2. Bundesliga 2022/23 MD26 Preview: 1. FC Magdeburg vs Hansa Rostock
Two sides with deep history in the fabric of football in the former DDR are Magdeburg and Hansa Rostock, and on Sunday they do battle once more in their quests to avoid relegation from the 2. Bundesliga.
Plenty has happened on and off the field for Hansa Rostock over the last month. Off the field, Hansa were fined a significant sum after actions of violence, vandalism, and political provocations in their 1:0 defeat at St. Pauli. If that wasn’t enough, Hansa’s inability to condemn these actions and the many others prior showcased an important reason as to why this club has a long way to go in ridding itself of individuals holding the club back socially.
On the field, it hasn’t been much better. Winless since early February when they beat Arminia Bielefeld away from home, and now change has come with Patrick Glöckner relieved of his duties following a 2:5 home defeat to Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Magdeburg had been on the up turn during March which included a run of three games unbeaten. However, that form came crashing down following a 3:0 away defeat to Greuther Fürth.
An Ost-Duel six-pointer with an immense amount of pyro, emotion and drama? Sign me up. Let’s take a look at this weekend's 2. Bundesliga match of the week preview between Magdeburg and Hansa Rostock.
Last time they met
Hansa Rostock 3:1 1. FC Magdeburg
FCH: (30’, 41 Kai Pröger, 62’ Lukas Fröde)
FCM: (90+1’ Baris Atik)
The first meeting between the two sides on Matchday 9 was quite enjoyable from a footballing perspective. Magdeburg played their possession dominant style of football with defensive fragility that leaves them open for counter attacking opportunities. This is exactly how Hansa Rostock were set up, allowing Magdeburg to have 61% of possession. Once Hansa won the ball, they got forwards with quickness and purpose.
Former coach Jens Härtel produced a strong game plan and he was rewarded with victory against a side he gained promotion with three seasons ago. The hero in the first half was new signing Kai Pröger, the 30-year-old joined from Paderborn on free in the summer. Until then, Pröger had two goals to his name against Arminia Bielefeld and St. Pauli. He would double his tally with two goals before half time.
Hansa added a third through the club's midfield anchor Lukas Fröde before Magdeburg scored a stoppage time consolation through Baris Atik. Magdeburg provided plenty of solutions going forward without reward at the Ostseestadion in September, but the issue for them has been defensively which till this day continues to plague their ability to escape the relegation fight.
Key players
Baris Atik
The 2. Bundesliga has a plethora of wide, attacking players that regularly find the goals, but only one club has a player who is virtually their engine form. That player is Magdeburg’s Baris Atik. Atik, who during the international break extended his contract with Magdeburg until 2025 has been vital in all areas of their attacking third.
This season, Atik has 5 goals and 5 assists which mightn’t seem like a lot. However, the numbers can be quite deceiving as Atik is fantastic at finding his teammates in space to start an attack, playing a through ball that leads to another opportunity. To showcase how vital Atik’s assists are, in games where Atik has an assist or more, Magdeburg have won all of those games.
For Magdeburg to win, and survive, they will heavily rely on the exploits of their mercurial playmaker.
Svante Ingelsson
For Hansa, selecting a player that has so much importance to this team is quite difficult. Last season you’d say John Verhoek, as he scored 17 goals on his way to helping Hansa survive, he’s only managed one goal this season. You could say Markus Kolke, but with a team that is desperate for goals and providing them I look to Svante Ingelsson.
The Swede is a coach's dream when it comes to tactical versatility as Ingelsson has played four separate positions this season. Where I think Ingelsson thrives is either behind the striker or out on the left, and in games where he’s been in those positions the 24-year-old has managed 7 assists. That’s the most for Hansa.
Much like Atik, in games where Ingelsson has managed at least an assist, Hansa have secured 10 points out of a possible 12. For Hansa to succeed on Sunday, they must manipulate the play to ensure Ingelsson is in dangerous attacking situations
From the coaches
The pre-game press conferences were completed on Friday, here’s what they had to say.
Christian Titz
“I can't predict it, I only know one thing when a new coach comes, that the players are of course motivated, that I want to show that I want to implement the things that the coach brings with me.”
“Even before the change of coach, Hansa Rostock is a team that was compact again, that was strong in the duel, that really brought in their quality in our previous encounter"
"Schwarz notices that it will be that the team is really well staggered on the defensive, which is what his team has always shown in the past and that is why it will be important for us that we can also manage this mix of fast switching game but also patience if the opponent should massively understand"
"We have two injured players in Luca Schuler and Luc Castaignos that are not available at the moment"
"We are quite unique in the way we play which allows us to be free offensively, even if we’ve had different player combinations. You can see our flexibility with the variety of personnel we’ve used in attack.”
Alois Schwartz
“I am very satisfied with the first few days. The team trained passionately and implemented new processes.”
“We look forward to the game. The stadium is sold out, 2,400 Hansa fans are making journey.”
"I want to see a team on the pitch that acts as a unit and performs passionately in an emotional game.”
"We know we're going to face a team that has a lot of possession. We have to be patient and compact.”
"Magdeburg always tries to push through his game. Our fans can bring us strength and maybe points.”
“Of course we also talked about the defensive. Rick van Drongelen did the units, he could also be in the eleven.”
“I'm expecting a team that tries to narrow the spaces and get into a counterattack situation with their quick switching game.”
Expected lineups
After succumbing to defeat in Fürth prior to the international break, Christian Titz is expected to tinker with his team to find more defensive stability. A name being thrown around is Jamie Lawrence, the on loan Bayern Munich defender has had his moments this season. But has suffered injury and a couple of red card suspensions, despite this I expect him to start alongside Daniel Heber in central defence.
Defensive stability will be exactly what Alois Schwartz seeks in his first time as Hansa Rostock manager. Two players I expect to feature for Hansa in Magdeburg on Sunday are Ryan Malone and John-Patrick Strauß. Malone has had a turbulent season so far, but with Rick van Drongelen not expected to be fit it’s looking more likely we will see Malone in defence.
Strauß joined from Erzgebirge Aue in the summer, but has struggled to make an impression under the previous two managers. Without solid options at right-back, now seems like a great time to integrate the 27-year-old into the starting lineup.
Prediction
There is something romantic about derby days, the build up to such a game starts almost immediately after their previous fixture. As we are coming out from the international break, there has been a slow and eager anticipation to a game that has so much on the line.
With their third coach of the season, Hansa Rostock are in must win territory. With Eintracht Braunschweig, Jahn Regensburg and Arminia Bielefeld all picking up points recently, they are in serious threat of being left behind with Sandhausen. The question for Hansa is, can the league's worst attack find a way past the second worst defence in Magdeburg?
Magdeburg have the ability to create high scoring chances with their dynamic front three, but as we’ve lamented it’s their inability to defend that is holding Titz’s side from comfort.
I expect Hansa to be quite defensive, be solid and force Magdeburg to break them down with long phases of possession. If Magdeburg can play quick and utilise Atik as their dictator on the ball, Magdeburg will win this game.
I’m predicting a 1:0 win for Magdeburg