2. Bundesliga preview: VfL Bochum vs. Greuther Fürth

Preview, team news and predicted lineups as VfL Bochum welcome Greuther Fürth to the Vonovia Ruhrstadion on Saturday afternoon.

Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images

In a meeting between two sides who have made contrasting starts to the 2026/27 campaign, Bochum will be looking to build on last weekend’s victory at Dynamo Dresden when they welcome Greuther Fürth to the Ruhrstadion.

Uwe Rösler’s side have taken six points from their opening four league matches, with both of their victories coming away from home. Their only home games so far have both ended in 1-0 defeats, against Hertha BSC and newly promoted VfL Osnabrück, leaving Bochum with plenty to prove in front of their own supporters.

After beginning the campaign with a defeat to Hertha, Bochum responded with a 1-0 win at Eintracht Braunschweig before suffering another narrow home defeat to Osnabrück. They bounced back once again last weekend, however, claiming a 2-1 victory away to Dynamo Dresden.

Koji Miyoshi was the difference-maker at the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion, scoring twice in the first half before Dresden pulled one back through a Ben Bobzien strike. Bochum held on for an important three points and moved into the top half of the table.

The result also continued an impressive defensive record for Rösler’s side, who have conceded just three goals in their opening four league matches. However, scoring goals remains an obvious area for improvement, with Bochum having found the net only three times in the league so far.

Bochum will also be hoping to finally translate their away form into results on home soil. Rösler has previously stressed the importance of making the Ruhrstadion a difficult place for opponents to visit, while his side’s strong defensive foundations have provided a platform for them to remain competitive despite their limited attacking output.

Greuther Fürth, meanwhile, have taken four points from their opening four matches and currently sit in the lower half of the table.

The Kleeblatt began the campaign with a respectable 1-1 draw away to St. Pauli before suffering a heavy 4-2 home derby defeat against Nürnberg. Heiko Vogel’s side then responded in spectacular fashion, winning 4-3 away at Energie Cottbus after an entertaining encounter.

Their most recent outing ended in disappointment, however, as Fürth were beaten 1-0 at home by newly relegated Heidenheim. The result leaves them with seven goals scored and nine conceded from their opening four league fixtures.

Fürth will nevertheless travel to Bochum knowing they were arguably unfortunate not to get more from their previous meeting with Rösler’s side.

The two clubs faced each other in the first round of the DFB-Pokal in August, with Bochum securing a 2-1 victory at the Sportpark Ronhof. Fürth dominated possession with 65 percent of the ball and registered 22 shots, but a resilient Bochum side held on despite spending much of the second half defending.

Vogel believes Saturday’s encounter could look very different, with Bochum likely to adopt a more aggressive approach now that they are playing at home.

“I believe Bochum will approach things differently at home. I can very well imagine that they will attack much more vehemently and try to disrupt us very early when we have possession,” Vogel said ahead of the game.

The Fürth coach also believes that Bochum’s more aggressive approach could create opportunities for his side, particularly the space behind the home defence.

“That could give us more space behind the last line, which can also be pleasant because it makes many things easier for us to create a threat,” he added.

The visitors will therefore be hoping to make better use of the chances they create this time around after failing to turn their dominance into victory in the cup.

Bochum won both league meetings last season, triumphing 3-0 away from home in November before recording a 2-1 home victory in April. Philipp Hofmann scored twice in the latter encounter and has enjoyed an impressive record against his former club, having scored in each of his last five 2. Bundesliga appearances against Fürth before that game. 

Saturday’s meeting will therefore give Fürth an immediate opportunity to avenge their recent cup defeat, while Bochum will be looking to make it three consecutive victories over the Kleeblatt and finally record their first home win of the league campaign.

Team news

VfL Bochum: Babis Drakas, Jean Manuel Mbom and Enis Cokaj are expected to miss out. 

Greuther Fürth: Benjamin Zank is unavailable through injury. Maxim Dal is also expected to remain out after suffering a shoulder injury. 

Predicted lineups

VfL Bochum (4-2-3-1): Horn; Olsen, Steinwender, Mets, Wittek; Meyer, Pannewig; Rasmussen, Miyoshi, Holtmann; Hofmann.

Greuther Fürth (4-2-3-1): Hellstern; Dehm, Heuer, Keresztes, Itter; Bansé, Will; Pohlmann, Appelkamp, Klaus; Jordan.