Bochum vs Fortuna Dusseldorf Prediction 23.05.2024

• Competition: Germany - Bundesliga Playoffs
• Date: Thursday, 23rd, May 2024
• Kickoff: 19:30 UTC +1 / 20.30 CEST
• Venue: Vonovia Ruhrstadion (Bochum)

Thursday evening will see Bochum squaring off against Fortuna Dusseldorf at Vonovia-Ruhrstadion for the opening leg of the Bundesliga promotion/relegation playoff.

Bochum vs Fortuna Dusseldorf Betting Tips: BTTS

While they entered the closing matchday of the Bundesliga knowing that just a point would be enough to confirm their top-flight status for another season, Bochum's quest to achieve it suffered a huge blow as Werder Bremen handed them a crushing 1-4 defeat.

Their own humiliation at the Weserstadion, combined with Union Berlin's dramatic last-gasp 2-1 victory over Freiburg, has seen Die Blauen slide to the precarious 16th spot, forcing them into a battle with Fortuna Dusseldorf to avoid relegation from the elite tier.

Despite being stuck in a slump with only two wins from their last 12 games, Bochum will lean on tradition, which shows that top-tier clubs have retained their status through the relegation playoffs in 12 out of 15 istances since the playoffs were reintroduced in the 2008-09 season.

Adding to Bundesliga outfit's worries is the inconsistency of their backline, as Heiko Butscher's side has allowed a troubling number of three or more goals in each of their past three league outings, while managing to register just one clean sheet since the turn of the calendar year.

At the opposite end of the pitch stands Fortuna Dusseldorf, precisely one of those three sides that managed to outshine a Bundesliga outfit through the two-legged playoffs to earn their promotion to Germany's top division, a feat achieved back in the 2011-12 campaign by defeating Hertha Berlin 4-3 on aggregate.

In an attempt to ascend to the highest level of German football for the seventh time, the Flingeraner enter the first leg of the playoff tie against Bochum with high optimism, having strung together an commendable 14-game unbeaten streak in the 2. Bundesliga, a brilliant form that earned them a third-place finish in the second tier.

Ahead of Thursday's pivotal showdown, Fortuna's striker Christos Tzolis is in red-hot form, having ended the league season in majestic fashion by netting a hat-trick to help his team overcome Magdeburg in a five-goal thriller, a stellar performance that earned him the "golden boot."

Considering both sides will assess their chances of taking the lead in the first-leg tie, an open encounter is expected, which could result in an exciting draw. Thanks to their knack for finding the net consistently but a poorly-organized defense, Bochum have often found themselves embroiled in high-scoring affairs this term, with 24 out of their 34 Bundesliga outings ending in BTTS. Fortuna has also proven to be prolific in finding the path to the opponent's net, indicating that the nets at both ends of the Vonovia-Ruhrstadion are likely to bulge.