Bochum and Karlsruhe will play one of the most important games at this time of the season, and the winner will increase chances to pursue Hamburg in the title's race. The local club unexpectedly entered the group of leaders, since the beginning of the campaign Bochum only improved its own game, found stability and balance in the squad. The hosts ranked second in the league, just one point behind leading Hamburg. Bochum shows itself as a real candidate for promotion, winning five matches out of six and drew one. Surprisingly, Karlsruhe finds themselves within the leaders, and the club could be considered one of the biggest "openings" of the season. Karlsruhe will arrive in Bochum in the perfect condition, the team show an outstanding performance and play equally good at any stadium and against any opponent. In January, they managed to beat Greuther Furth, Holstein Kiel and Hannover. Bookmakers still consider Bochum to be the favourite, but guests will not have knees shaking in front of them. Both opponents have played 1.5 times more matches with three or more goals, and both have an average number of goals scored of 3 or more. Apparently, the meeting of mighty teams will be productive and effective.