2. Bundesliga preview: Hannover 96 vs. VfL Bochum

In a meeting between two sides separated by three points in the lower half of the table, Sunday’s clash presents Hannover 96 with an opportunity to make an immediate response following the dismissal of Christian Titz, while Bochum will be looking to maintain their unbeaten away record and continue their steady start to the campaign.

Hannover have made an inconsistent start to the season, collecting just four points from their opening five fixtures and sitting 15th in the table. After opening their campaign with a 3-1 defeat away to Energie Cottbus, Titz’s side suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Wolfsburg before securing their first victory with a 1-0 win at Darmstadt.

A 2-2 draw with Karlsruher SC followed, but Hannover suffered another setback last weekend when they lost 2-1 away to Nürnberg. Lars Gindorf’s penalty cancelled out Julian Justvan’s early opener, but Mohamed Ali Zoma’s 65th-minute strike ultimately condemned 96 to their third defeat of the young campaign. 

The result proved to be Titz’s final game in charge, with the club parting company with the head coach after just five league matches. U23 coach Lars Barlemann has subsequently taken temporary charge, having previously stepped into the role as interim coach.

Barlemann has attempted to bring a sense of freedom and confidence back into the squad ahead of his first game in charge.

“We have prepared the team very well and meticulously for the game against VfL Bochum,” Barlemann said. “It was also particularly important for us during the week to develop a sense of lightness and joy together with the team. The boys should build up a lot of self-confidence and then win the home game at the weekend.” 

Hannover have yet to win at home this season, drawing 2-2 with Karlsruhe and losing 1-0 to Wolfsburg. Barlemann will therefore be hoping his side can finally give their supporters a home victory, with around 40,000 spectators expected at the Heinz von Heiden Arena. 

Bochum, meanwhile, have collected seven points from their opening five matches and currently sit eighth. Uwe Rösler’s side began the season with a 1-0 home defeat to Hertha BSC before responding with consecutive away victories over Eintracht Braunschweig and Dynamo Dresden.

They suffered another home setback against newly promoted Osnabrück, losing 1-0, but recovered with a 2-1 victory in Dresden followed by a 1-1 draw against Greuther Fürth last weekend.

Bochum have nevertheless been particularly impressive on the road. They have won all three of their away league matches so far, scoring four goals and conceding just one in victories over Braunschweig and Dresden, as well as their opening-round DFB-Pokal win at Fürth. 

Rösler believes his team are well prepared for what awaits them in Hannover, although he is expecting a difficult atmosphere in front of a large home crowd.

“We are very well prepared and go into the game very positively,” Rösler said. “It was a very intensive week, the team worked really well with high quality. But ultimately it will be decisive how we perform on Sunday.” 

The Bochum coach also highlighted Hannover’s attacking numbers despite their disappointing start, pointing out that 96 have a high expected-goals figure and “could have scored significantly more goals”. He described them as one of the league’s top teams and expects Hannover to press aggressively throughout the match. 

Rösler is also wary of the change in the Hannover dugout. The Bochum coach has studied Barlemann’s U23 side and expects the hosts to retain much of their existing playing philosophy despite the managerial change.

“I’m a big fan of the way they play football,” Rösler said. “They occupy the width and the pockets, have a very offensive approach. Week after week they press one-on-one for 90 minutes.”

The head-to-head record makes Sunday’s fixture particularly interesting. The teams have met 16 times in the 2. Bundesliga and the away side has never won. Hannover have won five of the eight previous second-tier meetings in their own stadium, with the other three ending in draws. Bochum’s last competitive victory in Hannover came all the way back in December 2009, when they recovered from 2-0 down at half-time to win 3-2 in the Bundesliga. 

The two sides also met twice last season, with both encounters ending in draws. The most recent meeting finished 1-1 in Bochum in May, while the reverse fixture in Hannover ended goalless in December. 

Team news

Hannover 96: Interim head coach Lars Barlemann has several fitness concerns to deal with. Jean Hugonet, Boris Tomiak and Mustapha Bundu have been unavailable during the week, with the latter confirmed to be missing Sunday’s game. 

Waniss Taïbi and Franz Roggow also missed part of the week with ankle and muscular problems respectively, while Tomiak has been dealing with a knock to his back.

VfL Bochum: Uwe Rösler has confirmed that Babis Drakas, Jean Manuel Mbom, Enis Çokaj, Oliver Olsen and Philipp Strompf remain unavailable through injury. Mats Pannewig is also suspended after receiving a second yellow card against Greuther Fürth.

There is better news regarding Gerrit Holtmann and Christian Rasmussen, however, with Rösler confirming that both have returned to training and will be in the squad. 

Rösler has also indicated that Charlie Patiño is set to make his debut alongside Tom Meyer in central midfield, while Sean Klaiber is expected to start at right-back. 

Predicted lineups

Hannover 96 (3-4-3): Weinkauf; Allgeier, Okon, Ghița; Neubauer, Thordarson, Oudenne, Sahiti; Hartel, Gindorf, Pichler.

VfL Bochum (4-2-3-1): Horn; Klaiber, Steinwender, Mets, Wittek; Meyer, Patiño; Rasmussen, Miyoshi, Holtmann; Hofmann.