German Bundesliga
2010-05-08 - Vfl Bochum vs Hannover 96
A Sports Betting Pick by Niko
Football : Germany : Bundesliga
Rewirpower Stadion
Saturday, 08th May 2010 – kickoff 15:30
Vfl Bochum
Vfl Bochum have their destiny in their own hands this weekend as they must win in order to stay up in the Bundesliga. They will face their direct rivals at the bottom who are just two points above them at the 15th place with 30 points.
Last week Vfl Bochum could not do anything more against the champions Bayern Munich and lost 3-1 away but their thoughts were right here on this match. They rested some of their players to be fresh and prevent them from injuries or suspension for this final showdown.
Vfl Bochum are on brink to get relegated but that is not a surprise having on mind that they have not won in eleven straight matches and in that stretch they have collected just three points.
Coach Dariusz Wosz will field an offensive formation with two strikers-Stanislav Sestak and Zlatko Dedic. Christian Fuchs and Milos Maric should also take more offensive role at the wings. There are no injured or suspended players for this match, so Vfl Bochum have all the necessary components to show a good display and try to win and hope to survive in the league.
Probable Vfl Bochum line-up :
Pfertzel, Maltritz, Mavraj, Bönig,
Maric, Azaouagh, Freier, Fuchs,
Sestak, Dedic
Hannover 96
Hannover 96 are in a better position than Vfl Bochum and they might even be satisfied with a draw here depending on the outcome of the match between Nurnberg and FC Koln. With a win they will surely stay up.
Good sign in front of this match is that Hannover 96 beat last week Monchengladbach heavily 6-1 which boosted their confidence prior this game.Prior that match against Monchengladbach, hannover had two straight losses and conceded massive ten goals without scoring.
This team had so many worries this season it is incredible. First it was the tragic suicide of their first choice goalkeeper Robert Enke that heavily shook the squad, and after that two coaches were appointed and sacked before Mirko Slomka was settled as a third coach this season. On top of that, half of the squad was and still is out due to injuries and suspensions.
The strikers Arouna Koné (knee surgery), Elson (torn muscle), midfielders Jacek Krzynówek (knee problems), Altin Lala (knee surgery) and the defender Vinicius (disc herniation) are all out of competition. Jan Rosenthal and Mikael Forssel are still recovering from their injuries.
Coach Mirko Slomka will play in a formation with tightened defense and only one striker – Mike Hanke, and Ya Konan will play in the middle behind taking more defensive role. Ya Konan has already scored nine goals this season for his club.
Probable Hannover 96 line-up :
Cherundolo, Eggimann, Haggui, C. Schulz, Schmiedebach,
Pinto, Ya Konan, Bruggink, Balitsch ,
Hanke
The Betting Verdict
Interestingly, the first match between these teams ended in 3-2 win for Vfl Bochum, in a match where Vfl Bochum were two goals behind but still managed to score three late goals and get the win. Another interesting fact is that there has never been a goalless draw in all the 27 matches played between these sides.
This will be the derby of the last round and is a ‘do or die’ match especially for Vfl Bochum. The team that will score first will have the major advantage throughout the match. I think that Vfl Bochum will push hard right with the start of the match and we could see a few goals here.
Having on mind the importance of the match and the tradition i think that both teams will score and at the end Vfl Bochum will edge this entertaining game and get a narrow victory.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Vfl Bochum 2-1 Hannover 96
