Settled Bielefeld side ready to keep their run going

Bundesliga 2
BT Sport 3, 7.30pm

Arminia Bielefeld finished one place off the relegation zone in Germany's second tier last season but they have made a brighter start to this campaign and are favourites to see off winless Bochum at home.

Bochum have had a troubled summer after an unspectacular mid-table campaign last season. Head coach Gertjan Verbeek was sacked midway through pre-season to be replaced by Ismail Atalan, who led Sportfreunde Lotte to promotion from the regional leagues to the Dritte Liga last year.

Atalan has overseen a 1-0 home defeat to St Pauli in the opening round and a 1-1 draw at Duisburg plus a routine 5-2 cup win at lowly Nottingen.

Bielefeld have looked more settled in their league outings, with two wins out of two over promoted Jahn Regensburg and at Greuther Furth, both by a 2-1 scoreline.

That is a fairly comfortable start to the season and Bielefeld will surely face tougher tests in the weeks and months to come than a side who managed just three away wins last season and look to be settling under a new manager.

Bielefeld boast greater firepower, having hit 31 goals at home last term, the third-highest tally in the league and one that belied their finishing position of fourth from bottom.

Only title winners Stuttgart and third-placed Braunschweig topped that mark, but the hosts shipped regularly too, conceding 23, and that should offer some hope to the visitors after their five-goal cup romp.

Fabian Klos, who scored one and set up the other in Bielefeld's win over Greuther Furth in their last league outing, is 11-2 favourite to score first.

Recommendation
Arminia Bielefeld to win and over 2.5 goals
1pt 27-10 general

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