Two teams in desperate need of three points will lock horns in Dusseldorf on Saturday afternoon as Fortuna Dusseldorf take on SC Paderborn in the Bundesliga.
Germany's top flight has been on hold for more than two months due to the coronavirus outbreak, but the action will resume this weekend, and both of these sides will be determined to pick up a win.
Match preview
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Promoted from the second tier of German football at the end of the 2017-18 campaign, Dusseldorf finished 10th in the Bundesliga last season but have certainly found it more difficult in the top flight this term.
Five wins, seven draws and 13 defeats - that is how Uwe Rosler's side have performed in the league this season, picking up 22 points from their 25 matches to occupy 16th spot in the table, four points off 15th-placed Mainz.
Dusseldorf will bring a three-game unbeaten run into this contest, while they have only lost one of their last six in the Bundesliga and have taken five points from their last three fixtures.
Indeed, Rosler's team beat Freiburg 2-0 on February 22 before playing out draws with Hertha Berlin and Mainz 05 ahead of the action being called to a halt due to the worldwide coronavirus outbreak.
Dusseldorf will certainly view Saturday's match as a winnable affair, but it remains to be seen what type of shape the squad is in due to the length of time without competitive action.
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Paderborn, meanwhile, currently sit bottom of the Bundesliga, having only picked up 16 points from their 25 matches during the 2019-20 campaign.
Steffen Baumgart's side finished second in the 2.Bundesliga last season to earn promotion to the top flight, but it has been a struggle for the team this term.
Just four wins and 17 defeats from their 25 league matches is an indication of their struggles, and they are 10 points off 15th-placed Mainz, meaning that the basement outfit will need some run between now and the end of the campaign in order to secure their status as a Bundesliga club.
Paderborn actually lost all four of their league matches before the action was postponed, while they have picked up just one victory in 2020, which was a 2-0 success at Freiburg on January 25.
Dusseldorf Bundesliga form: DDLWDD
Dusseldorf form (all competitions): DLWDLD
Paderborn Bundesliga form: LDLLLL
Team News
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Dusseldorf are expected to be without first-choice goalkeeper Zack Steffen for the remainder of the season, while Oliver Fink and Alfredo Morelos are also due to miss out for the home side.
There are not expected to be too many alterations from the side that started the 1-1 draw with Mainz last time out, meaning that Kenan Karaman should continue in the final third.
On-loan Lazio attacker Valon Berisha should also feature for the home team in a wide position, but Rouwen Hennings could start on the bench despite scoring 11 times this season.
As for Paderborn, Luca Kilian and Streli Mamba are both expected to miss out with thigh and knee problems respectively, but the visitors are otherwise in good shape when it comes to injuries.
Christopher Antwi-Adjei has seemingly overcome a thigh problem of his own and should be available, with the 26-year-old expected to support Dennis Srbeny in the final third.
Abdelhamid Sabiri is also pushing for a start in midfield after impressing off the bench against Koln before the action was halted in March.
Dusseldorf possible starting lineup:
Kastenmeier; Suttner, Gieselmann, Hoffman, Ayhan, Zimmermann; Berisha, Stoger, Bodzek, Thommy; Karaman
Paderborn possible starting lineup:
Zingerle; Jans, Strohdiek, Schonlau, Collins; Vasiliadis, Gjasula, Sabiri; Proger, Srbeny, Antwi-Adjei
We say: Dusseldorf 2-1 Paderborn
There is simply no downplaying the importance of Saturday's clash in Dusseldorf. Both teams have had their problems this season, but we fancy Dusseldorf to collect all three points with a narrow win.
Matt Law
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Fortuna Dusseldorf win with a probability of 45.22%. A win for SC Paderborn had a probability of 31.26% and a draw had a probability of 23.5%.
The most likely scoreline for a Fortuna Dusseldorf win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.16%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (7.7%) and 2-0 (6.59%). The likeliest SC Paderborn win was 1-2 (7.43%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (10.69%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 4.5% likelihood.
