SVWW narrow defeat to Champions in season finale
Pros |
History: The origins of VfL Osnabrück can be traced back to the 19th century. FC 1899 Osnabrück was founded on 17 April 1899, with the first football match involving a team from Osnabrück taking place the following year. A merger with Osnabrücker Ballspielverein 1920 and Spiel und Sport (SuS) Osnabrück four years later resulted in the birth of the club known today by the full name Verein für Leibesübungen von 1899 – or VfL Osnabrück for short. The Lily Whites enjoyed an uninterrupted spell in the second tier of German football between the mid-1960s and the 1990s. They recently spent eight years in the third division before returning to the second tier last term.
Stadium: Osnabrück has more "bridging days" than most places. But that's not because there's a plethora of public holidays in Lower Saxony; it's because VfL Osnabrück have played their home games at the Bremer Brücke since 1938, hence why their home matchdays are referred to as "bridging days". The VfL supporters have a very special attachment to the Bremer Brücke, as evidenced by their fan song: "We can all say, the Bremer Brücke has been a home to us forever and a day."
Coach: Daniel Thioune has been the head coach of the Lower Saxony outfit since November 2017. Having taken over the reins with the club languishing in 19th place, the half-German half-Senegalese coach helped them amass 37 points and beat the drop in his first campaign. The following season, Osnabrück comfortably won the third-division title with 76 points – more than twice their tally of the previous season. In 90 games under Thioune, VfL have picked up an average of 1.5 points per game.
Head-to-head record: VfL are one of the few clubs in the Bundesliga 2 that SVWW are familiar with – due to their numerous meetings in the third tier. Overall, the two clubs have faced each other 23 times (18 x in the third division and 5 x in the Bundesliga 2). SVWW have the better head-to-head record in both divisions. In the Bundesliga 2, they have two wins and two draws in addition to one defeat. Looking at the overall head-to-head statistics, the Red & Blacks have the marginally better record with 12 victories. Osnabrück, meanwhile, have won seven games, while there have been four draws as well.