We have a huge game in the 2. Bundesliga to look forward to on Friday night, as title rivals Hamburger SV and Paderborn do battle at the Volksparkstadion.
With four games remaining, Hamburger occupy the promotion play-off spot – four points shy of second-placed FC Heidenheim.
Start in die Trainingswoche vor #HSVSCP. ⚽️🔷#nurderHSV #Training pic.twitter.com/lLYEm5dVuP— Hamburger SV (@HSV) May 2, 2023
Start in die Trainingswoche vor #HSVSCP. ⚽️🔷#nurderHSV #Training pic.twitter.com/lLYEm5dVuP
Meanwhile, fourth-placed Paderborn are one of three teams on 50 points, with Hamburger sitting six points clear of the promotion-chasing trio.
Hamburger looked destined to break into the top two when they enjoyed a run of just one defeat in 11 league matches between November and April.
However, HSV’s form has taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks, as they have lost two of their previous three games to fall off the pace.
After suffering a 2-0 defeat at Kaiserslautern, Hamburger claimed a dramatic 4-3 victory over St Pauli before losing 3-2 at Magdeburg last time out.
That said, HSV will be confident of returning to winning ways on Friday, having won seven of their last eight league games at the Volksparkstadion.
As for Paderborn, they head into Friday’s showdown on a three-match unbeaten run, having taken seven points from a possible nine since their last loss.
Following a 3-0 victory over Hansa Rostock, Paderborn drew 2-2 at Sandhausen before thrashing Eintracht Braunschweig 5-1 last time out.
When you look at the bigger picture, Paderborn have lost just three of their previous 13 league outings, picking up seven wins along the way.
Having managed to win just one of their last six away games, however, the visitors could struggle to claim all three points on Friday.
Head-to-head: Hamburger won the reverse fixture 3-2 back in October, meaning they have won four of their last five meetings with Paderborn.
To make matters worse for Paderborn, they have only managed to win two of their previous nine matches against Hamburger.
Team news: Hamburger will be without the injured duo of Andras Nemeth and Noah Katterbach on Friday, while Bakery Jatta is suspended.
On the flip side, Paderborn are currently without Schalke 04 loanee Marvin Pieringer as he continues to recover from a leg injury.
With seven wins coming in their previous eight home league games, Hamburger look set to get the better of Paderborn this time around.
Forebet predicts that Hamburger will score over 2.5 goals on their way to dispatching Paderborn, enhancing their promotion chances in the process.