2. Bundesliga 2022/23 MD28 Preview: Fortuna Düsseldorf vs SV Darmstadt 98
Promotion may seem out of the question for Fortuna Düssledorf, but that doesn’t mean the Rhineland side can’t influence the outcome. On Sunday, Fortuna welcomes the league leaders Darmstadt to the Merkur Spiel Arena in what could be a pivotal battle in the title fight.
Last time out, Darmstadt continued on their merry way with victory over Paderborn. A game in which Darmstadt were forced to lock it down with Paderborn pushing desperately for an equaliser. Braydon Manu’s goal on 51 minutes was enough to let the good times roll.
Düsseldorf on the other hand was made to rue another missed opportunity, much like their draw against Hamburger SV the week prior. Fortuna failed to hold a 2:1 lead in a game they were utterly in control of. Instead, Bryan Lasme’s equaliser just six-minutes prior to the end of normal time ensured Arminia Bielefeld score a 2:2 draw against Fortuna.
All eyes will be on Darmstadt, under duress this team has found ways to score points when so many others have folded. The question remains, can they continue to sustain this as we hit crunch time in the season. Let’s take a look at this weekend's 2. Bundesliga match of the week preview between Fortuna Düsseldorf and Darmstadt.
Last time they met
SV Darmstadt 98 1:0 Fortuna Düsseldorf
SVD: (72’ Patric Pfeiffer)
When the two sides met on Matchday 11 it was one of missed opportunities, a perfect representation of Fortuna Düsseldorf’s season. Despite matching Darmstadt in this game, Fortuna only managed a single shot on target compared to Darmstadt’s seven. This made a massive difference in self-confidence when either was attacking the final third.
Darmstadt would find the breakthrough from a set-piece, Fabian Holland’s looping corner finding the head of Patric Pfeiffer to score his second goal of the season. This helped Darmstadt extend their unbeaten streak to 10 at the time.
Key players
Dawid Kownacki
If you’re a regular listener of the 2. Bundesliga Podcast, you’ll know how vital Dawid Kownacki is to Fortuna Düsseldorf. Which is a double blow for the league and Fortuna when the Polish striker leaves in the Summer. It’s likely that a first division club in the lower half of the Bundesliga or one from another league will pounce on Fortuna’s top scorer.
Kownacki currently has 12 goals to his name, which is a personal best for him in the 2. Bundesliga with his best prior to this season being seven. The polish striker also has seven assists to his name, meaning Kownacki has contributed to 40% of the goals Fortuna Düsseldorf has scored this season.
When Kownacki scores, Düsseldorf wins 73% of the time.
Marcel Schuhen
Someone who is having an underrated season, in part largely to the team's success is goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen. The 30-year-old Kirchen (Sieg) native has featured 26 times, conceded only 21 goals and kept 11 clean sheets. For goals conceded, Schuhen has conceded the second fewest from those who have played more than 20 games with St. Pauli’s Nikola Vasilj only conceding an impressive 18.
Where Schuhen has shined is through late game situational goalkeeping. In the final 15+ minutes of a game, Darmstadt have only conceded 8 goals from 28 games, with St. Pauli and their opponents Fortuna Düsseldorf conceding fewer with seven.
A lot of this has to do with Schuhen.
As the season has progressed, situations in which Darmstadt are holding a one goal advantage have become more consistent. And when the defence is under siege, Schuhen has been able to provide a cool head between the sticks. In what is expected to be a tight game, Darmstadt knows they can rely on Schuhen to play his role.
From the coaches
The pre-game press conferences were completed on Friday, here’s what they had to say.
Daniel Thioune
“Daniel Ginczek, Rouwen Hennings and Marcel Sobotka were back in training today”
“I was at least pleased that more than 30,000 spectators came - I think that was our goal last year or in the last home game against HSV”
"It is always very exciting as a task for me as a coach, even if you can measure yourself against the best team in the league."
"Thorsten on the excellent work he's done with his coaching team over the last two years, but if you look a little deeper, Carsten Wehlmann, who I've known very well for over 20 years and also appreciate as the person responsible, has built up something in this club over the years with those who have accompanied this club for many years."
"We have to set new challenges with whom can we expect the next step forward and that's why we're expecting the next step forward from them”
“Darmstadt, as far as I know Thorsten and his team and have been following them all season I think they want to win every football match because they are doing extremely well and I am prepared for that. We have a tough team in front of us and my boys should simply give everything.”
Torsten Lieberknecht
“Apart from Fabian Holland and Frank Ronstadt, everyone will be there for the final training session tomorrow.”
"Fabi is a bit better today, but he's still in the hospital. It's important that he gets through everything. Then we have to pick him up again.”
"Fortuna has every opportunity to have a say in the fight for promotion. With 21 points still up for grabs, anything is possible. That's why they want to win the game on Sunday, just like us."
"Every series comes to an end. We were also unbeaten in 21 games and at some point the day came... At some point the day will come when you win in a stadium where you haven't won anything for years."
"Düsseldorf impresses with its speed. They also have a lot of experience in the squad and many high-quality individual players. Their game has many facets."
"Fortuna have guys who can go forward quickly and purposefully. We have to make up for that. We have several options in terms of personnel, even if not all of them are 100 percent as fit as I would like them to be."
Expected lineups
After failing to dispose of a relegation threatened Arminia Bielefeld, Thioune will be searching for answers in a quest to get back to winning ways. However, they will have to do it without Japanese international Ao Tanaka, who succumbed to a season ending injury. The likely replacement is Shinta Appelkamp, who is expected to partner Tim Oberdorf in midfield.
Rouwen Hennings was managed during the week and there are some doubts regarding Daniel Ginczek, however, I’d be surprised if the latter doesn’t start on Sunday.
With three consecutive wins on the bounce, it’s unlikely that Lieberknecht will make any changes to the starting XI that beat Paderborn last weekend. Darmstadt are expected to still be without full-backs Fabian Holland and Frank Ronstadt who are both recovering from injury.
Prediction
At the end of Matchday 28, Darmstadt could be 10 points clear of third placed side Heidenheim, and it would be hard to deny that Die Lilien would be marching their way back to the Bundesliga. But when you consider that Darmstadt hasn’t beaten Fortuna in Düsseldorf since 1988, the task won’t be easy.
Düsseldorf mightn’t have much to play in terms of being in the playoff race. However, with players playing for their future and trying to prove their worth for Fortuna or clubs elsewhere, Düsseldorf are presented with an excellent opportunity to put a dent in Darmstadt’s promotional hopes.
I’m predicting a 1:2 win for Darmstadt