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The 2022-23 2 Bundesliga campaign kicks off this weekend, with Sandhausen hosting Arminia Bielefeld at the BWT-Stadion am Hardtwarld on Saturday noon.
The hosts endured a tough campaign last season, finishing just outside the drop zone for the third time in four seasons. They finished 14th in the league with 41 points from 34 games and will look to put up a stronger showing this campaign. Sandhausen enjoyed a solid preseason, winning two of their three games and drawing the other.
Arminia Bielefeld, meanwhile, have returned to the second tier after spending back-to-back seasons in the Bundesliga. They barely escaped the drop in the 2020-21 season and hoped for a repeat of that last campaign but ran out of luck.
The Blues closed out their preseason with comprehensive wins over Olympiacos and PSV Eindhoven. They will now look to kick off their league campaign with maximum points as they seek a return to the top flight.
Sandhausen vs Arminia Bielefeld Head-to-Head
There have been 15 meetings between Sandhausen and Arminia Bielefeld. The hosts have won just three of those games, while Bielefeld have won six. There have been six draws between the two teams, including their most recent matchup, which ended goalless.
Sandhausen Form Guide (All Competitions): D-W-W-W-L.
Arminia Bielefeld Form Guide (All Competitions): W-W-L-D-L.
Sandhausen vs Arminia Bielefeld Team News
Sandhausen
Cebio Soukou has been out of action since June after picking up an injury while on international assignment with Benin and will remain out of the squad this weekend. Aleksandr Zhirov is not fully fit and could sit this one out.
Injured: Cebio Soukou.
Doubtful: Aleksandr Zhirov.
Suspended: None.
Unavailable: None.
Arminia Bielefeld
Manager Uli Forte has no injury or suspension concerns. Team captain Fabian Klos has returned to fitness after a lengthy spell on the sidelines and should start here.
Injured: None.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None.
Unavailable: None.
Sandhausen vs Arminia Bielefeld Predicted XIs
Sandhausen (4-2-3-1): Patrick Drewes; Chima Okoroji, Immanuel Hohn, Dario Dumic, Dennis Diekmeier; Tom Trybull, Erik Zenga; David Kinsombi, Janik Bachmann, Christian Kinsombi; Ahmed Kutucu.
Arminia Bielefeld (3-4-1-2): Stefanos Kapino; Frederik Jakel, Andres Andrade, Oliver Husing; Jacob Laursen, Manuel Prietl, Sebastian Vasiliadis, George Bello; Masaya Okugawa; Janni Serra, Fabian Klos.
Sandhausen vs Arminia Bielefeld Prediction
Sandhausen have enjoyed a solid preseason after losing two of their final three games in the previous season. They struggled to pick up points on home turf last season and will hope for better luck this time around.
Bielefeld, meanwhile, put out impressive performances in their pre-season friendlies and will look forward to the new season. They are the stronger of the two teams and should be able to win here.
Prediction: Sandhausen 1-2 Arminia Bielefeld.
