2. Bundesliga Promotion/Relegation Playoff Preview: Rot-Weiss Essen vs. SpVgg Greuther Fürth
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3. Liga's third-placed team Rot-Weiss Essen entetain Greuther Fürth in the first-leg of the playoff tie that will decide the 18th 2. Bundesliga club for the 2026/27 season. Both teams had dramatic victories in their respective last league games.
Ben Hüning's first goal of the season in the 92nd minute against an already-relegated Ulm secured Essen's spot ahead of Duisburg, who started Saturday's 3. Liga Konferenz in third place. Having lost to Wehen Wiesbaden in similar stage when he was at Arminia Bielefeld, Uwe Koschinat hopes for a different outcome this time around.
Meanwhile, the 2023/24 DFB-Pokal semi-finalists Saarbrücken are the only team to beat Essen away from home in 2026. RWE last competed in 2. Bundesliga two decades ago. During that time, they also had to spend a season in fifth-tier due to financial relegation.
On the contrary, Fürth have been in either of the top two divisions since 1996/97. Although they got relegated immediately in both cases, the traditional club also won Bundesliga promotions twice in this timeframe. They also lost to HSV in a dramatic manner in the Bundesliga's promotion/relegation playoff back in 2014/15 campaign.
On Sunday, Fürth needed to beat Fortuna Düsseldorf by three goals to grasp the playoff spot ahead of their opponents. And they managed to pull that off with former F95 attacker Felix Klaus playing a starring role. However, had they scored a fourth goal late in that game, they'd have been completely safe with Eintracht Braunschweig dropping to 16th place.
Noel Futkeu, who finished as 2. Bundesliga top-scorer with 19 goals, was denied by a tight offside call before Branimir Hrgota missed from an open goal as the visitors went all attack in injury-time. Incidentally, both players will be leaving the club after this playoff tie. Nonetheless, Heiko Vogel's men are now totally shifting their focus in securing their league status via the playoff.
Predicted Lineups
Essen: Golz ©; Hüning, Rios Alonso, Kraulich; Hofmann, Brumme; Swajkowski, Müsel; Safi, Mizuta; Potocnik
Fürth: Prüfrock; Dehm, Elvedi, Ziereis, Itter; Will, Arifi; Klaus, Hrgota ©, Ltaief; Futkeu
