- Team form: SV Darmstadt 98 have failed to win their last two home games (D1, L1).
- Away form: SV Elversberg have failed to win their last two away games (D1, L1).
- Recent stats: Darmstadt have averaged 1.93 goals scored and 0.80 conceded per game at home in the 2. Bundesliga.
An intriguing top of the table match
SV Darmstadt 98 are fifth in the 2. Bundesliga standings with 50 points from 30 games, a record which is buoyed by a strong home record of ten wins, four draws and only one loss. The visitors, SV Elversberg, are one place and five points ahead of Darmstadt in third with 55 points after the same number of games, and they have won seven, drawn three and lost five of their away fixtures.
Florian Kohfeldt has always been a tactical wizard during his time in charge of SV Darmstadt 98 and he has instilled his philosophy of a possession-based, layered passing style with selective pressing on the team. However, they will need to shake off a slump in recent weeks and Kohfeldt will need to reignite the momentum of his side’s fine campaign.
SV Darmstadt are winless in five games, a run which includes a 0-2 home defeat to Hannover 96 and a 3-2 loss to Greuther Fuerth. Elversberg have had a similar run with two wins, one draw and two defeats from their last five league games, the most recent being a 3-0 victory over Karlsruher SC at home.
Goals will flow in the Lilies’ den
Tactics and tempo
Vincent Wagner’s Elversberg have a totally different philosophy to Darmstadt and are a fast-paced side who press high and look to play vertical, direct soccer. The result should be a top table matchup where contrasting philosophies face off, and the outcome may well depend on who can make the most of their set-pieces and transitions.
Key attackers
Both sides will look to exploit each other’s weaknesses and at odds of 1.41, ‘Over 2.5 goals’ is the obvious selection here.
Elversberg’s games on the road average 1.67 goals for and 1.27 against, while the same stats for Darmstadt at home are 1.93 and 0.80, respectively. The head-to-head stats for this fixture when played at Darmstadt are 4.5 total goals and 2.5 away goals for Elversberg.
- Isac Lidberg remains Darmstadt’s biggest threat in attack with 15 goals in 26 appearances in the league, but he has scored just two in the last five and is on a downward curve.
- Younes Ebnoutalib is Elversberg’s main man with 12 in 17 and he provides them with a clinical edge.
- Lukas Petkov has added more recently however, with three goals in the last five.
Darmstadt can dig in and hold their own
Darmstadt have a tendency to dig in and make themselves difficult to crack, so we believe that at least one of these sides will fail to score in this clash, which makes ‘Both Teams to Score - No’ at 2.81 an excellent option. A draw looks to be the most likely outcome, with the two sides cancelling each other out in a tactical chess match.
Both sides play a 4-2-3-1 system and the battle between the midfields could be a key moment in determining the outcome. With odds of 3.64 for a draw, the hosts should be supported here in what looks to be a very tight game.
