It is finally time for another prediction and this week we will take a look at a match for the german 3rd division. FC Saarbrücken sits at 7th while Ingolstadt is at 5th place in the league’s table. They will face each other on the 27th of January at 13:00 GMT at Ludwigspark-Stadion stadium. Now let’s take a look at each team before we analyze some numbers.
The Home Team
Football-Club Saarbrücken is a German football club based in Saarbrücken, Saarland. The club plays in the 3. Liga, the third tier of football in Germany. Established in 1903, it has faced several challenges, including being relegated to the Regionalliga Süd (III) in 2005-06, being relegated to the Oberliga Südwest in 2006-07, and being promoted to the Regionalliga West in 2010. In 2010, they were champions of the Regionalliga West and were promoted to the 3. Liga for the second consecutive season. However, they struggled in 2013-14, finishing bottom of the table.
In 2014-15, they came second in the Regionalliga and qualified for the promotion round to the 3. Liga. They missed out on promotion to the Würzburger Kickers and won the Regionalliga Südwest in 2017-18 but were defeated in the promotion play-off by 1860 Munich. In March 2020, they became the first team from the fourth tier in the history of the DFB-Pokal to reach the semi-finals. In November 2023, they defeated FC Bayern Munich in the 2023-24 DFB-Pokal, advancing to the round of 16 and meeting Eintracht Frankfurt in the final.
The Visitors
FC Ingolstadt 04, also known as FC Ingolstadt, is a German football club founded in 2004 after merging ESV Ingolstadt-Ringsee 1919 and MTV Ingolstadt 1881. The club began playing in the Oberliga Bayern (IV) and finished second in their first season. They won promotion in 2005-06 and finished fifth in the Regionalliga Süd (III) campaign in 2006-07. In 2008-09, they were restructured to the national third division and finished second and advanced to the 2. Bundesliga. However, the following months were less successful, dropping to 12th place and 17th place. In the 2020–21 3. Liga, they were part of the relegation playoffs and won 4–3 on aggregate, gaining promotion to the 2021–22 2. Bundesliga. However, they were relegated back to the 3. Liga after a 2–2 draw against Karlsruhe. FC Ingolstadt 04’s success in the league and the subsequent relegation to the 3. Liga highlight the club’s resilience and determination in the face of adversity.
The Numbers
The home team is at 7th with 30 points in 20 matches played, 7 wins, 9 draws, and 4 losses, 34 goals scored and 24 suffered. The visitors are at 5th with 32 points in 20 matches, 9 wins, 5 draws, and 6 losses, and 39 goals scored and 26 suffered.
Update
Some things have changed since I last checked this match last week. To start with the home team fell one position and is now in 8th place. Mostly thanks to a drawn against Verl on the 23rd. The visitors are almost in the same boat, but it is a boat with more holes in it, since they fell from 5th to 7th after a defeat in the hands of 16th placed Hallescher on the 20th.
Stats wise not much has changed and we can argue that both teams are almost evenly matched. The visitors with a stronger attack and he home team with a stronger defense. However, it is because they are so close to each other that we need to look for any advantage or weakness any side has so we can come up with the best decision for this match.
The visitors will be eager to save face with a victory here after their recent defeat, but the home team will be playing in their own territory and they are going on 7 matches undefeated . Things can still go either way, but based on the data I believe the home team has what it takes to take a win here, so my bet is Saarbruecken to win. Make sure to open an account at the best betting platformto make the most of this pick!