2. Bundesliga preview: Eintracht Braunschweig vs. Fortuna Düsseldorf | OneFootball

With the hosts searching for a new-manager bounce against a resurgent Fortuna side, Saturday’s clash promises to be an intriguing encounter as Lars Kornetka’s refreshed Braunschweig take on Markus Anfang’s Düsseldorf.

Braunschweig’s form has dipped at a crucial stage of the campaign, leaving them walking a fine line above the relegation zone. The club’s hierarchy responded to a five-game winless run by dismissing Heiner Backhaus, with the team sitting 15th in the table and just one point clear of the automatic drop zone. Austrian national team assistant coach Lars Kornetka has since been appointed as his successor.

Backhaus’ final match in charge ended in a 1-1 draw away to promotion-chasing Paderborn. While a point on the road might appear respectable, conceding an equaliser in the 98th minute proved a bitter blow, with the sense of two points lost in their survival fight ultimately prompting the club to make a change in the dugout.

Düsseldorf, meanwhile, appear to be reaping the rewards of Markus Anfang’s work as they gradually pull away from danger. Back-to-back victories have lifted Fortuna to 10th place, giving them a six-point cushion above the automatic relegation places.

Fortuna recorded a 1-0 victory away to Nürnberg last time out and were arguably the better side throughout. Despite the narrow scoreline, Anfang’s men created the clearer opportunities and could easily have extended their lead before the final whistle. Shinta Appelkamp’s strike in the 53rd minute ultimately proved enough to secure all three points.

Team news

Eintracht Braunschweig: Ron-Thorben Hoffmann, Frederik Jäkel and Lino Tempelmann miss out due to injury. Patrick Nkoa is suspended. 

Fortuna Düsseldorf: Fortuna travel without Jordy de Wijs, Hamza Anhari, Kenneth Schmidt, Christian Rasmussen, Tim Rossmann, Christopher Lenz and Florian Kastenmeier. Valgeir Lunddal and Julian Hettwer have returned to training but are not expected to be available for Saturday’s match.

H-2-H record

Braunschweig won the reverse fixture 2-1 back in October - coincidentally Markus Anfang’s first match in charge of Fortuna - though Düsseldorf have won three of the last five meetings between the sides.

Fortuna have managed just one win from their last eight away league matches, while Anfang has won four of his eight managerial encounters with Braunschweig.

Predicted lineups

Eintracht Braunschweig (4-3-2-1): Kastrati (GK) - Gomez, Ehlers, Frenkert, Bell Bell - Flick, Aydin, Marie - Opoku, Mijatović - Yardimci 

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