Table-topping Arminia Bielefeld welcome relegation-threatened Nurnberg to the Bielefelder Alm on Saturday for an important clash in 2. Bundesliga.
A three-game unbeaten run since the season resumed has kept Bielefeld top of the German second tier – five points clear of Stuttgart with a game in hand.
Back-to-back draws with Osnabruck and Hamburg were followed by a last-gasp victory over Holstein Kiel last time out.
Jonathan Clauss gave Bielefeld the lead against Kiel before Alexander Muhling equalised early in the second half. However, an injury-time winner from Sven Schipplock earned the visitors all three points.
Not only do Bielefeld boast the best defensive record in the division, but only one team – Hamburg – have scored more goals than the runaway leaders this season.
At the other end of the table, Nurnberg are in serious danger of dropping into the bottom three. Jen Keller’s side are only two points clear of the relegation playoff spot and four points ahead of second-bottom Wehen Wiesbaden.
Nurnberg are without a win since returning from the break. They lost to St. Pauli in their first game back before recording three consecutive draws with Aue, Jahn Regensburg, and Bochum.
In fact, Nurnberg sit bottom of the five-game form table. They have failed to win any of their previous five matches and took just three points from a possible 15 during that period.
And to make matters worse, Nurnberg also has the joint-worst defensive record in the division – conceding an average of over 1.5 goals per game in 2019/20.
Top Trends
Arminia Bielefeld have outplayed Nürnberg in their last 3 matches (all competitions)
On average, Nürnberg have allowed 1.69 goals in their most recent games in 2. Bundesliga
No defeats can be found in Arminia Bielefeld's 10 most recent games in all competitions
Nürnberg have achieved just 2 wins of their last 11 away all competitions games
Bielefeld hammered Nurnberg 5-1 in the reverse fixture back in November. Furthermore, Bielefeld have won their last three games against Nurnberg with an aggregate scoreline of 8-2.
The hosts will be without long-term absentee Nils Quaschner this weekend, although Joan Simun Edmundsson and Sebastian Muller are both close to returning from injury. Manuel Prietl is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
As for Nurnberg, Patric Klandt, Paul-Philipp, and Andreas Luske all remain sidelined with long-term injuries.
Bielefeld haven’t exactly hit the ground running since the restart, but the league leaders have been doing enough to get results.
On the other hand, Nurnberg have been pretty poor since the campaign got back underway, so you have to fear the worst for the visitors.
Forebet predicts that both teams will get on the scoresheet. However, Arminia Bielefeld should have enough quality to edge Nurnberg.
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