2. Bundesliga Saturday Konferenz preview | OneFootball

Hertha BSC vs. Hannover 96

Hertha steadied the ship last weekend with a commanding 3-0 win away at Elversberg, ending a frustrating run of five consecutive draws. Goals from Pascal Klemens, Luca Schuler and Toni Leistner lifted Die Alte Dame to sixth on 34 points - now just five adrift of the top three.

However, their week did not end there. A gruelling DFB-Pokal quarter-final against Bundesliga side Freiburg went the distance at the Olympiastadion, finishing 1-1 after 120 minutes before Hertha were eliminated on penalties. The physical toll of that tie could be significant, and they will also be without head coach Stefan Leitl on the touchline due to suspension - adding another layer of complexity against his former club.

Hannover, meanwhile, arrive in excellent form. Three straight league victories have reignited their promotion push, leaving them fifth on 38 points - just one point shy of the play-off places. Last weekend’s 3-1 home win over Holstein Kiel was particularly impressive, with Benjamin Källman continuing his hot streak alongside goals from Noel Aséko-Nkili and January addition Stefan Teitur Thordarson.

The reverse fixture on matchday five saw Hertha stun Hannover 3-0 - their first win of the campaign at the time. Christian Titz has beaten Hertha just once in six attempts, and his personal record against Leitl is similarly modest with one victory in seven attempts. 

Team news: 

Hertha BSC: Kennet Eichhorn, Deyovaisio Zeefuik, Maurice Krattenmacher, Niklas Kolbe and Diego Demme are unavailable due to injury. Dawid Kownacki is suspended. 

Hannover 96: Husseyn Chakround and Benedikt Pichler are expected to miss out. 

Predicted lineups: 

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

Hannover 96 (3-4-2-1): Noll (GK) - Nawrocki, Tomiak, Ghiță - Leopold, Neubauer, Aséko-Nkili, Oudenne - Yokota, Saad - Källman 

Eintracht Braunschweig vs. SV Darmstadt 98

Braunschweig’s recent upturn has provided breathing space in the relegation battle. Just two defeats in their last eight league matches have lifted them to 14th, two points clear of the bottom three.

That said, last weekend’s 3-2 defeat at fellow strugglers Arminia Bielefeld was a setback. After overturning an early deficit in a chaotic first half, Heiner Backhaus’ side conceded twice to slump to their 11th loss of the season - a reminder that defensive frailties remain.

Darmstadt, by contrast, are the division’s benchmark. Florian Kohfeldt’s men are unbeaten in 12 league games stretching back to October and sit top of the table, one point clear of Schalke.

Their 4-0 dismantling of Kaiserslautern in last weekend’s Topspiel sent a statement to the rest of the league. Fraser Hornby set the tone early before Fynn Lakenmacher, Kai Klefisch and Luca Marseiler added gloss to a dominant display at the Böllenfalltor.

Darmstadt edged the reverse fixture 2-1 earlier this season and have not lost away from home in the league since October - a daunting statistic for a Braunschweig side still seeking consistency.

Team news: 

Eintracht Braunschweig: Lino Tempelmann and Fredrik Jäkel are unavailable. 

SV Darmstadt 98: Matthias Bader and Bartosz Bialek will miss out.

Predicted lineups: 

Eintracht Braunschweig (3-4-2-1): Hoffmann (GK) - Ehlers, Nkoa, Frenkert - Opoku, Aydin, Marie, Di Michele Sanchez - Heußer, Sané - Yardımcı 

SV Darmstadt 98 (4-2-3-1): Schuhen (GK) - López, Pfeiffer, Maglica, Nürnberger - Klefisch, Akiyama - Marseiler, Hornby, Richter - Lidberg 

1. FC Kaiserslautern vs. Greuther Fürth

Kaiserslautern’s momentum has stalled at a crucial stage. After opening the year with victory, they have since taken just one point from three matches, slipping to seventh and now eight points adrift of the top three. Another setback here would risk seeing them cut loose from the promotion race.

Last weekend’s 4-0 humbling at Darmstadt exposed clear vulnerabilities. Lautern conceded early and rarely looked capable of mounting a response, raising serious questions about their promotion credentials.

Fürth’s predicament is even more severe. Rooted to the foot of the table, they have managed just one win in nine and sit four points from safety. Heiko Vogel’s arrival has yet to spark the desired turnaround.

The 5-4 defeat to Magdeburg last weekend summed up their season: chaotic, entertaining - but ultimately costly. Despite battling back from 5-1 down, Fürth’s league-worst defence conceded five yet again, bringing their tally to 52 goals allowed in just 21 matches. Defensive improvement is non-negotiable if survival is to remain realistic.

Kaiserslautern have already beaten Fürth twice this season - once in the league and once in the DFB-Pokal - and will see this as an opportunity to reassert themselves.

Team news: 

1. FC Kaiserslautern: Ivan Prtajin and Mahir Emreli are unavailable due to injury while Fabian Kunze is suspended. 

Greuther Fürth: Felix Klaus, Julian Green, Timo Schlieck, David Abrangao, Gian-Luca Itter and Sacha Bansé are unavailable. 

Predicted lineups: 

1. FC Kaiserslautern (3-4-2-1): Krahl (GK) - Chernev, Sirch, Rasmussen - Asta, Sahin, Robinson, Haas - Skyttä, Ritter - Bassette 

Greuther Fürth (3-4-1-2): Prüfrock (GK) - Elvedi, Ziereis, Münz - Reich, Arifi, Will, Keller - Hrgota - Futkeu, Ltaief