VfL Bochum and Holstein Kiel are winless after three Bundesliga matches heading into Saturday's gameweek four encounter at Vonovia Ruhrstadion.
Both sides have had it rough at the start of the new campaign, with the home team unable to shake off last term's struggles and the away side's debut top-flight season not going swimmingly — underscored by last weekend's 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Bayern Munich.
Match preview
Bochum needed a relegation playoff to preserve their Bundesliga status and continue to struggle for results in 2024-25, highlighted by losing three on the trot against RB Leipzig, Borussia Monchengladbach and Freiburg.
Although Die Unabsteigbaren had the fourth-best attack in the bottom half in 2023-24 and the most prolific frontline among the bottom three, they have suffered from a shortage of goals after three rounds, finding the net only in the recent 2-1 reverse at Freiburg.
Peter Zeidler's men rank third from bottom heading into gameweek four as they seek their first triumph of the new term, keen to kickstart a season that has started disappointingly following three consecutive losses as the new boss aims to avoid last year's survival battle.
However, the 16th-placed outfit must turn their form in North Rhine-Westphalia around, having secured maximum points once in front of their supporters in seven Bundesliga fixtures, losing four in that period dating to last season.
Their ongoing travails follow a period where they could do little wrong on home soil in which they lost just once between April 2023 and February 2024, including an eight-match undefeated sequence that saw them beat Bayern 3-2 seven months back.
Despite firing blanks when they hosted Gladbach at the backend of August, the Blues hope to turn the tide against their promoted opponents.
Still acclimating to new surroundings, Kiel got a taste of what life in the top division could look like in last weekend's 6-1 loss at the hands of Vincent Kompany's Bayern, who went on to score three more in Tuesday's 9-2 Champions League beatdown of Dinamo Zagreb.
Unlike their opponents, who have exited the domestic cup and are toiling in front of goal, Marcel Rapp's team are in the second round of the Pokal and have netted two more than Bochum after three gameweeks.
Nevertheless, the debutants hope to put their dispiriting home defeat against the Bavarian giants behind them in their second road fixture of the campaign.
Although they participated in the second division, Die Storche were the strongest away side in their promotion season, losing twice on their travels all season, and they showed signs of being competitive on the road on the opening day when they ran Hoffenheim close in a 3-2 reverse.
Fresh off the experience of back-to-back defeats in front of their supporters against Wolfsburg (2-0) and Bayern (6-1), the new boys hope to achieve their first positive result in the Bundesliga at the fourth time of asking this weekend.
Team News
Philipp Hofmann was Bochum's hero in the relegation playoff last term when he scored twice in the reverse fixture to force extra time, but the forward has yet to open his account this term and may accept a role on the hosts' bench.
Bernardo (knee) and Ivan Ordets (shoulder) are not expected to feature for the home side, thus thinning Zeidler's defensive options.
With Kiel's leading goalscorer last term Steven Skrzybski (calf) missing, the visiting side will look to Benedikt Pichler and veteran Lewis Holtby to deliver the goods in gameweek four.
Skrzybski could be joined on the sidelines by Andu Yobel Kelati and Colin Noah Kleine-Bekel (both have knee issues), while Alexander Bernhardsson is carrying a knock.
VfL Bochum possible starting lineup:
Drewes; Passlack, Medic, Masovic, Wittek; Miyoshi, Sissoko, Bero; De Wit; Broschinski, Boadu
Holstein Kiel possible starting lineup:
Weiner; Becker, Johansson, Erras, Javorcek; Porath, Knudsen, Remberg, Holtby; Pichler, Machino
We say: VfL Bochum 2-1 Holstein Kiel
While Bochum will fancy themselves against wet-behind-the-ears opposition in Kiel, the new boys hope their expertise on the road under Rapp stands them in good stead in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Even though Saturday's outcome could be a score draw, we back the hosts to eke out a marginal victory against the promoted side to register their first points of the season.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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