Both teams will be desperate to escape from the automatic relegation spots when VfL Bochum host Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga on Friday evening.
These teams are the last remaining sides without a victory in Germany's top flight this season, leaving them in the bottom two after FC Koln ended their own winless record last weekend.
Match preview
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For Bochum, a fifth draw in nine matches would be enough to see them leapfrog Koln into the relegation playoff position for the time being, but Thomas Letsch will be demanding all three points at Vonovia-Ruhrstadion on Friday.
The 55-year-old won his first five home games in the Bundesliga after being appointed as manager last September, taking Bochum from the foot of the table to two points clear of the relegation zone by the end of the campaign.
Die Unabsteigbaren have now matched their unwanted record from last season of beginning with a run of eight winless games, after losing 2-1 away to Freiburg last weekend. Goncalo Paciencia had provided the visitors with the lead in the 15th minute, but strikes from Ritsu Doan and Vincenzo Grifo proved enough to help Christian Streich's side to victory.
Having lost on penalties to Arminia Bielefeld in the first round of the DFB-Pokal in their first competitive match this season, Bochum have forgotten what winning feels like, but doing so against struggling Mainz would be enough to take them into 13th position ahead of Saturday's action subsequently unfolding.
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Mainz, meanwhile, would not have expected to be rooted to the bottom of the table with only two points from eight games, having performed so well since Bo Svensson took charge in January 2021.
Their former player defied the odds to guide them away from relegation danger in his opening half-season, before securing two successive top-half placings by finishing eighth and ninth with a highly respectable tally of 46 points on both occasions.
As expected, Mainz were soundly beaten by Bayern Munich at MEWA Arena last weekend, with Leon Goretzka's strike just before the hour mark restoring the Bavarians' two-goal advantage after Anthony Caci had pulled one back just before half time. Early goals from Kingsley Coman and Harry Kane had suggested that the hosts could be in for a long, painful afternoon, but they fought hard to avoid a potentially damaging thrashing.
With fixtures against the likes of Bochum, SV Darmstadt 98, Koln and Heidenheim all to come prior to the winter break, Svensson and his players will not be panicking just yet, but their unprecedented 15-year stay in the Bundesliga will be at serious risk of coming to an end if they cannot turn results around sooner rather than later.
Team News
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Bochum could be deprived of the services of their most recent goalscorer Paciencia, who was substituted after scoring against Freiburg due to a leg injury. Philipp Hofmann would almost certainly replace him in attack should the former Schalke 04 forward be ruled out as expected.
Patrick Osterhage, Matus Bero, Michael Esser and Luis Hartwig could all join Paciencia on the treatment table, while Kevin Stoger is a doubt due to illness. Philipp Forster will be on standby to replace Stoger from the outset after doing so after 75 minutes last time out.
Mainz, meanwhile, will travel without Philipp Mwene, Nelson Weiper, Andreas Hanche-Olsen and Jonathan Burkardt due to injury. Svensson will be itching to see Burkardt, in particular, return to first-team training, but the 23-year-old's knee injury could keep him out until after the upcoming international break in November.
Karim Onisiwo should be fit enough to start for the visitors after appearing from the bench against Bayern, with youngster Brajan Gruda likely to make way for him, but that may be Svensson's only change after witnessing his team perform reasonably well despite falling to defeat against the reigning champions.
VfL Bochum possible starting lineup:
Riemann; Ordets, Schlotterbeck, Soares; Gamboa, Losilla, Forster, Bernardo; Asano, Antwi-Adjei; Hofmann
Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:
Zentner; Fernandes, Bell, Van Den Berg; Da Costa, Barreiro, Kohr, Caci; Onisiwo, Lee; Ajorque
We say: VfL Bochum 1-1 Mainz 05
Even at this early stage of the campaign, this meeting has all the makings of a relegation dogfight, with both teams winless across their opening eight games apiece.
As such, there is likely to be plenty of nerves and a lack of quality on display, with both managers scared to see their team fall to defeat. We can envisage a low-scoring draw as a result.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Brett Curtis
