Nurnberg – Greuther Furth
2. Bundesliga, Round 6
Nuremberg, September 15, 18:30 CET
The real test of quality of the Nurnberg team will be the match on their field in Bavaria, against Greuther Furth, team which is in extremely bad shape. In the 6th round of the 2. Bundesliga, this Friday, Nurnberg will play as clear favorites for the first time this season.
Nurnberg have only lost once in their last six games in all competitions. In the last five matches, this team won as many as four times. The only defeat happened on September 2nd away to Kaiserslautern (3:1), against a team that was the clear favorite. In that match, Nurnberg conceded three goals in the first half hour of the game - and the team received a clear instruction to perform more cautiously and with more focus in the opening stages of matches.
After that, last week, Nunberg played exceptionally in a friendly match against Heidenheim in a 3:1 victory. As the host, this team scored at least two goals in the last four games and has a great opportunity to extend that streak against Greuther Furth. Also, Nurnberg plays well in away games, as evidenced by the 3:2 victory against Osnabruck (August 20).
On the other hand, the series of bad results in which Greuther Furth is, absolutely isn't a coincidence. The team has big problems in defense, they previously lost 3:1 against Hannover at home, and before that even 5:0 against Herth in Berlin. In both games, Greuther Furth already had a two-goal deficit at halftime. In a goalless draw against St. Pauli on August 19 at home, Greurther team had only two shots on target.
In the five matches that the Greuther Furth team has played so far in the 2. Bunesliga this season, only once happened that at least three goals in the game weren't scored. During the preparatory period, in five games, this team conceded 13 goals. Overall, since the beginning of the season, the only good performance of the Greuther Furth team was the 5:0 victory over Paderborn in the first round of the 2. Bundesliga, in a match played on July 30. However, in that only win so far in the 2. Bundesliga season, Greuther Furth played against 10 from the eighth minute of the game, when rival player got the red card.
Nüunberg has an exceptional opportunity, after poor results at the end of July and beginning of August, to strengthen theirselves in the upper part of the table with a victory at home. The proud club, which has been the champion of Germany nine times, has a respectable team - in which the Norwegian midfielder of exceptional technique and class Mats Moller Daehli (former Manchester United talent), and the Turkish forward Can Uzun (already scored three goals this season in the 2. Bundesliga), are particularly interesting.
In the last four games in the 2. Bundesliga Greuther Furth players scored only two goals. Counting on the poor form of a team that suffers overall from a lack of quality on the wings and in attack, the safest bet is the number of goals for the home team. In Nurnberg, they are aware that after this there will be more difficult matches, and they do not want to miss this opportunity for a potentially routine victory.