2. Bundesliga Saturday Konferenz preview | OneFootball

Karlsruher SC vs. Hertha BSC

Karlsruher SC come into Saturday’s ‘Freundschaftsspiel’ riding a wave of renewed momentum after finally bringing an end to their six-game winless run away in Münster last weekend. Christian Eichner’s side claimed a 2-0 victory at the Preußenstadion thanks to a brace from the ever-reliable Marvin Wanitzek, lifting KSC up to ninth in the table.

Despite that morale-boosting win, Karlsruher continue to contend with an ongoing injury crisis at centre-back, with all three of their main options sidelined. While far from ideal, it has opened the door for younger players, most notably 19-year-old Paul Scholl, who made his second consecutive start last weekend and looked composed alongside Marcel Franke.

Eichner is under no illusions about the importance of the occasion:

“Despite all the joy and camaraderie, it’s a second division match for us, and we need absolute sharpness and hunger for the full 90 minutes.”  

Hertha BSC’s frustrating run of form continued last weekend, albeit against league leaders Schalke in a match they largely controlled and arguably should have won. Poor finishing, combined with an inspired performance from Loris Karius, meant Die Alte Dame were forced to settle for a draw, extending their winless run to four matches and leaving them seventh in the table, five points off the automatic promotion places.

To compound matters, Hertha suffered a number of injury setbacks against Schalke, including Maurice Krattenmacher and highly rated 16-year-old midfielder Kennet Eichhorn, who has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign and played a key role in the capital club’s season so far. Eichhorn’s injury in particular has sparked talk of a midfield reinforcement, suggesting a lengthy absence is anticipated.

Stefan Leitl has made it clear that sentiment will play no role this weekend:

"This will be my first time there with Hertha, and I'm curious about the atmosphere myself. But the fact is, we're going to Karlsruhe to win," 

The reverse fixture finished goalless on matchday two at the Olympiastadion, while Hertha’s last victory in Karlsruhe came back in October 2024. Leitl and Eichner have crossed paths ten times previously, with Leitl holding a slight edge - four wins, three defeats, and three draws.

Team news: 

Karlsruher SC: Nicolai Rapp, Marcel Beifus and Christoph Kobald are all unavailable. 

Hertha BSC: Kennet Eichhorn, Maurice Krattenmacher, Leon Jensen, Niklas Kolbe, Diego Demme and John Brooks are all sidelined. Fabian Reese and Tjark Ernst are expected to return to the starting XI after recovering from infection.

Predicted lineups: 

Karlsruher SC (4-2-2-2): Bernat (GK) - Jung, Scholl, Franke, Herold - Burnic, Müller - Förster, Wanitzek - Ben Farhat, Schleusener 

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

Hannover 96 vs. Fortuna Düsseldorf

Hannover 96 are experiencing their first genuine rough patch of the season under Christian Titz, having now gone four matches without a win. A 3-1 defeat away to Kaiserslautern last time out marked a second consecutive loss and saw Hannover lose further ground in the promotion race, leaving them sixth in the table.

Titz has urged his side to respond swiftly:

“Of course, when we lose, the players aren't laughing nearly as much. We're processing it, and it's important that we maintain our focus so that a defeat doesn't bother us for too long.”

Fortuna Düsseldorf, meanwhile, claimed back-to-back league victories for the first time this season last weekend with a narrow 1-0 home win over fellow strugglers Arminia Bielefeld. Despite that improvement, Markus Anfang’s side remain 14th, just one point above the relegation play-off spot, underlining the work still ahead.

Anfang has highlighted his side’s need to be more clinical:

“The positive thing is that the team is able to create chances from open play. We have to maintain that. However, our finishing can be significantly improved. The lads are working on it – and I'm convinced that at some point they'll break through.” 

Hannover claimed a 2-0 win in the reverse fixture at the Merkur Spiel-Arena on matchday two, while Düsseldorf have not won at the Heinz-von-Heiden-Arena since 2018. Anfang is also still searching for his first victory over Titz, having failed to win either of their previous two meetings.

Team news: 

Hannover 96: Husseyn Chakroun, Hayate Matsuda and Mustaphu Bundu remain unavailable, while Waniss Taïbi is suspended.

Fortuna Düsseldorf: Julian Hettwer, Tim Rossmann and Florian Schock are all ruled out. Valgeir Lunddal is a doubt, but Jesper Daland returns following suspension.

Predicted lineups: 

Hannover 96 (3-4-3): Noll (GK) - Ghiță, Tomiak, Allgeier - Leopold, Neubauer, Aséko Nkili, Oudenne - Yokota, Pichler, Weißhaupt 

Fortuna Düsseldorf (3-4-2-1): Kastenmeier (GK) - Oberdorf, Egouli, Daland - Iyoha, Tanaka, El Azzouzi, Muslija - Rasmussen, Suso - Itten 

Greuther Fürth vs. Eintracht Braunschweig

Greuther Fürth find themselves deep in trouble as the season progresses. Since parting ways with Thomas Kleine, Heiko Vogel’s side have collected just two points from his first four matches in charge, leaving the Kleeblatt rooted to the bottom of the table and five points adrift of safety.

A worrying 2-0 defeat away to relegation rivals Dresden last time out only added to their woes, with Fürth failing to register a single shot on target while once again exposing the league’s leakiest defence. The pressure does not ease, however, as 15th-placed Braunschweig visit the Sportpark Ronhof - victory here would cut the gap to their visitors to just two points.

Braunschweig themselves have spent much of the campaign hovering around the relegation zone, though recent form had offered encouragement with just one defeat in their previous five matches. Unfortunately for Heiner Backhaus’ side, that lone loss came last weekend in emphatic fashion, as they opened the year with a heavy 3-0 home defeat to Magdeburg.

Backhaus has promised a response:

“What we offered in that game wasn’t up to second-division standards. Period. That was obviously also due to the very good FCM, but we lacked energy in all phases of the game. We addressed that very clearly. It was primarily about sharpness and energy; we depend on that completely. I think we’ll see a different Eintracht this weekend.”

Braunschweig edged a five-goal thriller in the reverse fixture earlier this season, winning 3-2 at the Eintracht-Stadion, although they have not tasted victory in Fürth since 2015.

Team news: 

Greuther Fürth: Julian Green, Felix Klaus and Jomaine Consbruch are unavailable, along with long-term absentees Sacha Bansé, Marco John, Noah König and David Abrangao. New signing Paul Will is expected to feature immediately.

Eintracht Braunschweig: Lino Tempelmann and Fredrik Jäkel are unavailable. 

Predicted lineups: 

Greuther Fürth (4-4-2): Schlieck (GK) - Reich, Bjarnason, Münz, Itter - Keller, Arifi, Will, Dardari - Hrgota, Futkeu 

Eintracht Braunschweig (3-4-2-1): Hoffmann (GK) - Frenkert, Nkoa, Köhler - Aydin, Flick, Marie, Di Michele Sanchez - Alidou, Heußer - Yardımcı