Greuther Fürth and Nürnberg prepare to face off in the 277th Franconian Derby on Saturday, with the first bragging rights of the 2026/27 season up for grabs in what promises to be a fiery encounter backed by a raucous atmosphere.
Greuther Fürth should head into the derby quietly confident after an encouraging start to the campaign. Tipped by many to face another season of struggle after narrowly avoiding relegation last term, a full pre-season under Heiko Vogel appears to be bearing fruit, with his identity becoming increasingly evident and his emphasis on hard work already paying dividends.
Fürth recorded a creditable 1-1 draw away to recently relegated St. Pauli on matchday one. New loan signing Florian Hellstern produced an impressive debut between the sticks, while new captain Felix Klaus scored the second-half equaliser to earn his side a point after Marcus Mathisen had given the hosts the lead. Fürth even had a late chance to snatch all three points on the counter-attack, but Dennis Srbeny failed to beat the goalkeeper when clean through.
Compared to his first two encounters with Nürnberg, Vogel sees “much more self-confidence” in his team following a productive pre-season and a valuable point from a difficult opening fixture at the Millerntor. In footballing terms, this means “things are coming together that belong together,” while his players “know their strengths, which they can use to hurt any opponent.”
Nürnberg will also arrive at the derby full of confidence following their convincing start to the campaign. After several seasons without much to celebrate, Der Club could be genuine promotion contenders this time around, with Mohamed Ali Zoma already firing and a solid supporting cast around him. With the promotion race expected to be wide open, Miroslav Klose will be hoping this can finally be the season Nürnberg return to the Bundesliga.
It was Zoma who inspired Nürnberg to an impressive 3-0 victory over Dynamo Dresden on the opening day. The Italian forward scored twice in the first half before completing his hat-trick from the penalty spot after the break, as a toothless Dresden side struggled to compete from the outset.
Zoma is aiming to carry that form into Saturday’s derby as he searches for his first Franconian Derby victory:
“A derby is always a bit different – the chances are 50/50. Fürth had a bit of a transformation in the summer and their draw against St. Pauli meant a decent start to the season. But we’re staying true to ourselves, we know what we’re capable of, and we’ll give everything for the city and the club on Saturday,”
Both meetings ended in draws last season, with the sides playing out a 2-2 draw in Nürnberg before a 1-1 stalemate in Fürth. Nürnberg hold the advantage across the last five meetings with two victories, although their most recent derby win away from home came in 2024.
Klose (P4, W2, D2) and Vogel (P2, D2) are both yet to taste defeat in the Franconian Derby, with each coach desperate to keep that unbeaten record intact on Saturday.
Team news
Greuther Fürth: Only Benjamin Zank is unavailable.
1. FC Nürnberg: Styopa Mkrtchyan, Mikayil Faye and Andrea Ceresoli will not be included in the matchday squad.
Predicted lineups
Greuther Fürth (4-2-3-1): Hellstern; Dehm, Keresztes, Heuer, Itter; Bansé, Will; Klaus, Appelkamp, Pohlmann; Srbeny
1. FC Nürnberg (4-3-1-2): Reichert; Janisch, Kalogeropolous, Otto, Porstner; Markhiev, Fernandez, Becker; Justvan; Scobel, Zoma