2. Bundesliga Topspiel preview: 1. FC Kaiserslautern vs. SV Elversberg

With both sides harbouring genuine promotion ambitions, Saturday’s Topspiel promises an enthralling encounter between Torsten Lieberknecht’s Kaiserslautern and Vincent Wagner’s Elversberg at the iconic Fritz-Walter-Stadion.

1. FC Kaiserslautern 

FCK have begun the year in encouraging fashion, collecting four points from their opening two fixtures of the Rückrunde. That return leaves them sixth in the table, just five points off the promotion play-off spots, with a testing run of fixtures against direct rivals looming large.

Last time out saw Kaiserslautern held to a 2-2 draw away at league leaders Schalke. While the result looks respectable on paper, it will feel like two points dropped for Lieberknecht and his side, having led 2-0 with just seven minutes of normal time remaining. The in-form Ivan Prtajin netted his 10th and 11th goals of the campaign, before a late collapse allowed Edin Džeko and Kenan Karaman to snatch a point for Schalke and deal Kaiserslautern a significant blow in their pursuit of the top three.

There was movement at both ends of the transfer market this week. Defender Jan Elvedi departed on loan to Greuther Fürth, while Danish centre-back Jacob Rasmussen arrived on a permanent deal from RB Salzburg to bolster Kaiserslautern’s defensive options.

Torsten Lieberknecht has only three points on his mind this weekend: 

“The fans are motivated, we are motivated, the team will be motivated, and so will the opponent. We deserve to have another top match on Saturday evening in front of a sold-out stadium and to have further opportunities to collect points. Naturally, we want to take the maximum three points from a home game.”

Team news: 

Avdo Spahic, Ji-Soo Kim and Mahir Emreli are all unavailable. 

SV Elversberg 

Elversberg’s season so far under Vincent Wagner has been nothing short of impressive, even if recent weeks have brought a slight dip in form. The Saarland side have lost just four of their 19 league fixtures this season and currently sit fourth, only two points adrift of the automatic promotion places.

Their stuttering run continued last weekend with a 1-1 draw at home to VfL Bochum. Despite Lukas Petkov’s second-half equaliser, Elversberg were left frustrated by a stubborn Bochum defence. Dominating possession (63%) and registering 21 shots on goal, they were ultimately unable to find a winner, highlighting a potential lack of cutting edge in the final third.

That missing piece is likely due to the departure of Younes Ebnoutalib, who left for Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt after scoring 12 league goals - a tally that still has him joint-top scorer despite no longer featuring in the division. Elversberg responded by breaking their transfer record to sign 21-year-old striker David Mokwa from Hoffenheim. However, a slow start has seen Mokwa goalless after his first two starts, and it remains to be seen whether he can replicate Ebnoutalib’s impact.

Vincent Wagner is relishing the upcoming challenge at the Betzenberg:

“We're facing an incredible amount of intensity, but that's not the first time this season. And we're simply looking forward to meeting it with our style of football,”

Team news: 

Vincent Wagner has a fully fit squad at his disposal. 

H-2-H record 

Elversberg claimed the most recent meeting between the two on matchday three, courtesy of Frederik Schmahl’s 92nd-minute winner in a 2-1 victory. The sides have met five times competitively, with Elversberg winning three, drawing one and losing one, although it is worth noting that Kaiserslautern have suffered just two home defeats all season.

Predicted lineups 

1. FC Kaiserslautern (3-4-2-1): Krahl (GK) - Gyamfi, Sirch, Chernev - Joly, Kunze, Şahin, Haas - Skyttä, Ritter - Prtajin 

SV Elversberg (4-2-3-1): Kristof (GK) - Gyamerah, Pinckert, Rohr, Mickelson - Schmahl, Poreba - Petkov, Conté, Zimmerschied - Mokwa