2. Bundesliga Topspiel preview: Hannover 96 vs. VfL Bochum
| the team of Hannover celebrate their third goal scoring with the fans during the 2. Bundesliga match vs. Eintracht Braunschweig | Photo by Selim Sudheimer/Getty Images |
The two sides are set meet competitively for the first time since 2021, with old scores to be settled at the Heinz-von-Heiden-Arena as both teams look to build on their encouraging league form.
Hannover come into the Topspiel in strong shape under Christian Titz. Despite sitting outside the top three, they occupy fifth place and remain only two points off second. Titz’s side have lost just twice in their last ten league fixtures, while boasting the league’s joint-best attack with 29 goals - Finnish striker Benjamin Källman contributing nine of those.
Last time out brought a heartbreaking 2-2 draw in Münster. Leading 2-0 heading into added time, Hannover appeared to be cruising toward another three points until the unthinkable happened: two Münster goals in the 91st and 96th minutes rescued a point for the hosts. After such a late collapse, Titz will expect a strong response at home on Saturday.
After collecting only three points from their opening eight league matches, Bochum have turned a corner under Uwe Rösler. Now up to ninth place, they have taken 16 of a possible 21 points in his seven games so far - the best return in the league during that period.
Last weekend, Bochum secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Arminia Bielefeld, with a trademark Philipp Hofmann header sealing the victory. It was the kind of tight game they likely would have lost earlier in the season, but Rösler’s influence has instilled belief and resilience throughout the side.
Hannover hold the edge across the last five meetings with three wins to Bochum’s two. However, Bochum remain unbeaten away from home under Rösler so far. Their last victory in Hannover came back in 2009.
Team news
Mustapha Bundu and Husseyn Chakroun look set to miss out for the home side, while Kolja Oudenne is listed as questionable.
Kevin Vogt, Gerrit Holtmann and Moritz-Broni Kwarteng are unavailable for Bochum. Koji Miyoshi has resumed training and is an option for the squad.
Predicted lineups
Hannover 96 (3-4-3): Noll (GK) - Ghiță, Tomiak, Nawrocki - Matsuda, Leopold, Aséko Nkili, Neubauer - Yokota, Källman, Rochelt
VfL Bochum (4-2-3-1): Horn (GK) - Morgalla, Loosli, Strompf, Wittek - Lenz, Sissoko - Ruprecht, Onyeka, Wätjen - Hofmann
