repeat this year. Their win over Schalke is their only three points so far, but they did hold St. Pauli to a 1-1 draw in their last match. You never know with Hertha how it will go so Eintracht need to hope they defend as badly as they did against Magdeburg.
St. Pauli v Holstein Kiel
The two Northern sides go head-to-head on Sunday with the home side looking to finally notch up a win after four successive stalemates. With one goal in those four games, they are far from prolific and the fact that captain Jackson Irvine has returned injured from international duty with Australia is a further blow.
Kiel have been a revelation so far this season with four wins out of five. Their last win at the Millerntor came back in 2018 and the prospect of going top of the table this weekend is a real possibility.
Hannover v VfL Osnabrück
With just a single point, VfL Osnabrück are the only side in the division not to have won a game as yet. On Sunday they make the short journey across Niedersachsen to face Hannover at the Heinz von Heiden Arena. You have to go all the way back to 1990 for the last time Osnabrück won at Hannover, so form this season and history is not on their side.
The home fans however are still waiting to see their first home win of the season with both of their wins thus far coming away from home (Fürth and Rostock).
