An exciting fixture awaits on Sunday, with two teams who look capable of both scoring and conceding plenty of goals facing off as Magdeburg play host to Holstein Kiel in the early stages of the season.
Magdeburg kicked off the season in disastrous fashion, suffering a 6-1 home defeat to Braunschweig in the opening round. Petrik Sander’s men did, however, respond emphatically the following week, dispatching Osnabrück 3-0 away from home.
They carried that momentum into DFB-Pokal action last weekend, defeating Oberliga side Bahlinger SC 4-0 away from home, with Mateusz Żukowski and Falko Michel both scoring braces.
Sander has backed his side to continue their good form on Sunday:
“We hope that the two wins have put us on the right track. We need to bring that same momentum to the court on Sunday. Kiel has almost perfected the art of rotating players and constantly shifting positions. But it’s all very structured and well-thought-out. We’ve prepared the team accordingly.”
Kiel have been unspectacular but at least consistent, opening the season with two consecutive 2-2 draws in almost identical circumstances, albeit in reverse. They initially threw away a two-goal lead to draw in Darmstadt before recovering from two goals down at home to St. Pauli the following week.
They used the Pokal to their advantage, however, securing their first win of the season with a 2-0 victory over 1860 München away from home. Phil Harres and Guillermo Balzi were on the scoresheet for the Storks.
Magdeburg held the edge in last season’s meetings, taking four points from Kiel after drawing 3-3 at home before securing a 3-1 victory away from home. Kiel have not won away at Magdeburg since 2022.
The two managers have faced each other just once, with Sander coming out on top on that occasion. Sander has also never lost against Kiel in two meetings, while Tim Walter has won just two of his six encounters with Magdeburg, losing three.
Team news1. FC Magdeburg: In addition to long-term absentee Lubambo Musonda, who is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, Herbert Bockhorn will definitely be unavailable due to suspension following his red card. All other players are fit and available for selection.
Holstein Kiel: Long-term absentees Lasse Rosenboom, who is recovering from a syndesmosis ligament tear, and Frederik Roslyng, who is rehabilitating from a meniscus injury, remain sidelined.
Andu Kelati (thigh tendon injury), Sebastian Schonlau (recovering from a muscle fibre tear), Steven Skrzybski (foot contusion), Taisei Abe (back problems) and Giorgi Kvilitaia (muscle injury) continue to make good progress but are not yet available for selection.
Moritz Reimers is also unavailable after suffering a torn ankle ligament.
Predicted lineups1. FC Magdeburg (4-3-3): Reimann; Nadjombe, Müller, Garcia MacNulty, Nollenberger; Michel, Kwarteng, Hyryläinen; Iyoha, Żukowski, Atik.
Holstein Kiel (4-1-4-1): Weiner; Sekine, Nekic, Zec, Tolkin; Meffert; Kapralik, Balzi, Davidsen, de Regt; Harres.
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