2. Bundesliga
Klose prepares to face former side Kaiserslautern
Miroslav Klose, in charge at Nuremberg since the start of the season, is preparing for a Friday night fixture against Kaiserslautern, the club at which he announced himself on the Bundesliga stage. An enthralling duel is expected at the Max-Morlock-Stadion, not just because of the history between the two sides, but also given the current league standings.
Nuremberg currently occupy sixth position in the table and are four places ahead of upcoming opponents Kaiserslautern, which might sound like a considerable gap, but in typical Bundesliga 2 fashion, just one point separates the two teams. Defeat at home for Klose's side would see them slip down the table, as they will be overtaken by last year’s DFB Cup finalists and potentially other sides like Magdeburg and Hertha Berlin who are eager to keep pace with the early promotion contenders.
The tight table reflects the excitement of the opening 11 matchdays of the 2024/25 campaign, of which both Nuremberg and Lautern have had their fair share. Take goal-laden Matchday 10 for example: Whilst Nuremberg won 8-3 against fellow Bavarian side Jahn Regensburg, the Red Devils claimed a thrilling 4-3 away victory over current league leaders Fortuna Düsseldorf. Both sides will be looking to return to winning ways after drawing their last league fixture, as FCN took a point away from Hamburg's Volksparkstadion whilst Kaiserslautern picked up a point in a 2-2 draw against Magdeburg.
Watch: Nuremberg 8-3 Jahn Regensburg - highlights
Striker-turned-coach Klose certainly seems to have passed on his attacking wisdom to his players, as only last weekend’s opponents HSV have bettered their tally of 24 league goals so far this season.
Midfielder Julian Justvan, who has netted three goals and registered four assists, currently leads in terms of goal involvements at Der Club and is confident ahead of the meeting with Lautern: “We can go into it with our heads up. We need to get another reward for the performances we’ve been putting in recently on Friday.”
Friday night’s visitors to the Max-Morlock-Stadion have scored 20 goals in their opening 11 league fixtures, eight of which have come from set-play scenarios, the most of any side in Bundesliga 2.
Klose’s side will need to be wary of the threat the Red Devils pose from the dead ball if they wish to get anything from this game. Despite their strength at taking set-pieces, Kaiserslautern have also conceded the most goals from corners in the league, indicating just how crucial a role set pieces may play in Friday’s match.
The match will be the 69th meeting between the two sides in the top two divisions of German football, and their 15th face-off in Bundesliga 2. Whilst Der Club boast the better record in the top flight (26 wins, 18 FCK wins, 10 draws), the Red Devils have had more success in this fixture in Bundesliga 2, winning six times compared to Nuremberg’s four victories (four draws).
Watch: All you need to know about Klose's Bundesliga playing career
All-time World Cup record goalscorer Klose spent five years at then-Bundesliga outfit Kaiserslautern at the beginning of his career, making 170 appearances and scoring a total of 70 goals. This spell gave him the platform to develop as a top marksman, and he went on to play for Werder Bremen and then Bayern Munich, where he won two league-and-cup doubles (2007/08 and 2009/10). In 2011, he transferred to Italian side Lazio, the club at which he finished his playing career.
The 2014 World Cup winner’s journey into coaching began back at Bayern, where he took on roles as U17s head coach and then as first-team assistant coach before taking charge at Austrian Bundesliga side Altach between June 2022 and March 2023. Klose now finds himself at the helm of a Nuremburg side who last played in the Bundesliga in the 2018/19 season and who finished their last campaign on 40 points and in 12th place.
When Klose hung up his boots in 2016, many Lautern fans were hopeful of his return to the club in a coaching role. And when asked about this in an interview, club chairman at the time Thomas Gries admitted: “We ought to at least try.”
There will be a reunion of sorts between Klose and Kaiserslautern this weekend, but it will be with their ex-frontman in the opposition dugout as head coach of Nuremburg, and he will be looking to get one over on his former employers to move closer to the Bundesliga 2 promotion spots.