All eyes were on the Bundesliga last weekend as it became the first major European football league to return after the coronavirus outbreak. But let’s not forget about Germany’s second tier!
2. Bundesliga also resumed last weekend, and among the league’s upcoming round of fixtures is Sunday’s clash between Holstein Kiel and VfB at Holstein-Stadion.
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Kiel find themselves eighth in the table following a 2-2 draw with Jahn Regensburg last time out. Goals from Lee Jae-sung and Finn-Dominik Porath put Kiel two goals to the good, but a late collapse meant they eventually had to settle for a point.
Still, following a run of three games without a win before the season was put on hold, Kiel will probably be happy to have avoided defeat.
It’s difficult to tell whether the lack of home support will benefit Kiel this weekend. After all, Ole Werner’s side have only won one of their previous six games on home soil.
Having said that, Stuttgart have been woeful on the road this season – claiming just five away wins in their last 35 games on their travels.
Despite their dismal away record, the Reds come into this game sitting third in the table – level with second-place Hamburg on 45 points and four points clear of Heidenheim in fourth.
Stuttgart were beaten 2-1 by SV Wehen in the previous round, so they will need to bounce back in order to keep pace in the race for promotion.
Kiel and Stuttgart have only faced each other twice before, with both sides picking up one win each. In their most recent encounter, Kiel claimed a 1-0 victory back in October.
Looking at the team news, Kiel will be without goalkeeper Timon Weiner this weekend, along with forward duo Michael Eberwein and Janni Serra due to injury.
Maxime Awoudja remains absent for Stuttgart with an Achilles tendon rupture, while left-back Borna Sosa will be hoping to play a part after recovering from a knee injury.
Training ⚽️😤✔️ #VfB pic.twitter.com/RxQHqThd0T— VfB Stuttgart (@VfB) May 18, 2020
Training ⚽️😤✔️ #VfB pic.twitter.com/RxQHqThd0T
Stuttgart will be eager to bounce back and end a three-game winless run this weekend, so the promotion hopefuls are likely to come out fighting.
Forebet predicts that Stuttgart will claim a rare away victory on Sunday. Furthermore, the Reds’ solid backline should help the team keep a clean sheet in the process.