Karlsruhe started the current season in the Second Bundesliga as a potential mid-table side. Neither bookmakers, nor ordinary football fans expected the team to show such a leap forward, which it demonstrated after seven rounds. In previous seasons, Karlsruhe sometimes gave out such stretches, during which they won five or six matches in a row. In this regard, the current third place of the team is still assessed with a degree of scepticism. Darmstadt 98 last year was a full-fledged participant of the Bundesliga, but the first season showed the unreadiness of the Lilies to perform in the elite division. Actually, having been relegated to the second division, the team could not avoid the accompanying crisis and continues to search for themselves, showing only brief glimpses of coherent play. Bookmakers have identified the home team as the favourites for the upcoming meeting, offering odds of 1.66 on their victory.

Karlsruhe did not make any major changes to the squad in the off-season, but started the championship more than successfully. None of the eight official fights of the new football year did not end in defeat for the team. Karlsruhe won over "affordable" opponents, and with Fortuna Düsseldorf, Magdeburg and Cologne, they parted ways. Last weekend's match against the Goats was a highly entertaining 4-4 victory. Karlsruhe were 0-3 down in the match, but showed team spirit. Matches like this toughen up a team.

Darmstadt 98, compared to the upcoming opponent, simply failed the beginning of the season. The only game that the Lilies can truly be proud of is the clash in Gelsenkirchen, during which they lost 0:3, but managed to respond with five goals to Schalke and bring the match to a 5:3 victory. However, the next home game against Magdeburg showed that no systematic improvement of the game from Darmstadt 98 is not worth waiting for. Now the Lilies are in sixteenth place with five points, one point ahead of the teams from the relegation zone. The guests will probably start the game "second number", but Karlsruhe in this championship succeeds both from a position of strength and when they are the underdog. Let's bet on a win for the home team.