Bochum vs Arminia Bielefeld preview: Die Arminen battling to remain in the Bundesliga
Arminia Bielefeld will feel as though Friday's meeting with Bochum is a must-win game as they look to avoid relegation.
| Stefan Ortega. |
Bochum
Bochum enter the contest in a relaxed mood, knowing that their place in the top flight is secure.
Friday's hosts may already be looking forward to another season in the Bundesliga, and they will certainly be in high spirits after beating their neighbours Borussia Dortmund last weekend in a seven-goal thriller.
Sebastian Polter and Gerrit Holtmann grabbed a goal apiece in the opening eight minutes to get their side off to a dream start before Erling Haaland dispatched two spot-kicks to wipe out Bochum's lead before the break.
Haaland's third of the afternoon after the restart looked to set Dortmund on their way to all three points, but Jurgen Locadia had other ideas, equalising in the 81st minute before Miloš Pantović netted from the penalty spot to clinch a memorable 4-3 victory.
Although Friday's hosts would have taken confidence from last weekend's win, their home form will be a cause for concern, with one of their last five home league matches resulting in a victory.
Team News
Kostas Stafylidis is still suspended for Bochum, while Danilo Soares is a doubt after missing the Dortmund win due to a knee problem.
Arminia Bielefeld
Bielefeld know that they will be relegated this weekend if they fail to win, and Stuttgart beat Bayern Munich.
Despite hovering over the trap door, Die Arminen are still clinging on with two points separating them from the relegation playoff spot, while they are six points adrift of safety.
Realistically, a playoff place is Bielefeld's best hope of avoiding relegation after failing to win any of their last nine matches. In that barren run, they have lost seven matches, although they managed to avoid defeat against Hertha BSC last weekend.
Bielefeld were on their way to a fourth consecutive defeat, when Lucas Tousart gave Hertha the lead in the 54th minute, but Joakim Nilsson struck in stoppage time to salvage a point for Die Arminen.
If the visitors are to win on Friday, then they must improve on their travels after losing their last six away matches by a combined 17-1 scoreline.
Team News
Fabian Klos and Bryan Lasme will both miss out for Bielefeld, while Cédric Brunner is rated doubtful for Friday's encounter.