Bochum vs Dusseldorf prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga – Relegation betting tips on match 2024-05-22 18:30.
[p]The climax to the Bundesliga season could barely have gone worse for Bochum, as they were dumped into the bottom three on the final day of the campaign. A 4-1 defeat to Werder Bremen, that followed hot on the heels of a 5-0 thrashing against Bayer Leverkusen, meant the Blues finished below Union Berlin – who beat Freiburg – on goal difference, and now enter the relegation play-off for the first time since 2011 (lost to Gladbach) against Fortuna Düsseldorf.[/p]
[p]To make matters worse for manager Heiko Butscher, he will be without first choice goalkeeper Manuel Riemann, who has been dropped for both legs of this tie due to “irreconcilable differences of opinion on team-related issues.” Andreas Luthe is likely to take his place, and he will be desperate to help Bochum end a mediocre run of only one win in their last six home games (D2, L3), failing to keep a clean sheet during that period.[/p]
[p]Last playing in this two-game shootout a year after Bochum back in 2012 (beat Hertha), opponents Düsseldorf will be attempting to pile on the misery, although they have only tasted success at Ruhrstadion once since February 1990 (D6, L4)! The visitors should have the momentum ahead of this game though, given they are unbeaten across their last seven outings (W5, D2), a run of form that meant they had third place in 2. Bundesliga wrapped up ahead of the final day of the campaign.[/p]
[p]Their most recent match was a memorable one, a 3-2 win over Magdeburg, courtesy of a Christos Tzolis hat-trick. Afterwards, manager Daniel Thioune declared he is “incredibly proud” of what his team have achieved this season, and is now urging them to take that final step as they attempt to return to the top flight for the first time since 2020.[/p]
[p]Key battle: Experienced goalkeeper Luthe has conceded at least two goals in each of his last six appearances for Bochum, with those games all ending in defeat. Tzolis will be the main aggressor for Düsseldorf, and he has netted first or last in his last ten goalscoring appearances (W5, D4, L1).[/p]
[p]Hot stat: 13 of Bochum’s last 16 matches have seen both teams score.[/p]