Opposition Check – 1. FC Nürnberg (A)

Today, 1. FC Nürnberg is level on points with SV Darmstadt 98 and Berlin’s Hertha in the tight 2nd Bundesliga table and is in eleventh place. After a good start to the second half of the season with a 2-1 win against Karlsruher SC, Miroslav Klose’s team lost 3-1 against their friends from Gelsenkirchen last weekend. Now the Lilies are coming to the Max-Morlock Stadium on Friday evening (January 31st/6:30pm) for what will hopefully be an exciting floodlit game. In our opponent check we look at SV 98’s upcoming opponents.

Record goalscorer for the German national team. Germany’s Footballer of the Year 2006. World Champion 2014. Plus many other titles and trophies. Today he is head coach in the 2nd Bundesliga at 1. FC Nürnberg. After his outstanding playing career, Miroslav Klose also found his way as a coach.

The 46-year-old gained his first experience as a trainer in the youth ranks of the German national team before moving to FC Bayern Munich in 2018, initially to look after the B-juniors there and later to work as an assistant coach for the professionals. After a short stay as head coach at SCR Altach in Austria, he took over the club for the 2024/25 season.

Under his leadership, Nürnberg is currently in eleventh place in the 2nd Bundesliga. Even though Klose would have liked more points in some games, he is satisfied with his team’s development. In the balanced league, “everyone is able to beat everyone,” he explained optimistically in an interview with RTL.

Is it due to head coach Miroslav Klose, who has proven his goalscoring abilities as a striker for years? Or is it simply the individual class of the players? Probably a mix of both. 1. FC Nürnberg is not one of the teams with the most goals or shots on goal – with 34 goals this season they are the seventh strongest offensive in the competition. But when the club gets into the penalty area, it becomes extremely dangerous. With an opportunity conversion rate of 10.5 percent, FCN ranks fourth in the 2nd Bundesliga in this statistic – proof of their efficiency in front of the opponent’s goal.

Greek strikers are making more and more impressions in the 2nd Bundesliga. While Christos Tzolis almost secured promotion for Fortuna Düsseldorf last season with 22 goals, Stefanos Tzimas is now causing a sensation at 1. FC Nürnberg.

The only 19-year-old attacker, who moved to Franconia on loan from PAOK Saloniki last summer, has quickly turned out to be an absolute shooting star. With ten goals in 16 games, he is one of the most dangerous strikers in the league. A reason? He feels right at home in Nürnberg. He finds life there to be much quieter than in his homeland Thessaloniki. He received support in getting used to the game from coach Miroslav Klose and sports director Olaf Rebbe – two key figures in his move.

However, the contact came as a surprise, as Tzimas told kicker. “I was on vacation with friends when Miroslav Klose called me. “I was impressed that Miroslav Klose wanted me,” recalls the goalscorer and is convinced of his move to Nuremberg: “It was the best decision I could have made.”