TFT Issue 3244!

Jahn Regensburg vs Eintracht Braunschweig  

KO: 17:30  (UK time)

This season, Jahn Regensburg remind me a bit of Greuther Furth. They’re very midfield-heavy but surprisingly organised too, capable of frustrating teams. I do have concerns over them in terms of having a striker to put the ball in the net on a consistent basis, but Albers wins most things in the air, and he scored a decent amount last season. This season, with the support he now has, he should be able to score even more, the big Dane. 

It’s the Jahn Regensburg midfield that floats my boat though. This team possessing industrious players is not anything new. However, this team possessing good Bundesliga 2 players is slightly less common – but they’ve done it this season. George’s quality is well-known at this level, but has been out injured this season – until now. He’s back today, and he is largely responsible for everything creative that happens. Indeed, I’d love to see the statistics as to how many penalties Besuschkow bagged last season because George was chopped!  

They’ve since added Moritz to their squad though, which I find really interesting. I’m not sure why he would want to play for this club, or why other clubs at this level forgot how good he was for Kaiserslautern at this level a few years back, but their loss is Jahn Regensburg’s gain. Now they’ve got two very good match-winners from midfield, and two very good support attacks in Besuschkow and Vrenezi. There’s plenty with Jahn Regensburg to work with in the final third, basically. I think they’re in a good position to now overload teams, not only increasing their chances of scoring, but also pushing teams away from their defence. It’s an encouraging and intelligent setup, and one that they’ve used to good effect so far this season. I can see them doing well tonight too. 

Helpfully, newly-promoted Eintracht Braunschweig still look a bit lost to me. I had high hopes for them after watching their demolition job of fellow eastern German outfit Hertha Berlin in the DFB Pokal, but I’ve been disappointed with what I’ve seen since. Their goal threat – despite Abdulahi’s promising start – looks poor. Should be it be considered that much of a surprise, though? Poland’s Kobylanski, after single-handedly carrying them to promotion last season, has stayed. However, they’ve not done enough to stop that over-reliance on him. Subsequently, they’ve proven to be a bit too predictable this season, Eintracht Braunschweig. 

There’s a chance that their win against VfL Bochum last time out might have lifted their spirits enough to make this game quite interesting, I suppose. Eintracht Braunschweig, no matter what division they’re in, never seem to be short of belief. I’ll give them that much. They’re certainly not a crap team. However, they look just a bit too plain and predictable in attack for now. I think that’s a problem in a high-scoring Bundesliga 2 anyway, but I think it’s an even bigger problem against a team that is doing rather well at restricting the chances created by other teams right now. 

Therefore, I’m going to tentatively side with the home team here in what should be a tight but ultimately satisfying affair. 

Verdict: Jahn Regensburg to win at evens. 

Nurnberg vs Karlsruher SC 

KO: 17:30  (UK time)

The difference between Karlsruher SC with Hofmann, and Karlsruher SC without Hofmann, is gargantuan. At the start of the season, when the big man was injured, Karlsruher SC looked like they had no idea how to get to goal, let alone score. Then, in his second game back from injury, his team win 3-0 against a seriously good SV Sandhausen team. It’s hard to say that Hofmann carries this team, and I don’t think it’d be fair to, either. However, he’s the one that glues it all together with his aerial prowess, both scoring goals and creating chances, and his presence clearly boosts the performance of those around him too. His presence on the pitch tonight should help them too. 

Although a bigger name than their hosts, Karlsruher SC enter this game as underdogs, and rightly so. Nurnberg already had a good squad last season (not that they showed it) and now it’s even better, despite Misidjan getting injured…again. Nurnberg are dark horses this season because of who they’ve brought in, and should be able to win games of this nature. Still, I would advise caution on that front because most Bundesliga 2 teams can beat one another on their day, and that’s no different here. Nurnberg, for all of their newfound quality, are not particularly unified just yet. They are the better team, yes, but let’s just say I wouldn’t exactly gasp in amazement if the visitors got something from this game. 

Karlsruher SC are not as good as their hosts; that much is true. However, they do have a lot more togetherness, and that makes such a difference. As limited as they unquestionably are on the quality front, they do find ways to make it work, Karlsruher SC. They always seem to have goals in them, and despite conceding fairly regularly, they never seem to be out of games. I think that boss Eichner deserves a lot of credit for what he’s done with the team, really. I mean, I appreciate that neither are at their best right now, but merely being able to bring in the likes of Djuricin and Gueye tells you how the project has progressed, and how much hope there is going forward. 

So, yes – Karlsruher SC are annoying to beat despite not being especially good. I don’t need to tell Nurnberg that, mind you – they almost never beat Karlsruher SC at home, no matter what competition or what year it is. I do think that this is the strongest Nurnberg side I’ve seen since they were a staple part of the Bundesliga, but I’m yet to be fully convinced that they’ve got the mental strength that a Hofmann-led Karlsruher SC have, and that’s why I am not going to back the home win here. 

