Sabasports Match Preview
2. Bundesliga: Kaiserslautern vs Greuther Furth
Kickoff Time: 2024-08–10 0:30 (HKT)
Source: REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis
In the first round of the German second division league, Kaiserslautern won 2-1 away against the newly promoted team SSV Ulm 1846, achieving a good start to the new season. Last season, Kaiserslautern managed to secure their position in the league under immense pressure of relegation. This summer, the team has brought in several new players to strengthen the squad, leading to an overall improvement in the team’s strength. Kaiserslautern’s tactical approach mainly focuses on defense and counterattacks, with a heavy reliance on set pieces for their offensive strategies. Out of the 59 league goals scored last season, 22 came from set pieces, making it their specialty. However, Kaiserslautern still needs to enhance their defense as they were the second-highest conceding team last season. Nevertheless, their performance in both attacking and defending has been impressive from preseason matches until now.
On the other hand, Greuther Furth won 3-1 at home against the newly promoted team Preussen Muenster in the first round, also starting the league with a strong performance. This summer, Greuther Furth faced significant player departures, especially in the forward positions. Despite this, the team made several signings to compensate for the losses, ensuring that their overall strength did not decrease significantly. Looking at their performances from preseason matches until now, Greuther Furth shows a potent attacking force, but they have weaknesses in defense, conceding a total of 7 goals in the last 5 games where they scored 12 goals. Additionally, Greuther Furth’s away performances are notably weaker compared to their home games, with only 4 wins, 4 draws, and 9 losses in 17 away matches last season, resulting in a win rate of just 23%.
Both teams have been performing well recently, but Kaiserslautern appears to be in better form than Greuther Furth, maintaining a perfect record in preseason matches. Their performances have significantly improved on both attacking and defensive fronts. Considering Greuther Furth’s poor performance in away games, it may be reasonable to favor the high-flying form of Kaiserslautern to secure all three points in this match.
Kaiserslautern’s Last 5 Games: WWWWW
24-08-04 SSV Ulm 1846 1-2 Kaiserslautern
24-07-20 Kickers Offenbach 1-3 Kaiserslautern
24-07-20 Fortuna Dusseldorf 0-1 Kaiserslautern
24-07-09 Qarabag FK 1-3 Kaiserslautern
24-07-02 Pirmasens 1-2 Kaiserslautern
Greuther Furth’s Last 5 Games: WDWDW
24-08-04 Greuther Furth 3-1 Preussen Muenster
24-07-26 Freiburg 2-2 Greuther Furth
24-07-20 St. Pauli 1-3 Greuther Furth
24-07-12 WSG Tirol 2-2 Greuther Furth
24-07-06 Greuther Furth 2-1 Pardubice
Head-to-head
24-04-13 Greuther Furth 2-1 Kaiserslautern
23-11-04 Kaiserslautern 0-2 Greuther Furth
23-02-25 Kaiserslautern 3-1 Greuther Furth
22-08-21 Greuther Furth 1-3 Kaiserslautern
18-03-10 Greuther Furth 2-1 Kaiserslautern
Prediction: Kaiserslautern to win