Fortuna Dusseldorf vs Hannover 96 Predictions

Dusseldorf now have little left to play for; they’re in no danger of being relegated, while they cannot get anywhere near the top seven. A relaxing final day is in store for Friedhelm Funkel’s men, who’ve done extremely well to avoid a fight for survival in their first Bundesliga campaign. In contrast, Saturday’s opponents have already been consigned to the second tier of German football.

By scoring twice in defeat at Dortmund last weekend, Dusseldorf acquitted themselves well; they weren’t great at the back, though they can be forgiven for struggling to contain one of the most attacking sides in the division. More importantly, they offered a considerable threat going forward, which suggests that they can do well against lesser opposition on Saturday.

Some Dusseldorf’s recent efforts at home have been encouraging. Funkel’s men lost against both Bayern and Frankfurt, though they recently battered Bremen and Gladbach, winning 4-1 and 3-0. Such wins against top-eight teams bode well ahead of a match against lowly Hannover. The fact that Dusseldorf also made light work of beating both Nurnberg and Stuttgart, who accompany Hannover in the drop-zone, at this venue is also positive.

While Dusseldorf have often done well at home this season, Hannover have struggled massively on their travels. Saturday’s have picked up a measly five points from 16 travelling matches. Only Nurnberg have taken less points than Hannover away from home during the current Bundesliga campaign. In fact, no team in the entire division has won less away games than Hannover, who’re yet to taste success away from home. Die Roten are yet to win away from home this term. Unless they beat Dusseldorf on Saturday afternoon, Hannover will have gone through an entire campaign without registering a win on their travels.

Unsurprisingly, given that they’ve not won away from home all season, Hannover have posted a miserable set of underlying figures on the road. The visitors average just 0.89 expected goals for, while they’ve surrendered an average of 1.99. They’ve also conceded more shots on target (away from home) than any other Bundesliga team, while they’re the only side to surrender 100+.

In the betting, ‘Dusseldorf to Win & Under 3.5 Goals’ stands out as a viable option. Hannover have been there for the taking in almost all of their away matches this season and the hosts have the quality to take advantage, as they’ve shown in previous home games against lowly teams. That said, punters shouldn’t expect Dusseldorf to go mad. With an average of 1.36 expected goals for at home, a relatively low-scoring win for the hosts appeals most.