2. Bundesliga Friday: Previews, team news & predicted lineups | OneFootball

SV Elversberg vs. Hannover 96

Elversberg have made a superb start to the campaign, losing just once in their opening nine matches and spending much of the early season near the summit. However, Vincent Wagner’s side have hit their first real bump, falling to their second defeat of the season in Bielefeld on the weekend before exiting the DFB-Pokal midweek with a 3-0 defeat to Hertha BSC. Those setbacks have seen them slip to third in the standings.

The key to their success has been a prolific attack - the league’s best with 22 goals in ten games - led by top scorer Younes Ebnoutalib, who has netted nine times already. Yet Elversberg’s normally free-flowing frontline has faltered in both recent losses, and rediscovering that spark will be essential if they are to reclaim top spot.

Hannover, meanwhile, started the season in blistering form under Christian Titz, though recent weeks have seen momentum fade slightly. Still, they remain firmly in the promotion mix, sitting fourth and able to boast just two losses so far like their hosts.

With no midweek Pokal fixture to contend with after their early exit in August, Hannover come into this match fresher - a possible advantage against an Elversberg side that had to travel to Berlin. Expect a high-intensity encounter between two attacking teams.

Elversberg have had the upper hand historically, winning three of the five previous meetings, with the other two ending in draws. Hannover have yet to beat the Saarland club and lost both fixtures 3-1 last season. The hosts are also unbeaten at home so far this term.

Team news: 

SV Elversberg: Luis Seifert and Luca Pfeiffer remain sidelined through injury, while Maximilian Rohr serves a one-match ban for accumulation of yellow cards.Hannover 96: Benedikt Pichler, Ime Okon and Dennis Husser are out injured. Boris Tomiak is suspended after collecting his fifth yellow card.

Predicted lineups:

SV Elversberg (4-2-3-1): Kristof (GK) - Keidel, Le Joncour, Pinckert, Mickelson - Poreba, Condé - Zimmerschied, Conté, Petkov - Ebnoutalib 

Hannover 96 (3-4-3): Noll (GK) - Blank, Nawrocki, Ghiță - Matsuda, Aséko Nkili, Leopold, Neubauer - Bundu, Källman, Chakroun 

Preußen Münster vs. Holstein Kiel

Preußen Münster have endured an up-and-down start, sitting 11th on 11 points after ten games. Given preseason expectations of a relegation fight - and a lengthy injury list currently featuring seven senior players - that’s a respectable return.

Last weekend’s 2-0 defeat in Magdeburg was a missed opportunity, however. Alexander Ende’s side once again dominated possession but lacked cutting edge in the final third, a recurring theme that opponents are beginning to exploit.

Holstein Kiel have shared a similar story of inconsistency since returning to the 2. Bundesliga, sitting just one place above their hosts. While an immediate promotion push may have been optimistic, Kiel’s talented squad will feel they should be higher than 10th.

The Storks have drawn their last three league games 1-1, underlining their mid-table status, but arrive with renewed confidence after a surprise 1-0 Pokal victory away at Wolfsburg - Alexander Bernhardsson converting from the spot to seal the upset.

The two clubs haven’t faced each other since 2017, and given their recent history of stalemates - two 0-0 draws and a 1-1 - both will be keen to break that pattern. Kiel’s strong away record, with only two defeats from seven trips this season, suggests they’ll fancy their chances.

Team news: 

Preußen Münster: Etienne Amenyido, Joshua Mees, Simon Scherder, Oscar Vilhelmsson, Luca Bolay, Antonio Tikvic and Marco Meyerhöfer remain injured. Jorrit Hendrix is suspended for yellow card accumulation.Holstein Kiel: Mladen Cvjetinovic, Patrick Erras, Steven Skrzybski and Andu Kelati are all unavailable.Predicted lineups:

Preußen Münster (4-4-2 Diamond): Schenk (GK) - ter Horst, Heuer, Jaeckel, Kirkeskov - Preißinger, Bouchama, Sertdemir, Batista Meier - Lokotsch, Batmaz 

Holstein Kiel (3-4-2-1): Krumrey (GK) - Zec, Johansson, Komenda - Rosenboom, Knudsen, Schwab, Tolkin - Bernhardsson, Therkelsen - Kaprálik