Relegation showdown in the west: VfL Bochum and Fortuna Düssedorf go into the two “finals” with different omens. What are the strengths of the two teams?
Unrest for some, self-confidence for others: the situation before the relegation final couldn’t be more different. On the one hand, VfL Bochum, who slipped to third-to-last place on the last matchday despite having the best starting position.
On the other hand, Fortuna from Düsseldorf, which, after a long series of unbeaten games, is going into the two games with confidence in the two games today in Bochum (from 8.30 p.m. live in the radio report and in the ticker at the Sportschau) and 27. May (in Düsseldorf) will be played.
Live ticker, Thursday from 8.30 p.m. Arrow right Relegation to Bundesliga Arrow right
Now it is up to both teams to mobilize their strengths for the season finale, with both teams bringing different strengths to the table.
What speaks for VfL Bochum
Home nimbus: Bochum will start the showdown in front of their home crowd in the stadium on Castroper Strasse (Thursday, May 23, from 8:30 p.m. in the live ticker and in the live radio report on sportschau.de). After the botched season finale against Werder Bremen, it could be an advantage to be able to rely on the support of their own fans. In the last Bundesliga season, VfL had a positive record: 23 points, 12th place in the home table.
Star player Kevin Stöger: The attacking midfielder is the linchpin of the VfL team and could be the difference player in these final games. Stöger is one of the top preparers of the last Bundesliga season. He has by far the most assists on goal, ahead of Gladbach’s Franck Honorat, and has an average of five chances to score per game. For comparison: National player Florian Wirtz has a value of 2.8.
Heading strength: Air sovereignty in the Bundesliga belongs to VfL Bochum. With Keven Schlotterbeck, Ivan Ordets, Bernardo and Philipp Hoffmann, four Bochum players are among the top 6 players in the league with the strongest aerial ability.
Tackling strength on the ground: And the Bochum team has another top score: defender Bernardo has won the most ground duels in league one, namely 504. Hoffenheim’s Anton Stach follows a long way behind (408). This could also become a factor in the hotly contested relegation.
Stephan Küssen, Sportschau, May 22nd, 2024 8:48 p.m
What speaks for Fortuna Düsseldorf
Top goalscorer Christos Tzolis: Striker Christos Tzolis is Fortuna Düsseldorf’s great hope for relegation. As the newly crowned co-top scorer in the second division, the Greek is brimming with self-confidence before the showdown. With his hat-trick against 1. FC Magdeburg, Tzolis once again underlined his current fantastic form. Now he wants to crown his best season against Bochum after 22 league goals.
Impressive series of successes: This Fortuna season finale is something to be proud of. In the final spurt, Düsseldorf’s streak grew to 14 games without defeat, including nine wins and five draws. The last defeat in league two was against SC Paderborn at the beginning of February. We are now heading into the games against VfL with the appropriate momentum and optimism. “Our chest can’t be any wider,” says central defender André Hoffmann positively.
Variability: Few teams in the second division are as difficult to predict as Düsseldorf. On the one hand, there is high mileage and a strong counterattack. Coach Daniel Thioune’s team scored the second most goals on the counterattack, namely nine. On the other hand, Fortuna can also switch to possession football. With an average of 52 percent of all games, it is in fifth place in the league rankings.
Unity: Perhaps Fortuna’s most important trump card and apparently a clear advantage over the opponent: team unity. While the Bchumer team had a lot of trouble after losing the league game, which culminated in the suspension of goalkeeper Manuel Riemann, Fortuna can rely on a lot of calm and internal cohesion.
“If you can and want to achieve something as a team, you have to stick together – then success will come,” says coach Daniel Thioune, highlighting one of his most important maxims.
