Three fixtures round off this weekend’s 2. Bundesliga action. Here’s a closer look at Dynamo Dresden vs Hannover 96, Fortuna Düsseldorf vs SV Darmstadt, and Holstein Kiel vs Karlsruher SC.
| Killian Corredor of SV Darmstadt 98 scores his team’s second goal during the Second Bundesliga match vs. Fortuna Düsseldorf | (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images) |
Dynamo Dresden vs Hannover 96
Newly promoted Dynamo Dresden have endured a rocky start to life back in the 2. Bundesliga. Sitting 15th with just one win from five games, Thomas Stamm’s side have struggled to find consistency. Early defeats to Greuther Fürth and rivals FC Magdeburg in the “Elb-Clasico” exposed some of their shortcomings.
Last weekend brought cautious optimism. A 2-2 draw away at SV Elversberg showed improvement, even if it ended with a gut-wrenching 92nd-minute equaliser. Stamm, however, was upbeat ahead of Sunday: “Nevertheless, after the week I have a good feeling that we can go into the game against a very strong opponent with confidence and secure our first home win.”
Off the pitch, Dresden’s preparations were overshadowed by the sudden departure of Communications Director David Fischer, who played a key role in Stamm’s appointment 18 months ago. The coach admitted he was personally affected, calling the decision a “clear defeat for all of us at this club.”
Meanwhile, Christian Titz’s Hannover have made a blistering start, winning their first four games to top the table. Last week, however, they were brought back down to earth with a 0-3 home defeat against Hertha BSC, led by their former coach Stefan Leitl.
Titz was quick to urge calm and back his side to respond in Dresden on Sunday: “A game has different phases. I know that games sometimes have tipping points where things can go against you. Unfortunately, that happened to us that day. The team showed they can handle it well. They wanted to keep going. That’s why I still see us as a very stable team.”
The sides last met in 2022, playing out a goalless draw in Hannover. Both will be desperate for points here – Dresden in search of their first home win, and Hannover to prove their early momentum was no fluke.
Team news:
Dynamo Dresden: There are no fresh injury concerns, although Jakob Zickler, Vincent Vermeij and Alexander Rossipal aren’t available for Sunday’s match.
Hannover 96: No absentees for Titz’s side as they remain fully fit.
Predicted lineups:
Dynamo Dresden (4-2-3-1): Schreiber (GK) – Faber, Boeder, Pauli, Risch – Amoako, Šapina – Lemmer, Hauptmann, Herrmann – Daferner
Hannover 96 (3-4-3): Noll (GK) – Ghiță, Tomiak, Blank – Matsuda, Leopold, Aséko Nkili, Neubauer – Bundu, Källman, Rochelt
Fortuna Düsseldorf vs SV Darmstadt
Fortuna Düsseldorf, a side that has pushed for promotion in recent years, have made a subdued start by their standards. Sitting 12th after five games, Daniel Thioune’s men need to find consistency quickly if they are to stay in the race.
A 2-1 win at Preußen Münster last weekend offered encouragement, even if it came with plenty of fortune. Despite having just 27% possession and being second best for long stretches, Fortuna escaped with all three points thanks largely to the heroics of captain and goalkeeper Florian Kastenmeier. Looking ahead, Thioune insisted more is to come: “We’re still at an early stage in the season, but we’re slowly but surely getting into the race. We need to continue to improve significantly. And the first home win would also lead to us climbing a bit in the table.”
By contrast, Florian Kohfeldt’s Darmstadt have made a strong start, defying expectations to sit 5th with 10 points. Wins over Bochum and Nürnberg have underlined their quality, with their only defeat coming against in-form Kaiserslautern.
They showed further resilience last weekend, coming from behind to beat Braunschweig 2-1, with in-form striker Isac Lidberg scoring his fifth goal in as many games. Defender Matej Maglica praised his side’s spirit: “You have to work hard to come back, especially in football. Two weeks ago in Kaiserslautern, we didn’t have that momentum, and today it was. I also know what we can achieve in a week, and that’s why we deserve this win as a team and a club.“
Fortuna had the better of this fixture last season, taking four points, while Darmstadt haven’t won in Düsseldorf since 1988. Kohfeldt will be keen to end that run, but his side face a much-improved Fortuna buoyed by their win in Münster.
Team news:
Fortuna Düsseldorf: Florian Schock, Shinta Appelkamp, Christopher Lenz, Elias Egouli, Hamza Anhari, Tim Rossmann, Luca Raimund and Karim Affo will not be available on Sunday. Valgeir Fridriksson is in line to return to the squad following a muscle injury.
SV Darmstadt: Long term absentees Paul Will and Matthias Bader are both still unavailable. Midfielder Jean-Paul Boetius and forward Bartosz Bialek, who were rested against Braunschweig, are pushing their way back into the squad, but are unlikely to be candidates for the starting eleven.
Predicted lineups:
Fortuna Düsseldorf (3-3-2-2): Kastenmeier (GK) – Daland, Oberdorf, Schmidt – Zimmermann, Breithaupt, Suso – El Azzouzi, Muslija – Itten, Celar
SV Darmstadt (4-2-3-1): Schuhen (GK) – López, Pfeiffer, Vukotić, Nürnberger – Klefisch, Akiyama – Marseiler, Hornby, Corredor – Lidberg
Holstein Kiel vs Karlsruher SC
Holstein Kiel’s return to the 2. Bundesliga has been far from smooth after a summer rebuild that brought 13 new arrivals. Marcel Rapp’s side sit 13th, with both of their two wins coming away from home.
There were signs of progress last weekend, however, as they produced a disciplined display to beat Schalke 1-0 on the road. Match-winner Alexander Bernhardsson praised his side’s resilience: “The start to the season wasn’t as hoped, but we continued to believe in ourselves and showed what we’re capable of today. It was a very intense game, and we worked hard for the three points.”
Karlsruher, by contrast, are flying. Christian Eichner’s men are the only unbeaten side left in the division following Hannover’s defeat, sitting 3rd on 11 points with a game in hand on leaders Kaiserslautern who played Friday.
Last time out brought a 2-1 win at home to early strugglers Nürnberg with goals from Fabian Schleusener and captain Marvin Wanitzek. Despite the victory, Eichner seemed disappointed with his team’s performance stating: “We had big problems… Today, combined with a very good goalkeeper, it was very fortunate.”
Sunday pits two of the league’s longest-serving coaches against each other. Kiel are still seeking their first home win, while KSC are yet to win away despite their strong start. History favours the hosts – Karlsruhe haven’t beaten Kiel since 2022 – but Eichner’s side are unbeaten in 12 league games stretching back to last season.
Team news:
Holstein Kiel: Mladen Cvjetinovic, Patrick Erras and Andu Kelati are all unavailable for the hosts.
Karlsruher SC: Louey Ben Farhat and summer signing Marc Niclas Dühring will both miss out for Eichner’s side.
Predicted lineups:
Holstein Kiel (3-4-2-1): Krumrey (GK) – Zec, Komenda, Johansson – Bernhardsson, Davidsen, Knudsen, Tolkin – Kaprálik, Therkelsen – M.Müller
Karlsruher SC (3-3-2-2): Bernat (GK) – Kobald, Franke, Rapp – Jung, Müller, Herold – Egloff, Wanitzek – Förster, Schleusener
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