The previous round brought Darmstadt 98 their second defeat in the current Second Bundesliga. They suffered their first league defeat last July in Regensburg in the first round of the new season. After that defeat, the Ninety-eighths were unbeaten in the league, giving away points to their opponents only as a result of draws. Arminia finished second from bottom in the Bundesliga last season. But the club's current run in Germany's second division is not just about having no ambition of making it back to the elite, but with a direct threat of relegation to the Third Division. The motivation of both opponents for the upcoming match will be off the charts, so skill and a willingness to face serious challenges will come to the fore. Before the meeting in Bielefeld, bookmakers expectedly identified Darmstadt 98 as the favourite, but the odds on their victory were quite high - 2.21.

Arminia are in a really bad position in the standings, but you can't call it hopeless. On the one hand, there is only one point separating the team from the bottom of the table. On the other hand, with a couple of wins in the high density of the bottom half of the standings, you can "jump" almost to the middle. Since the resumption of the German championship, Arminia took part in six rounds, which resulted in only four points from a possible 18. Arminia lost in February to clubs comparable in strength to their upcoming opponents. Hamburg beat the Bielefeld side 2-1 and Heidenheim 1-0.

Darmstadt 98 managed to significantly worsen their lead with just their second defeat of the season. The 98ers were at least looking for a draw, but conceded the only goal of the game in the 89th minute. The win by Hudenheim reduced Darmstadt 98's lead to three points over that club, and to two points over Hamburg. It is very unlikely that the most stable club in the Second Bundesliga would lose in a second round in a row, and do so in a meeting with one of the championship's outsiders. In the first leg, Darmstadt 98 and Arminia played out a 1-1 draw. We can expect a higher level of play from the visitors on Saturday.