2. Bundesliga Preview: Sunday Konferenz | OneFootball

Four of the top five teams in 2. Bundesliga will be in action on Sunday this weekend. The league leaders Schalke and Elversberg have home games as they continue their bid to stay in automatic promotion spots at the end of the season.

FC Schalke 04 vs. 1. FC Kaiserslautern

This week’s biggest news in German football was Edin Džeko’s unexpected move to Schalke. The transfer already exceeded expectations off the pitch with the kit sales, and the Bosnian striker could make his debut on Sunday at home against fellow promotion hopefuls Kaiserslautern.

Kaiserslautern are eight points off the league leaders, but they’ve scored ten more goals than Miron Muslić’s side in the first 18 matchdays. The 2009-10 Bundesliga top-scorer returned to Germany with Schalke looking to bolster the attacking line.

The visitors ended 2025 with a poor record, but they returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory against Hannover last week. They’re only four points adrift of an automatic promotion place before the start of the matchday.

Team News

Džeko, who only started twice for Fiorentina in Serie A, is expected to start his Schalke debut on the bench. 20-year-old wingback Vitalie Becker will miss the game due to injury. As for Kaiserslautern, there are no new injury concerns after their win over Hannover.

Predicted Lineups

Schalke: Karius - T. Becker, Katic, Kurucay; Wallentowitz, El-Faouzi, Schallenberg, Porath; Younes, Karaman - Sylla

Kaiserslautern: Krahl; Sirch, Gyamfi, Robinson; Joly, Kunze, Sahin, Haas; Skyttä, Ritter ©; Bassette

SV Elversberg vs. VfL Bochum

Second-placed Elversberg only picked up a single point from their last two games against Preußen Münster and Nürnberg. With the mid-season departure of Younes Ebnoutalib, Vincent Wagner’s side have to continue their promotion fight without their top-scorer.

The defeat to Miroslav Klose’s team was only their fourth this season. Bochum were one of those to beat the overachievers when last season’s Bundesliga club won their first home game of the campaign. Including their 3-3 draw with Darmstadt to start the new year, Bochum drew each of their last three games.

Team News

Luca Pfeiffer and Luis Seifert, who both are yet to feature for the club since joining Elversberg in the summer, are the only absentees for the hosts. Bochum’s captain Matúš Bero and striker Ibrahim Sissoko will not be part of the traveling squad for the visitors.

Predicted Lineups

Elversberg: Kristof; Gyamerah, Pinckert ©, Rohr, Günther; Schmahl, Poreba; Petkov, Conté, Zimmerschied; Mokwa

Bochum: Horn ©; Morgalla, Loosli, Strompf, Wittek; Lenz, Pannewig; Kwarteng, Onyeka, Alfa-Ruprecht; Hofmann

SC Paderborn vs. Preußen Münster

After a club-record eight-game winning streak, Paderborn only managed to collect four points from the last six matches. Ralf Kettemann’s side lost their opening fixture of the new year away at Holstein Kiel.

Preußen Münster also started 2026 with a 2-0 defeat to Karlsruhe on matchday 18. The two teams are only separated by two points in the standings as the fight for survival currently involves half of the clubs in the divisions.

Team News

Calvin Brackelmann will be absent from Paderborn’s squad due to concussion protocol. Joshua Mees suffered another injury setback in the home defeat to Karlsruhe.

Predicted Lineups

Paderborn: Seimen; Götze ©, Scheller, Hansen; Curda, Baur, Klaas, Obermair; Michel, Tigges, Bilbija

Münster: Schenk; ter Horst, Heuer, Paetow, Kirkeskov; Benger; Bouchama, Hendrix ©; Sertdemir; Amenyido, Batista Meier