BOCHUM FACT FILE
Thursday, 09. May 2019, 15:39 Uhr
The final home game of the season is fast approaching, with VfL Bochum the visitors to the Millerntor on Sunday (1530 CET). As usual, we've taken a closer look at our forthcoming opponents.
Strong-running Losilla
Bochum's Anthony Losilla is just 2.56 kilometres short of overtaking Bielefeld's Manuel Prietl in the ranking of players with the most distance covered. In 30 appearances to date, Losilla has clocked up an impressive 364.2 kilometres for an average of 12.14 km per game. Besides Prietl (366.76 km in total, 12.23 km per game), only Union Berlin's Grischa Prömel (12.41 km per game) has done more running than Losilla.
Prolific Hinterseer
Bochum have had an average season so far, chalking up 11 wins, 9 draws and 12 defeats. Lukas Hinterseer, in contrast, is having his best second division season ever, having found the net 18 times already. Looking back over the last ten seasons, that total would have seen him finish as the league's leading goalscorer on four occasions. Not this season, though, in view of Cologne's lethal pairing of Simon Terodde (28 goals) and Jhon Córdoba (20 goals).
Double-digit Riemann
Experienced VfL keeper Manuel Riemann has already picked the ball out of the net 48 times this term. Riemann, who has yet to miss a minute thus far, has kept ten clean sheets to leave him in third place behind Union's Rafal Gikiewicz (13 shutouts) and HSV's Julian Pollersbeck (12). It is the first time in four years that Riemann has reached double figures. In the 2014/15 season the 30-year-old shot-stopper kept 12 clean sheets in the colours of SV Sandhausen, having registered 15 shutouts the previous season.
Excellent youth work
When Finn Ole Becker made his debut against Arminia Bielefeld, he was 18 years, 10 months and six days old, and thus the first player born in 2000 to play for FC St. Pauli. VfL Bochum, however, have used three players this season who were not born until 2001. In Armel Bella-Kotchap, who made his bow in the 3-2 defeat at Aue in late April aged just 17 years, four months and 17 days, Bochum boast the youngest player to have featured in the second division this season. Stelios Kokovas (five appearances, debut aged 17 years, eight months and 24 days) and Moritz Römling (three appearances, debut aged 17 years, nine months and 24 days) sit third and fourth in the ranking of the youngest players to make an appearance this season. The Bochum squad also includes another nine homegrown talents who between them have made 282 appearances and scored seven goals, more than any other team.
Welcome guests
Sunday's visitors Bochum have proved to be very popular "guests" this season, having won just two of their 16 away games to date. Robin Dutt's side have picked up a mere 13 points on the road – fewer than any other team. Bochum have yet to register a win away from home in 2019, their last success coming just before Christmas when they won 3-2 at FC Cologne.
Photos: Witters / Eibner