Nurnberg vs Fortuna Dusseldorf

Max-Morlock-Stadion is the venue as Nurnberg and Fortuna Dusseldorf go head-to-head in an all-second tier DFB-Pokal last-16 tie.

Nurnberg kicked off their DFB-Pokal campaign with a routine 2-0 win at lower-league Kaan Marienborn before dispatching third-tier Manheim 1-0 in the last round to set up this tie. However, they’ve started the new calendar year with a whimper rather than a bang, suffering back-to-back 1-0 defeats to Greuther Furth and St. Pauli in the 2. Bundesliga. Dusseldorf’s visit to the Max-Morlock-Stadion bodes well for ‘Der Club,’ as they’ve gone unbeaten in their last three competitive H2Hs at home (W2, D1), netting an average of two goals per match. But scoring has not been Nurnberg’s strong suit of late, with Markus Weinzierl’s side bagging under 1.5 goals in three of their last four home outings in all competitions.

In the meantime, Fortuna Dusseldorf have found their early DFB-Pokal a walk in the park, registering three-goal margin victories over Kickers Offenbach and Jahn Regensburg in the opening two rounds. Another high-scoring contest could be on the cards, with Dusseldorf’s two league matches in 2023 both featuring over 4.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet (W1, L1). With both those games producing a goal beyond the 80th minute, it’s also reasonable to expect plenty of late action. Interestingly, none of Dusseldorf’s last eight competitive away fixtures have ended level (W3, L5), with Daniel Thioune’s men going from three straight wins to back-to-back losses, both of which saw them concede the opening goal inside the last ten minutes of the first half.