Still, it cannot be denied that the Nurnberg attack is now very, very good. On his debut, target man Schaffler scored and helped his side almost win in Hamburg against St. Pauli. But for a late equaliser, he would have done so. He’s proven his worth at this level with a far lesser team than Nurnberg, and should do well in their promotion push this season, especially with ample support from Dovedan, Singh, and Hack. There are plenty of goals in this setup, and based on their defending so far this season, there’ll need to be! I’m sure Handwerker and Sorensen will iron things out in due course but for now, they just don’t look capable of keeping teams out, which makes them an over 2.5 goals team. 

Karlsruher SC are not the kind of outfit to shy away from such challenges. I expect them to rise to it, and whichever way the game ends up going, backing over 2.5 goals at 19/20 simply makes sense here. 

Verdict: Over 2.5 goals at 19/20. 

Lyngby vs OB 

KO: 18:00  (UK time)

Trusting OB is…hard. Really hard, actually. I secretly despise myself for doing it here, actually. However, given just how bad Lyngby are, and how bad they’ve been for a long time now, backing OB here is something I can’t really justify avoiding. 

Besides, I’ll OB their dues – they did play well against FC Midtjylland. They gave it a good shot, playing boldly against a superior attacking team, and took the lead through Sabbi in the first-half. FC Midtjylland aren’t the best side in Denmark for no reason, though – they’ve got depth, resourcefulness, and thus they turned things around to win 3-1. OB played better than I thought they would though, and that in itself is encouraging enough. 

Helpfully, OB are without less players than usual here, although I cannot deny that the absence of star Tunisian attacker Jebali does weigh on my mind. Against a better team – particularly as Lieder is out too – I would not trust OB here. Still, Sabbi has been playing well, Drachmann is finally in line to make his first appearance of the season, and towering Okosun has debutised so they’re in reasonable nick, OB. Again, this is not a team that I tend to trust very much, but there are things that they do well, which should, in theory, prove to be more decisive here than their vulnerabilities. 

I’m talking about their attacking flair, of course. Obviously Jebali is the top dog in Odense, but it’s OB’s mobility and cohesion in the final third that has convinced me to back them here. They seldom struggle to score goals against Lyngby anyway, but with Thrandarson finally beginning to show what he’s capable of in flashes, fellow countryman Gudjohnsen leading the line well, Sabbi drifting with his natural raw pace, and the youthful energy of Fenger, they’ve got enough to hurt their hosts here, even with Opondo sitting this game out. Drachmann’s return is big; he’ll help stem the tide of attacks against their back four, and OB’s defending is generally awful. That’s why they’ve been shipping so many lately – playing without Drachmann is a big ‘no’ for the Odense outfit. Still, he’s back here, so they should control the game better, and they’ve got enough in the final third to hurt Lyngby. 

Lyngby recently acquired big Brondby defender Gammelby, which I class as a good signing for them. I don’t really see it changing too much for them, though. They don’t concede goals because they lose too many aerial duels. They concede goals because they’re always on the offensive, and they’re not good enough to score enough goals to counter the amount of goals that they concede. Lyngby never quite seem to grasp the finite balance of playing such a way, and although I have a great deal of respect for their boldness, not to mention their work-rate, they’re simply not very good at anything. 

Again, I’ll give Lyngby their dues – they score more goals than they should, considering the quality of their squad. However, it’s never going to be enough to decide most Superligaen games in their favour because they lack the quality to make it so. As fickle as OB can be, they are the better team here, and that’s an obstacle that Lyngby seldom fail to overcome. The work-rate is there, the understanding is there, and the desire is definitely there – but the effectiveness is not, simply put. 

You know what the great irony of this team is? Since adding Gammelby to a defence already containing Hamalainen and Winther (sold to Augsburg, but loaned back for the season), they’re actually better at defending than anything else. It won’t change a thing because Nielsen wants them to play attacking football, so it won’t show at all really. I just found it a bit amusing that that was the case, really. If Lyngby adopted a more intelligent approach to games than they currently have, they’d probably get more from them. 

Let’s not overlook that the only two good finishers in Lyngby’s squad last season, namely Gytkjaer and Corlu, are not in a great position to help here. Gytkjaer is yet to score this season, and Corlu has moved to Brondby. It’s just not enough, I’m afraid, and unless they realise what their strongest area actually is, I cannot see them being smart enough to outdo a frustrating yet very capable OB side. 

Therefore, the away win at 9/10 appeals to me, purely because I expect OB to score more goals, not because I think they can do a professional job. 

Verdict: OB to win at 9/10.