Dynamo Dresden – Munster predictions

After winning a historic promotion back into the 2. Bundesliga, Dynamo Dresden enjoyed an excellent first season. Despite losing Schahin and Alex Esswein to Fortuna Düsseldorf and 1.FC Nürnberg respectively, and operating on a low budget in relation to the rest of the league, some shrewd singings and loan deals helped Dynamo to a 9th-place finish, playing some of the most exciting football in the division in the process. Heading into the new season, while many had hoped it would be possible to build on this success, consolidation of their second tier status was always the club’s first priority. As such, 16th place reflects a very disappointing season, but at least manager Peter Pacult and his players have one more chance to fulfil their base objective for the campaign.

The sacking of previous coach Ralf Loose in December, who had led the club to its most recent highs, disappointed many fans, but the club went into the winter break with just three wins from 19 and no win in six. A turgid display at home to Bochum proved to be the final straw, but Loose also seemed to pay the price for his squad’s inability to make the most of its sizeable talent. Dominating matches in early stages but failing to take chances quickly became a common feature of the club’s season. Injuries to key players, notably Robert Koch, Filip Trojan and, later, Mickaël Poté, were vital, and the side often suffered from tiredness in matches as the squad was stretched. Their wastefulness in front of goal led to many points being squandered and was a huge factor in their eventual league finish.