Bundesliga News

3. Liga Matchday 24 Preview

By Jamie Allen

With no Bundesliga action this weekend, the 3. Liga is once again taking centre stage.
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Photo: DFB
It’s the end of a busy week in the 3. Liga. It’s incredibly tight at both ends of the table and you’d be a brave person to guess as to where each club is going to finish. Here is everything you need to know ahead of matchday 24 in the Dritte Liga.


Friday Evening

Würzburger Kicker vs Frieburg II (6 pm GMT)

Our weekend kickstarts begins in Würzburg as the Kickers take on Freiburg II. This is yet another big game for Würzburger who are in desperate need of three points. Currently in 19th, they are five points from safety and have played more games than most others around them. If Würzburger isn’t careful, they’ll be playing Regionalliga football next term. Their opponents, Freiburg II, will be happy with their debut season in the third tier and look like they’ll be competing in the division next season. In 11th and 9 ahead of the bottom four, Freiburg II should be comfortable come the last game of the season.

Saturday

As always, Saturday hosts the majority of the league’s fixtures. Here, we have the following ties:


Türkgücü München vs TSV Havelse

FC Kaiserslautern vs Hallescher FC

SV Wehen Weisbaden vs MSV Duisburg

Borussia Dortmund II vs VfL Osnabrück

FC Magdeburg vs FC Saarbrücken (16:55 pm)

Saturday’s TopSpieles

One of the games that stick out here is Türkgücü vs Havelse. Currently occupying 17th and 20th respectively, you feel that if Havelse fails to win here they are pretty much all but relegated. It’s already going to be an uphill battle if they’re to survive but this fixture could spell the end of their fight. For Türkgücü, they’re desperate for points. With a few games in hand on others around them, these points could provide vital come the end of the season. It might not be a classic quality-wise but I do expect the Bavarians to come out with all three points in this one.

Duisburg has had a week to forgot so far. If losing 0:5 to Magdeburg wasn’t enough, their number one goalkeeper, Leo Weinkauf, was sent off during the game and will miss two matches. Die Zebras travel to Wiesbaden who are in comfortbale 9th position. It’s looking unlikely that they will be able to push for promotion and certainly won’t go down. I said last week that it could be a good time to play teams like this, especially when you have more to play for on paper. 3. Liga survival should be enough of an incentive for Duisburg. They’re going to have to step up if they want to play third-tier football next season.

The evening kick-off sees first vs second do battle (unless Kaiserslaurten wins their duel a few hours before). Magdeburg are nine points clear of Saarbrücken. Another win for the home side here could see them go at least 10 points clear come to the end of the weekend. It’s looking increasingly likely that it’s just a case of when and not if in terms of promotion for the former East German side. However, if Saarbrücken were to get a win it could make things more interesting. This should be a quality encounter and one you should tune in for if possible.

Sunday’s Fixtures

On the day that God rested, the 3. Liga is still working away to deliver us quality games. These include the following:

FC Viktoria Köln vs 1860 München

SV Meppen vs Waldof Mannheim

A couple more wins for Viktoria Köln should see them safe. They welcome a München side who sit in 10th with a couple of games in hand on those above them. A win for the away side could put them in a good position to seek up the league table. I said a few weeks back to watch out for 1860 München and I stand by my statement.

Elsewhere, Mannheim needs to get back to winning ways if they're to secure a top-three finish. Currently in 6th, they travel to Meppen who are one place above them. Meppen themselves haven't hit the ground running in 2022. This could be make or break for both sides here.

Games Galore Midweek

At the turn of the week, the games keep coming in the 3. Liga as teams begin to play some o their catch-up fixtures. Here’s what we have to look forward to from Monday to Wednesday.

Eintracht Braunschweig vs SC Verl (Monday 6 pm)

Viktoria Berlin vs FSV Zwickau (Wednesday 6 pm)

MSV Duisburg vs VfL Osnabrück (Wednesday 6 pm)

The next few weeks will prove vital for many teams up and down the table. Be sure to check out the DFB Channel on Youtube as well as local German TV stations’ live streams. Some oF these include WRD, NDR, and Sport im Osten.



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