Only victory counts for Arminia

While VfL Bochum can look forward to the last two Bundesliga games with a relaxed mind, Arminia Bielefeld still have to avoid relegation to the second division. At present, the East Westphalians are six points behind the safety of the Bundesliga. Directly staying in the relegation zone is therefore a long way off, especially as no team in the three-point era has managed to make up such a large deficit at such a late stage in the season.

The team of interim coach Marco Kostmann has therefore set itself the relegation place as a goal. Here, the gap to VfB Stuttgart is currently two points. But because the Swabians have to play the record champions in Munich this weekend, Arminia could even put themselves in pole position before the final matchday next weekend. In addition to the support of Bayern, however, this would require a prediction of an away win between Bochum and Bielefeld on Friday evening.

The fact that this undertaking promises to be a complicated one is particularly linked to DSC’s persistent lack of form, which has not only seen them lose six consecutive away games in the top flight, but in general they have not won for almost three months.

Against this backdrop, it is somewhat surprising that relatively high odds are being offered on the hosts in the Bochum vs Bielefeld clash. After all, VfL have been convincing in front of their home crowd on several occasions this season.

Bochum – Statistics & current form

In modern German, one would say that VfL Bochum have secured their place in the league “in style”. Last weekend, the Blue and Whites sensationally beat Borussia Dortmund 4:3 at the Signal Iduna Park and thus increased their points tally to 39. With two matchdays to go, the team is ten points clear of the relegation zone. Few would have expected the promoted team to play such a good role in its first Bundesliga year since 2009/10.

The fact that coach Thomas Reis’ team never had to worry about staying in the relegation zone throughout the entire season was mainly due to the good performances in front of the home crowd. The VfL scored 25 of its 39 points at the Ruhrstadion. Seven of the eleven victories this season were also celebrated in front of their own fans. There were also four draws and five defeats. No other club from the bottom half of the table scored better at home than the promoted side.

Bochum very difficult to crack at home

On a positive note, the Blue and Whites conceded only a third of all goals (16 out of 48) in front of their own fans. Only Union Berlin, Mainz and FC Bayern were more defensively stable at home. Considering that the weakest offensive team in the league now travels to the Reis team, it is justified in our eyes to target the odds on the home win between Bochum and Bielefeld.

The fact that the Bochum side have been winless and goalless in front of their home crowd three times in a row does not change anything. In the last home game of this very successful season, Riemann and Co. want to thank their supporters with a win. If the hosts can build on the performance they showed in the BVB match, the chances are pretty good. With the exception of Stafylidis, who is suspended for a red card, the coach can draw on a full complement of players.

Predicted line-up of Bochum:
Riemann – Gamboa, Bella Kotchap, Leitsch, Danilo Soares – Losilla – Tesche, Rexhbecaj – Asano, Antwi-Adjei – Polter

Last matches played by Bochum:

Bundesliga
30/04/2022 – Borussia Dortmund 3 – 4 VfL Bochum

24/04/2022 – VfL Bochum 0 – 2 Augsburg

16/04/2022 – SC Freiburg 3 – 0 VfL Bochum

10/04/2022 – VfL Bochum 0 – 0 Bayer Leverkusen

02/04/2022 – Hoffenheim 1 – 2 VfL Bochum

Bielefeld – Statistics & current form

The air is getting thinner and thinner in the bottom of the table for Arminia from Bielefeld. It was only thanks to a last-minute goal by Joakim Nilsson to make it 1-1 in the previous week’s home game against Hertha that the East Westphalians still have a chance of staying in the league two matchdays from the end. With a six-point deficit to 15th place and a two-point gap to the relegation places, the current penultimate-placed team still needs an almost perfect final spurt.

Nevertheless, the team, which is coached by Marco Kostmann and Michael Henke after the release of Frank Kramer, has to live with the pressure of being relegated as early as next weekend. If Arminia don’t win and Stuttgart surprisingly score three points at FC Bayern, the team’s slide into the second division would be sealed. Strictly speaking, only a win will help, considering that Leipzig, who are fighting for a place in the Champions League, are coming to the Alm on the last matchday and will certainly not be handing out any presents.

Where will Bielefeld get their confidence from?

The likelihood of a tip on the away treble coming true between Bochum and Bielefeld on Friday night, however, is extremely low. It’s not for nothing that we have already dubbed Arminia the league’s weakest team in terms of form. No other Bundesliga team scored fewer points in the 2022 calendar year than DSC (eleven). Only two wins and five draws were offset by eight defeats. The total of only eleven goals scored is also the lowest in the league.

To make matters worse, only two of the aforementioned eleven points have been earned in the past nine matches. Instead, they have suffered seven defeats in that period since their last win. Three goals of their own since mid-February also underline the offensive harmlessness, which, coupled with the ongoing away misery of six defeats in a row, provides sufficient arguments to refrain from making a prediction on the relegation-threatened guest in the Bochum v Bielefeld match on Friday evening.

The injured Klos and Lasme are still not available. Brunner, on the other hand, could make his comeback to the starting eleven after his cranial trauma. Whether Amos Pieper, who has recently been increasingly linked with his youth club Borussia Dortmund, will be fit in time after muscular problems will be decided in the short term. Instead of Schöpft, Prietl would also be a conceivable alternative for the centre of midfield.

Projected line-up of Bielefeld:
Ortega Moreno – Brunner, Pieper, Nilsson, Laursen – F. Kunze, Schöpf – Okugawa, Castro, Krüger – Wimmer

Last matches of Bielefeld:

Bundesliga
30/04/2022 – Arminia Bielefeld 1 – 1 Hertha BSC

23/04/2022 – 1. FC Köln 3 – 1 Arminia Bielefeld

17/04/2022 – Arminia Bielefeld 0 – 3 Bayern Munich

09/04/2022 – VfL Wolfsburg 4 – 0 Arminia Bielefeld

02/04/2022 – Arminia Bielefeld 1 – 1 VfB Stuttgart

Bochum – Bielefeld Direct Comparison / H2H Balance

The clash of these two clubs from the west of the republic, which are also often referred to as lift teams, will take place for the 30th time in Germany’s top division on Friday evening. Bochum currently lead the direct comparison with twelve wins compared to eight draws and nine defeats.

However, VfL have only won one of their last twelve competitive matches. The two most recent games, in which Thomas Reis has taken a seat on the Bochum bench, both ended with 2-0 victories for Arminia. In the first leg, Okugawa and Wimmer scored for a not undeserved three-goal home win.

Bochum – Bielefeld Tip

Both Hertha and Stuttgart will be looking forward to Bochum on Friday evening. The Ruhrstadion will be the venue for the eagerly awaited clash between Bochum and Bielefeld. According to the betting odds, the home side has the better chance of winning the match. At first glance, however, the odds seem to be somewhat understated.

Perhaps the bookmakers are blinded by the fact that nothing is at stake for VfL. After three home games in a row without a win, the Reis team has set itself the goal of saying goodbye to its fans with a win in its last match in front of its home crowd. The pressure is clearly on the shoulders of the East Westphalians, who could be relegated on Sunday if Stuttgart win at FC Bayern.

Again, the visitors, who have lost six in a row away from home, have not won any of their last nine league games and have only scored three goals of their own, will be forced to take more risks than they have for much of the season. The Kostmann team should not rely on next weekend’s final league match against RB Leipzig.