2. Bundesliga Friday preview | OneFootball

SC Paderborn vs. SV Darmstadt

Paderborn spent several weeks at the summit of the table earlier this season following a magnificent run of form that included an eight-match winning streak. That momentum has since slowed, however, with three defeats in their last five outings, all coming against fellow promotion contenders, seeing them slip to fourth place. Despite that dip, Ralf Kettemann’s side have earned widespread plaudits for their proactive, attacking football throughout the campaign.

They managed to halt a run of three consecutive defeats last time out with a morale-boosting 4-0 victory away at Karlsruher SC. A Laurin Curda brace, followed by goals from Raphael Obermair and Tjark Scheller, sealed a convincing win and restored confidence ahead of this crucial clash.

Darmstadt arrive in Paderborn sitting just one place above their hosts, with Florian Kohfeldt’s side quietly going about their business. Few tipped Die Lilien to be in this position at the halfway stage of the season, but a run of just one defeat in their last 12 league fixtures has firmly established them among the promotion challengers.

They recorded a comfortable home victory over Preußen Münster last weekend. Despite conceding the majority of possession, Darmstadt consistently posed the greater threat and deservedly claimed all three points thanks to Killian Corredor’s second-half strike.

Kohfeldt is confident his side can rise to the occasion:

“I would even say that we trained exceptionally well today, especially in our final training session. We're looking forward to a top-class match against one of the league's top teams. We want to deliver another excellent performance and, ideally, take all three points home.”

Paderborn won both meetings between the sides last season, while Darmstadt’s last victory at the Home Deluxe Arena dates back to 2022. Friday’s encounter also marks the first meeting between the two coaches, although Kohfeldt has won just two of his five previous matches against Paderborn.

Team news: 

SC Paderborn: Marcel Hoffmeier, Calvin Brackelmann and David Kinsombi are unavailable. 

SV Darmstadt: Florian Kohfeldt has reported a clean bill of health. 

Predicted lineups: 

SC Paderborn (3-4-3): Seimen (GK) - Götze, Scheller, Hansen - Curda, Klaas, Baur, Obermair - Copado, Michel, Bätzner 

SV Darmstadt (4-2-3-1): Schuhen (GK) - Lopez, Pfeiffer, Maglica, Nürnberger - Klefisch, Akiyama - Corredor, Richter, Marseiler - Lidberg 

Hertha BSC vs. Arminia Bielefeld

Hertha entered December in blistering form, reeling off five straight league victories, but the last two weeks have brought an unexpected wobble. A return of just one point from their previous two fixtures against sides hovering in or around the bottom three has seen Stefan Leitl’s men slip to seventh, increasing the importance of a response before the winter break.

Last Friday’s 3-3 draw away at Greuther Fürth proved particularly frustrating. Hertha twice surrendered the lead, throwing away advantages at 2-0 and 3-2 against a new-look Fürth side under Heiko Vogel. A defence that had previously looked so reliable, with nine clean sheets to their name, appeared uncharacteristically vulnerable.

Leitl was quick to stress the dangers posed by Friday’s opponents:

“Arminia may be going through a rough patch where they're picking up fewer points. Nevertheless, they're a very difficult opponent who, as a newly promoted team, are having a really good season: very disciplined, very energetic, and with a lot of pace up front.”

Arminia’s return to the Zweite Liga has been an up-and-down affair. An encouraging start soon gave way to inconsistency, with Mitch Kniat’s side winning just two of their last 11 league matches to drop to 12th place. With teams below them beginning to close the gap, results may soon need to improve to avoid being drawn into a relegation battle.

They were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at home to Kaiserslautern last weekend. Despite enjoying 72% possession, Arminia struggled to turn their dominance into clear chances, although the point at least brought an end to a run of three consecutive defeats.

This will be the first meeting between the sides since 2022, when they last crossed paths in the Bundesliga during a season that ended in Arminia’s relegation. Bielefeld currently sit bottom of the away-form table, having collected just five points from seven matches on the road. Leitl, meanwhile, has won three of his 10 managerial meetings with Arminia, drawing five and losing twice.

Team news: 

Hertha BSC: Stefan Leitl will be without Maurice Krattenmacher, Leon Jensen and Jay Brooks. 

Arminia Bielefeld: Top scorer Joel Grodowski is sidelined alongside Jeredy Hilterman and Roberts Uldrikis. Benjamin Boakye and Vincent Ocansey remain doubtful.Predicted lineups: 

Hertha BSC (4-2-3-1): Ernst (GK) - Gechter, Leistner, Dardai, Karbownik - Eichhorn, Seguin - Winkler, Cuisance, Reese - Schuler 

Arminia Bielefeld (4-3-3): Kersken (GK) - Lannert, Großer, Felix, Handwerker - Mehlem, Russo, Corboz - Momuluh, Wörl, Sarenren Bazee