Previews, team news & predicted lineups

This weekend’s 2. Bundesliga action kicks off on Friday as Kaiserslautern host Preußen Münster while Arminia Bielefeld welcome Greuther Fürth.

Kaiserslautern vs Preußen Münster

Kaiserslautern’s quietly impressive start under Torsten Lieberknecht sees them sixth in the table with nine points from five matches, only three behind the leaders. With their only defeats coming away to table-toppers Hannover and Elversberg, they’ll fancy their chances of another win in front of the Fritz-Walter-Stadion faithful.

Last weekend, Lautern recorded a comfortable 3-0 win away in Fürth in a game they dominated from minute one. Summer signing Ivan Prtajin grabbed his first goals with a brace, whilst Naatan Skyttä scored the other to continue his fine start to the season. The Finnish midfielder stressed the importance of the win afterwards:  “It was three important points today, and I’m happy for the team. It’s always nice to score myself, but more importantly, the team did a good job and we deserved to win.”

Visitors Münster have also made a positive start, sitting ninth despite being tipped by many as relegation candidates. The Prussians won back-to-back matches against Nürnberg and Bochum before the break, but fell 1-2 at home to Fortuna Düsseldorf last time out – despite dominating much of the contest. Coach Alexander Ende voiced his frustration: “In the end, when you’re that dominant, you have to score more than one goal.” 

Kaiserslautern won both meetings between the sides last season and remain unbeaten at home in the league since the 12th April. Yet Münster have shown they can compete on the road, scoring four goals across their first two away fixtures and dominating possession over both games. Ende has made it clear his side will not sit back in what is likely to be a fierce atmosphere: “We want to stand our ground there and do our thing.” 

Team news: 

Kaiserslautern: Kenny-Prince Redondo, Simon Asta, Daniel Hanslik and Avdo Spahic are all still unavailable for Torsten Lieberknecht. 

Preußen Münster: Joshua Mees suffered a torn thigh tendon against Düsseldorf sidelining the forward for several weeks. Leon Tasov, Antonio Tikvic and Marcel Benger are all still unavailable. Defender Jannis Heuer who missed the last game with stomach problems, is set to return against the side he’s currently on loan from.

Predicted lineups:

Kaiserslautern (3-4-2-1): Krahl (GK) – Gyamfi, Sirch, Kim – Haas, Sahin, Kunze, Joly – Alidou, Skyttä – Prtajin 

Preußen Münster (4-4-2 Diamond): Schenk (GK) – ter Horst, Jaeckel, Heuer, Bolay – Preißinger, Schulz, Hendrix, Makridis – Lokotsch, Batista Meier 

Arminia Bielefeld vs Greuther Fürth 

Arminia Bielefeld head into the weekend with momentum firmly back on their side. After a few poor results before the international break which saw their electric start dampened somewhat, Mitch Kniat’s side responded positively with a 2-0 home win against FC Magdeburg to push themselves into 3rd place in the table after five matches. 

Forward Joel Grodowski was the star of the show grabbing himself a goal and an assist on their way to another three points. After the game, he was unable to hide his delight: “Friday night, a sold-out Schüco Arena – as a little boy, I dreamed of playing in a stadium like this… We played well from the start, but didn’t score any goals. In the second half, we deservedly scored and deservedly won.”

Looking ahead to Friday’s game, Mitch Kniat has emphasised the threat his team are likely to face: “This is an opponent who always switches quickly and has really good players up front. Winning the ball usually means they have a goal-scoring opportunity. We have to be very careful there. Our team is focused and well prepared. Anyone who knows the guys knows that we will never go into a game relaxed. I don’t have to worry about that at all.”

Fürth, meanwhile, have endured an inconsistent start. Sitting 13th with six points from five games, they have alternated between strong performances and disappointing defeats. Their last outing summed it up perfectly – a chaotic 5-4 win away at Magdeburg before the break, followed by a 0-3 home loss to Kaiserslautern.

That defeat came under extraordinary circumstances, with Noah König receiving the fastest red card in 2. Bundesliga history after just 27 seconds. Head coach Thomas Kleine was quick to put the game behind them: “From our perspective, the game is quickly told. When you prepare for this game for two weeks, it’s a shame that you have to play with a man down after 30 seconds… The focus now is to put this game behind us. It’s about continuing to work and concentrating 100 percent on Friday’s game in Bielefeld.”

The head-to-head record between the two sides is balanced, with three draws in the last five meetings, though the most recent was back in 2023. With Arminia flying and the Schüco Arena crowd behind them, Fürth will need to channel the attacking spirit they showed in Magdeburg if they want to slow down their in-form hosts. 

Team news: 

Arminia Bielefeld: Tim Handwerker, Benjamin Boakye, and Noah Sarenren Bazee will be out on Friday due to muscular problems. In addition, long-term injured players Roberts Uldrikis and Jeredy Hilterman are still out. Christopher Lannert will likely return to the squad after his red card suspension.

Greuther Fürth: Maximilian Dietz, Nils Körber, Sacha Bansé and Timo Schlieck are all still missing due to injury. Noah König will serve his one game suspension picked up last week against Kaiserslautern. 

Predicted lineups 

Arminia Bielefeld (4-3-3): Kersken (GK) – Hagmann, Großer, Schneider, Momuluh – Corboz, Russo, Mehlem – Wörl, Grodowski, Young 

Greuther Fürth (3-4-2-1): Boevink (GK) – Bjarnason, Ziereis, Itter – Dehm, Olesen, Green, Keller – Klaus, Hrgota – Futkeu