Let's be honest about what we're looking at here. Eintracht Braunschweig come into this one off the back of a 0-0 friendly against RAAL La Louvière on August 1st. That's a Belgian second-division side, and Braunschweig couldn't break them down at the Eintracht-Stadion. Not exactly a statement of intent. But it's a friendly, so we don't read too much into it. What it does tell us is that the Lions are still finding their rhythm, still tinkering with combinations up front. The 1967 German champions are back in the 2. Bundesliga, a club with real history but recent seasons have been a grind. They'll be desperate to make home advantage count in front of their own fans.

VfL Bochum, meanwhile, have already played a competitive match. They lost 0-1 at home to Hertha in their league opener on August 7th. That's a worrying sign — Bochum are a club that have spent 34 seasons in the Bundesliga, they know what it takes to compete at a higher level, but they've just been relegated and the hangover is real. Losing at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion, where they usually make life miserable for visitors, is a red flag. They created little, they looked short of confidence, and now they have to travel to Braunschweig on a Friday night. Momentum is not on their side.