Our next opponents: Kramer takes it slowly but surely

Position

"We've only played really badly once," said coach Frank Kramer. When? But his team have yet to win this season. After matchday 6 Arminia Bielefeld are still waiting for their first victory in the current Bundesliga campaign. Instead Kramer’s slow but sure trend continues: Since the coach took over in March, nine of his eighteen Bundesliga matches have ended in a draw – and it was almost ten: In the away game at Union Berlin it looked like the game was heading for a draw until Bielefeld conceded on 88 minutes. Arminia are currently sixteenth in the league with four points from four drawn games. In all the Bundesliga matches involving Bielefeld this term there have only been nine goals – the lowest number shared with Mainz and exactly as many goals as in Bielefeld's DFB Cup first round tie. The match against Regional League Bayreuth ended in a spectacular 6-3 win.

Personnel

The list of absentees at Arminia is not too long. Affected above all: the centre of midfield. Here, the two new signings Sebastian Vasiliadis and Edimilson Fernandes were due to play an important role – however neither of them has played a single game for their new club as yet. Nevertheless: Both players were able to train with the team this week. While Sunday's match has probably come too early for Vasiliadis following his torn ankle ligament in the summer; Fernandes, on loan from Mainz, should at least have a place in the squad after recovering from an infection. Neither are apparently possibilities for the starting line-up so that the two Austrians Manuel Prietl and Alessandro Schöpf will again probably play alongside each other in holding midfield – if the latter has recovered from a cold that put him out of action during the week.

Lennart Czyborra, the left-back on loan from Genoa is set to return to the East Westphalia team after missing out in Berlin due to a hip injury. Arminia may require his services from the start on Sunday as the usual left back Jacob Laursen had to break off training during the week due to a foot injury.

Performers

Bielefeld work really hard off the ball and the defence has generally been solid this season. Kramer's team have only conceded six goals and only four teams in the top half of the table have let in less. That is no big surprise as Arminia have one of the best goalkeepers in the league in Stefan Ortega and, in front of him, is Amos Pieper who played a key role in winning the U21 European Championships for Germany in the summer. That makes Bielefeld a tough proposition for opposition attacks particularly as games involving Arminia are traditionally full of challenges. Only two teams have made more challenges this season than Arminia Bielefeld.

Problems

The big shortcoming for Bielefeld this season was evident in the opening stages of the away game in Berlin – and they knew it themselves: "We have to remind ourselves again that we don't do those things," was the self-critical assessment of midfielder Schöpf. "We have created goalscoring opportunities including clear-cut ones." But those chances were not enough for a goal against Union and Bielefeld have only scored three goals this term with only FC Augsburg finding the back of the net even less. At the same time, Arminia are ahead of a number of teams in the league rankings in terms of shots on goal and clear-cut chances created – but the goals return is poor. A conversion rate for chances of 6% puts them in the last but one position and a conversion of clear-cut chances of 25% is the third worst. "We've got to see that we take the lead once," hopes Kramer. "Then that will open up more space."

Prediction

Bielefeld have what it takes to stay up: determination as a team, a solid defence and high tactical discipline. Now Arminia have to put right the lack of finishing in the first few matches. Then they should not have to wait too long for their first win of the campaign – and staying up at the end of the season would be more than just realistic.