Will Hannover remain winless away from home?
That the relegation battle would take place in Kiel on matchday seven of the 2. Bundesliga was not necessarily to be expected before the season. But both the Störche and the 96ers have had a difficult start to the new season. In the meantime, things are going much better for both teams and the first points have been recorded on the credit side. Both teams need a win on Saturday in order not to let the gap to the top group grow too far
After missing out on promotion to the Bundesliga, the Holstein side had to let one or two of their regulars go in the summer, but the basic structure of the squad was retained and supplemented by experienced players. The situation is completely different in Lower Saxony, where everything was put to the test after an unsuccessful season and a few things were changed. The new strong man on the line is now Jan Zimmermann.
Both teams are certainly not among the closest favourites this season when it comes to promotion to the Bundesliga, but at least in the relegation battle we expect neither KSV nor the Reds. For the duel Kiel vs Hannover, the odds this weekend see the home side in front. The bookmakers are offering an attractive 2.35 for a bet on the Blue-White-Red.
Germany Kiel – Statistics & current form
After missing out on promotion to the Bundesliga, the Störche lost three regulars in the summer with Lee, Serra and Meffert. The gaps were filled with targeted new purchases and the Holstein team started the new season with a squad that was actually well-rehearsed. After an arduous start, KSV is slowly getting into its stride.
The North Germans have collected five points from their first six games so far, which currently puts them in fifteenth place in the standings. This puts the Blue-White-Red just above the bottom of the league. They are just two points ahead of last-place Aue. The gap to the top places has already grown to six points and head coach Ole Werner’s team must be careful not to miss the train to the top early on.
Kiel started the season with three defeats
In the first games, not much was going right. They started the new season with three defeats at St. Pauli (0:3), against Schalke (0:3) and against Regensburg (0:3). KSV also struggled through to the next round in the cup, winning 4:2 after extra time against regional league team Weiche Flensburg.
But in the meantime, the Störche have been unbeaten for three games. In Düsseldorf and at KSC, they managed to share the points and Aue were sent back to the Erzgebirge with a 3:0 win.
This series should now continue against the 96ers and the betting providers are making a positive prediction in favour of the hosts in the Kiel vs Hannover match.
KSV must become more stable defensively
The biggest handicap for the home side at the moment is their defence. With captain Wahl, Neumann and Lorenz, Ole Werner actually has a well-rehearsed defensive line together, but with thirteen goals conceded, KSV delivers the second-worst value in the league The offense has scored seven goals in the last three duels and is now in good form.
With the injured Arslan, Fridjonsson, Holtby, Korb, Skrzybski and Komenda, Coach Werner has several players unavailable.
Predicted line-up of Kiel:
Gelios – Neumann, Wahl, Lorenz, van den Bergh – Benger – Mühling, Bartels – Porath, Pichler, Reese
Last matches played by Kiel:
Germany Hannover – Statistics & current form
After a more than disappointing last season, everything was set to zero at the 96ers in the summer and every position was questioned. With Kenan Kocak and Gerhard Zuber, the entire sporting management was released. The new man on the sidelines is Jan Zimmermann, who moved to the Leine from TSV Havelse. He is to lead H96 through what is expected to be a difficult year.
The start into the new season was very difficult. In the first three games, the Reds picked up just one measly point. After the point in Bremen, they lost against Rostock (0:3) and in Dresden (0:2). But things got better after that, at least at home in the HDI Arena, with narrow 1-0 victories against St. Pauli and Heidenheim.
Hannover are only just ahead of their upcoming opponents
This puts Coach Zimmermann’s boys in fourteenth place in the table with seven points. They are two points ahead of their upcoming opponents from Kiel and three points ahead of the first relegation spot. A win on Saturday would give the Lower Saxons some breathing space in the bottom of the table.
There was a lot of bloodletting in the summer. Marvin Ducksch, the club’s top scorer, left for Bremen. The heart of the team Haraguchi and the defensive strategists Hübers and Falette were also not kept. Work enough for the new coach to form a new team.
The 96ers are still without a win in an away game
The biggest deficit so far has certainly been the performances away from home. Only one meagre point has been scored on the opponent’s pitch and keeper Zieler has already conceded seven goals in these games. Accordingly, the visitors will be the underdogs on Saturday
With the three goals they have scored so far, the Black-White-Greens have the second-worst offence in the league. Only Erzgebirge Aue have been even less successful.
Predicted line-up of Hannover:
Zieler – Dehm, Franke, Börner, Hult – Ondoua – Ernst – Beier, Kerk, Maina – Hinterseer
Last matches played by Hannover:
Kiel – Hannover Direct comparison / H2H-Balance
The Störche have met the 96ers four times so far. Both teams have two victories to their credit and also one home and one away win each. A direct comparison could hardly be more balanced. Last season, the six points went to the far north. The hosts won both in the HDI Arena (3:0) and in the Holstein Stadium (1:0).
The bookmakers are expecting a close game. All forecasts point to this in the match between Kiel and Hannover. In three of the four direct duels, at least three goals were scored. Can the fans also look forward to a few goals on Saturday? The odds of 1.74 for a match with at least three goals suggest so.
United Kingdom Kiel – Hannover United Kingdom Tip
Two teams that have started the season with great difficulties will meet on Saturday. In this basement duel, both teams are looking to take the next step out of the bottom third of the table The bookmakers see the hosts at an advantage here and offer odds of 2.35 for bets on the home side in the match between Kiel and Hannover.
After a series of three games without defeat, they are equipped with a lot of self-confidence and do not want to let this series break this Saturday. The guests, on the other hand, have freed themselves from the bottom of the table with two narrow home victories and will be looking to defend their position in front of the Sturgeons.
The last away games of the Lower Saxons were not crowned with success. Only one goal was scored on the opponent’s pitch. We are therefore leaning towards Ole Werner’s team and recommend betting on the hosts in the Kiel vs Hannover match at odds of 2.35 at the top.
We do not expect a goal spectacle, so that in the match Kiel vs. Hannover, at betting odds of 2.20 at the top, the bet on a duel with less than 2.5 goals can be risked with a small stake.