Fortuna Dusseldorf-Bochum is a match valid for the return leg of the Bundesliga promotion-relegation playoff and is played Monday at 8:30 p.m.: predictions.
Cyclone Fortuna Dusseldorf in the first leg of the promotion-relegation playoff literally swept away Bochum, annihilated 3-0 at home. A result that surprised up to a point, if we consider the disastrous performance the Bundesliga team has had in recent weeks.
The two heavy defeats to Bayer Leverkusen and, above all, Werder Bremen were alarm bells that should not be underestimated. The fact is that, in front of their own public, Heiko Butscher’s white-blacks failed to hold off the offensive power of the guests, not surprisingly the best attack in the Zweite Liga, and are now one step away from relegation after three years in the top flight. Fortuna Dusseldorf showed overall that they are definitely more on the ball than an unrecognizable Bochum. And its best men, including the Greek Tzolis, made the difference. The Hellenic, the cadet league’s top scorer with 22 goals, could not find the way to the goal but was one of the best on the field, even providing the assist to Klaus, author of the 2-0 win. The red and white club can now even afford to lose by two goals, and frankly a Bochum comeback seems impossible to us, especially after watching the two teams at work last Thursday.
Fortuna thus came very close to another feat: in the 2011-12 season they managed to win promotion to the Bundesliga through a playoff, an event that has occurred only three times in the past 15 years.
The Prediction
Bochum will have to attempt a desperate comeback in a fiery stadium. Frankly, four goals seem to us almost impossible to recover for a team that seemed destined for a quiet salvation and instead collapsed at the most beautiful moment, revealing heavy defensive limitations. As in the first leg, emotions should not be lacking: more than two total goals and at least one on each side.
The probable lineups of Fortuna Dusseldorf-Bochum
FORTUNA DUSSELDORF (4-2-3-1): Kastenmeier; Zimmermann, Oberdorf, de Wijs, Iyoha; Engelhardt, Tanaka; Klaus, Sobottka, Tzolis; Vermeij.
BOCHUM (4-2-3-1): Luthe; Passlack, Ordets, Schlotterbeck, Bernardo; Losilla, Osterhage; Broschinski, Stöger, Wittek; Hofmann.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 3-2
