- At home in all competitions, Waldhof have won two, drawn one, and lost two of their five home matches, scoring 1.20 goals per game and conceding 1.60 per game.
- Kaiserslautern have won two, drawn one, and lost three of their six away matches, conceding eight goals in total.
- Julian Ulbricht (Waldhof) has scored two goals in the last five matches, while Marlon Ritter (Kaiserslautern) has netted two goals in the same period.
A classic cup first round contest
This DFB Pokal first round derby should have plenty of spice to it as 3. Liga SV Waldhof 07 Mannheim look to pull off an upset against their 2. Bundesliga opponents FC Kaiserslautern. Kaiserslautern arrive in better shape than the hosts as they are unbeaten in two following a 0-0 away draw with VfL Wolfsburg and 0-0 draw at home to Karlsruher SC.
Waldhof are a solid but unspectacular side under Rui Mota who has brought his patented patient build up style, compact lines and selective pressing to the club. They're a hard side to watch, to be honest, but it has proven to be a solid formula so far this season with their last two results a 2-1 home win over TSV Fortuna Dusseldorf and a 3-3 draw away to FC Hansa Rostock.
The hosts are unlikely to overwhelm Kaiserslautern in the opening exchanges, but their patient play and ability to circulate the ball could be frustrating for the away side. However, Torsten Lieberknecht's side are set up in a far more pragmatic fashion with a real emphasis on vertical transitions, winning duels and being tactically flexible.
It’s the visitors who’ll come out on top
Kaiserslautern should have enough edge to win this match on Friday, but the derby atmosphere at Carl Benz Stadion, and Waldhof's ability to bite back in front of their own fans, means that this is unlikely to be a cakewalk for Die Roten Teufel.
A high-scoring game is strongly fancied, with over 2.5 goals at 1.5 and BTTS - yes at 1.42 both very attractive prices. However, the visitors are the right bet here at 2.05 as opposed to Waldhof at 2.98 or the draw at 3.75 as they are simply a level above the 3. Liga side and have far more of everything.
