Dynamo Dresden and Kaiserslautern will lock horns at Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion on Tuesday evening for the second leg of their 2.Bundesliga relegation playoff.
The contest is delicately poised following a goalless draw in the first leg on Friday, with Dynamo bidding to avoid being relegated to the third tier, while Kaiserslautern are eyeing promotion to 2.Bundesliga.
Match preview
Dynamo struggled during the regular 2.Bundesliga campaign, picking up just 32 points from their 34 matches to sit 16th in the table, some eight points behind 15th-place Jahn Regensburg.
Guerino Capretti's side have not actually been victorious in a competitive match since the middle of December, but they have been the draw specialists over the last month or so, playing out five draws from their last six matches.
Dynamo were promoted from 3.Liga last season to secure a spot in Germany's second tier, but they have been absent from Germany's top flight since the 1994-95 campaign.
Capretti is actually still looking for his first victory since taking charge of SGD in March, drawing seven and losing four of his 11 matches at the helm.
Dynamo showed character to deal with the intensity created by the home supporters in the first leg, though, and they will be confident of finishing the job in front of their own fans on Tuesday.
Kaiserslautern were dominant for long stages of the first leg, managing 14 attempts in total, although just one of those was on target, with the majority of the close to 47,000 spectators inside the stadium ultimately left frustrated at the final whistle.
The Red Devils finished third in the third tier of Germany football during the 2021-22 campaign, picking up 63 points from their 36 matches, ending the season just one point behind the automatic promotion spots.
Kaiserslautern finished their 3.Liga season in disappointing fashion, though, losing each of their last three games ahead of the first leg with Dynamo on Friday.
Dirk Schuster only arrived as head coach on May 10, with the first leg proving to be his first match in charge, and he is now preparing for what is a huge second leg, as the visitors bid to secure a return to 2.Bundesliga.
Kaiserslautern have spent each of the last four seasons in the third tier, but they were a Bundesliga outfit as recent as 2011, ending that particular campaign in 18th to drop a level.
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Team News
Dynamo are expected to be without the services of Paul Will due to the injury that the midfielder picked up in the first half of the first leg, so Yannick Stark could come in for a start.
Head coach Capretti is likely to resist the temptation to shuffle his pack, though, and it would not be a surprise to see the majority of the XI keep their positions from the first leg.
A 3-4-1-2 formation should see Christoph Daferner and Ransford-Yeboah Konigsdorffer again feature in the final third, with Patrick Weihrauch playing in the number 10 position.
As for the visitors, Philipp Hercher and Hikmet Ciftci were missing for the first leg due to a muscular injury and stomach bug respectively, and the pair will have to be assessed ahead of this match.
Felix Gotze was overlooked for a starting role on Friday but will be in contention to make the XI here.
Terrence Boyd has scored nine league goals this season and should again feature at the tip of the attack for the third-tier outfit, with Kenny Redondo and Marlon Ritter playing in the wide positions.
Dynamo Dresden possible starting lineup:
Broll; Lowe, Knipping, Sollbauer; Diawusie, Stark, Akoto, Giorbelidze; Weihrauch; Daferner, Konigsdorffer
Kaiserslautern possible starting lineup:
Raab; Zimmer, Kraus, Tomiak, Zuck; Ritter, Niehues; Redondo, Wunderlich, Hanslik; Boyd
We say: Dynamo Dresden 0-1 Kaiserslautern
This tie is delicately poised following the first leg, and it would not be a surprise to see a home victory on Tuesday night. Kaiserslautern were impressive for long spells of the first leg, though, and we just have a feeling that the visitors will do enough to secure a narrow victory here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
