The 2. Bundesliga Matchweek 9 schedule runs from Friday 23 October to Sunday 25 October 2026, delivering nine matches across three days of action. At the summit, Hertha BSC attempt to protect their position against a climbing Arminia Bielefeld side, while high-scoring outfits like VfL Wolfsburg and 1. FC Nürnberg aim to close ground on the front-runners. Projections are already live for the opening fixtures, and our model publishes its calls for the remaining games on each match page the day before kickoff.
Standout fixture: Hertha BSC vs Arminia Bielefeld
Hertha BSC enter the weekend at the top of the table after collecting 22 points from their first eight games. Stefan Leitl's side are unbeaten in seven league matches and back up their position with strong underlying numbers, having scored 19 times while conceding only eight. Although Gustaf Nilsson, Boris Lum and Márton Dárdai are carrying injuries, top scorer Josip Brekalo has four goals to his name and provides consistent threat in the final third.
Arminia Bielefeld travel to the capital in 8th place with 11 points and arrive in steady form following consecutive victories over VfL Osnabrück and VfL Bochum. Joel Grodowski has already produced five goals in all competitions, giving the visitors a clear focal point in attack despite Daniel Richter being ruled out through injury. Bielefeld's even record of 13 scored and 13 conceded reflects an open approach that regularly yields chances at both ends.
Our model leans toward a Hertha BSC win with medium confidence, expecting their superior chance creation to tell over 90 minutes. A Hertha win or draw is projected with matching confidence, while the goals projection suggests more than 2.5 goals in the match alongside both teams to score. In terms of exact scorelines, the model offers a cautious, low-confidence call of a 2-1 home victory.
Friday
VfL Bochum vs VfL Wolfsburg VfL Bochum sit 16th with seven points and continue to struggle for offensive rhythm, having failed to score in three of their four home matches this season. Philipp Hofmann leads their charts with two goals, but injuries to Babis Drakas, Enis Çokaj and Jean Manuel Mbom limit options. In contrast, 3rd-placed VfL Wolfsburg have produced 22 league goals, driven by Robert Glatzel's five-goal tally and creative service from Fabian Reese, even with Christian Eriksen, Aster Vranckx and Fraser Hornby sidelined. Our model makes a medium-confidence call for a VfL Wolfsburg win, alongside a firm projection for more than 2.5 goals.
SV Darmstadt 98 vs FC St. Pauli SV Darmstadt 98 sit second from bottom in 17th place having conceded 18 goals in eight outings without recording a single clean sheet, an issue compounded by absences for Carlo Sickinger, Fabian Nürnberger and Luca Marseiler. They host an unbeaten FC St. Pauli side holding 7th position on 11 points, led in attack by Abdoulie Ceesay with four goals. The model offers a cautious, low-confidence call for an away win for FC St. Pauli, while projecting both teams to score and more than 2.5 goals with medium confidence.
Saturday
1. FC Heidenheim vs Energie Cottbus Frank Schmidt's 1. FC Heidenheim side have established a reliable platform at home with three victories from four outings, supported by a positive rolling expected-goals difference that places them 5th on 14 points. Sirlord Conteh is doubtful, but Budu Zivzivadze offers punch in attack. 9th-placed Energie Cottbus travel with Justin Butler on five goals, though injuries to Axel Borgmann, Erik Engelhardt and Julian Guttau test their depth. Our model issues a medium-confidence call for a Heidenheim win, alongside firm, high-confidence projections for both teams to score and over 2.5 goals.
1. FC Magdeburg vs Karlsruher SC
- FC Magdeburg occupy 6th spot after recording three successive home wins without conceding, with Emmanuel Iyoha pacing their attack on five goals under Petrik Sander. Karlsruher SC sit 13th and have collected just two points from three away matches, scoring only twice on their travels, while Héliton and Moritz Broschinski remain out injured. Shio Fukuda has three goals for the visitors, but our model gives the edge to the hosts, leaning toward a 1. FC Magdeburg win with medium confidence.
1. FC Nürnberg vs 1. FC Kaiserslautern Second-placed 1. FC Nürnberg have scored 21 goals in eight matches, propelled by Mohamed Alì Zoma's seven strikes across all competitions, though injuries keep Finn Becker, Kristian Mandic and Mikayil Faye out. They host 4th-placed 1. FC Kaiserslautern, who boast the division's tightest back line with only four goals conceded all season. With Erencan Yardımcı leading their scoring on two goals, the visitors test Nürnberg's free-scoring attack in an encounter that puts two distinct tactical strengths against each other.
Sunday
Eintracht Braunschweig vs Hannover 96 Eintracht Braunschweig sit 15th with seven points after dropping two of their last three matches, leaning on Jan Urbich's four goals as Frederik Jäkel deals with injury. 14th-placed Hannover 96 sit just one point ahead of them following a 1-1 draw with FC St. Pauli, though Mustapha Bundu is ruled out. Hannover rely on Lars Timo Gindorf, who has three goals, to spark an attack that has managed eight goals in eight rounds.
Holstein Kiel vs Dynamo Dresden Holstein Kiel sit bottom of the table in 18th place on five points, hampered by injuries to Frederik Roslyng, Hamza Muqaj and Lasse Rosenboom despite Phil Harres netting four goals. Dynamo Dresden arrive in 11th after a 2-0 win over Magdeburg, though Kenneth Schmidt, Lars Bünning and Thomas Leon Keller are sidelined. Niklas Hauptmann leads Dresden with two goals as they look to build on their recent defensive shutout.
VfL Osnabrück vs SpVgg Greuther Fürth 12th-placed VfL Osnabrück are searching for consistency after picking up two draws and a defeat in their last three outings, with Robin Meißner scoring three times this season. SpVgg Greuther Fürth sit 10th on nine points, boosted by Felix Klaus's seven goals across all competitions, although injuries to Benjamin Zank, Maxim Dal and Silas Prüfrock test their squad depth away from home.
Table implications
Matchweek 9 carries plenty of potential movement across both ends of the standings. A victory for Hertha BSC would preserve their lead at the summit, but any slip gives 1. FC Nürnberg an opening to reduce the four-point gap. At the other end of the division, SV Darmstadt 98, VfL Bochum and Holstein Kiel are separated by just two points in the bottom three, meaning positive results this weekend could alter the relegation places before November arrives.
