2. Bundesliga Sunday Konferenz preview | OneFootball

1. FC Nürnberg vs. Greuther Fürth

Nürnberg enter the derby in encouraging form. After a disastrous start that saw Miroslav Klose’s position questioned more than once, his side have lost just one of their last seven league games and climbed to 10th in the table.

That solitary defeat came last weekend in Magdeburg, where a flat performance resulted in a 3-0 loss. Nürnberg struggled to build any momentum and managed only a single shot on target, but the derby presents the perfect opportunity to issue an immediate response.

Fürth, meanwhile, are sinking deeper into trouble. One win from their last nine league fixtures has dragged them into the relegation zone, and their defensive record is the worst in the division. The club acted during the week by parting ways with Thomas Kleine and handing the reins to Heiko Vogel, who now faces the daunting task of stabilising the team.

Last week’s 3-0 home defeat to Bochum proved to be the last straw for Kleine. Fürth found themselves three goals down inside 20 minutes, with confidence seemingly evaporated. Vogel now has the chance to introduce himself in the best possible way by securing Fürth’s first derby win since February 2024.

Nürnberg dominated both meetings last season, winning 7-0 on aggregate. Fürth have not won at the Max-Morlock-Stadion since 2020 and have failed to pick up a single away point since September.

Team news: 

Nürnberg: A late decision is expected to be made on Adam Markhiyev, while long term absentees Henri Koudossou and Erik Grzywacz remain unavailable. Rafael Lubach is suspended. 

Fürth: David Abrangao, Marco John, Brynjar Ingi Bjarnason, Noah König and Sacha Bansé are all unavailable. 

Predicted lineups: 

Nürnberg (4-3-3): Reichert (GK) - Janisch, Gruber, Lochoshvili, Yilmaz - Baack, Becker, Diop - Justvan, Stepanov, Zoma 

Fürth (3-4-2-1): Schlieck (GK) - Münz, Ziereis, Itter - Reich, Dietz, Green, Keller - Hrgota, Klaus - Futkeu 

Hertha BSC vs. 1. FC Magdeburg

Hertha approach Sunday as the league’s in-form side, riding a wave of confidence after seven consecutive wins in all competitions. Stefan Leitl’s men have climbed to sixth, only three points off second place.

Their momentum continued last weekend with a 1-0 win away at Kiel, followed by a resounding 6-1 victory over Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal, keeping spirits high in the capital.

Magdeburg, by contrast, have been rooted to the bottom for much of the season. After the dismissal of Markus Fiedler, Petrik Sander took charge and has won only two of his first seven matches. There are, however, signs of life. Last week’s 3-0 home win over Nürnberg narrowed the gap to the teams above and marked their third league victory of the season.

FCM travelled to Leipzig in midweek for their Pokal tie, ultimately losing 3-1. The early exit may prove beneficial, with survival in the 2. Bundesliga clearly the priority.

Hertha have won two of the four competitive meetings between the clubs and collected four points last season. Magdeburg have never won at the Olympiastadion, though Sander himself boasts a perfect record against Hertha with three wins from three attempts.

Team news: 

Hertha: John Brooks and Leon Jensen remain sidelined. 

Magdeburg: Samuel Loric, Jean Hugonet, Daniel Heber, Alexander Ahl-Holmström, Luka Hyryläinen, and Connor Krempicki will be unavailable. Marcus Mathisen will also be suspended due to his fifth yellow card.

Predicted lineups: 

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

Magdeburg (4-3-3): Reimann (GK) - Hercher, Müller, Geschwill, Musonda - Michel, Gnaka, Ulrich - Nollenberger, Zukowski, Atik 

Eintracht Braunschweig vs. Holstein Kiel

After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, Braunschweig once again find themselves battling at the bottom. Heiner Backhaus’ side sit 16th, with only one win from their last five matches.

That victory came last weekend in a convincing 2-0 home win over Kaiserslautern. Die Löwen looked nothing like a relegation candidate, dominating from the first whistle and earning a deserved three points through goals from Max Marie and Erencan Yardımcı.

Aside from their cup exploits Kiel are undergoing a rather poor season on their return to the Zweite Liga. After sitting in mid-table for much of the campaign so far, one win in their last eight league games has seen them slip to 13th in the table, just two points clear of the relegation zone. 

They fell 1-0 at home to Hertha last weekend but responded by producing yet another cup upset. Phil Harres’ 118th-minute equaliser forced penalties away to HSV before he converted the decisive spot-kick to send Kiel through to the quarterfinals.

Braunschweig won the most recent competitive meeting in 2024. Kiel’s last win at the Eintracht-Stadion came on the opening weekend of the 2023/24 season during their promotion push.

Team news: 

Braunschweig: Fredrik Jäkel, Lino Tempelmann and Florian Flick are unavailable. 

Kiel: Patrick Erras, Steven Skrzybski, Andu Kelati and Carl Johansson are all sidelined. 

Predicted lineups: 

Braunschweig (3-5-2): Hoffmann (GK) - Ehlers, Nkoa, Frenkert - Gomez, Köhler, Bell Bell, Heußer, Marie - Conte, Yardımcı 

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