2. Bundesliga Preview – The New Season is Upon Us
The 2. Bundesliga returns this evening with a gigantic matchup as Hamburg welcomes Schalke. Both sides will be chasing promotion this season after very different 2022/23 campaigns. It promises to be an exciting and dramatic campaign in one of the most entertaining leagues in the world. The final day of 2022/23 had three different teams at the top of the table, from kick-off to full-time, and we can only hope for more of the same. We look at the sides to look out for this season and what we can expect at both ends of the table.
The Top Down
Schalke 04
Schalke 04 will be disappointed to return to the 2. Bundesliga so soon after they escaped. The Gelsenkirchen side lasted only one season back in the Bundesliga before being relegated and will be looking to make an immediate return. Leading their attack is the 2. Bundesliga record goalscorer Simon Terrode, who will look to add to his 172 goals in the division and, like in 2022, lead Schalke to the 2. Bundesliga title. Die Königsblauen have overhauled their midfield ahead of the new campaign, with Timo Baumgartl arriving from PSV after impressing at Union Berlin last season on loan. They also welcome fellow defensive midfielder Ron Schallenberg from Paderborn, who could partner Baumgartl in a new-look spine. 17-year-old Assan Ouédraogo could be in line to join the other two in the middle of the park after an impressive u17 Euros campaign with Germany. Schalke will have a target on their back this season, and every game will feel like a must-win. Die Königsblauen are the favourites for the Championship, and rightfully so. They arguably have the strongest team, and manager Thomas Reis can get a tune out of them. They travel to Hamburg tonight to get the 2. Bundesliga underway, and a win will be valuable to either of them. I expect Schale to live up to the hype this season and bounce back to the Bundesliga.
Prediction: 1st.
Hertha Berlin
Hertha Berlin’s 2022/23 season was the final straw of years of financial uncertainty and club instability. The Berlin giant went down with a whimper and will compete in the 2. Bundesliga for the first time in over ten years. There’s been an unsurprising amount of squad shakeup over the summer, with 15 players already out the door. Notable arrivals include Toni Leistner from Belgian side Sint-Truidense V.V. The central defender has experience in the 2. Bundesliga having previously turned out for city rivals Union Berlin and Hamburger SV. Winger Fabian Reese arrives from Holstein Kiel. The 25-year-old had an outstanding 2022/23 campaign, scoring ten goals and providing 11 assists. Manager Pál Dárdai has the challenging task of turning the tide of Hertha’s chaos, and although they come into the season as one of the favourites for promotion, it will be tough. An opening weekend trip to Düsseldorf could set the tone for the campaign, so they will want to get off to a suitable start. An immediate return to the Bundesliga may not be out of the question for Hertha, but after four years of chaos, I think the aim for Die Alte Dame will be stability. However, more than one season in the incredibly tough second tier can soon become two, three, or four, as another German giant has discovered.
Prediction: 5th.
The Stalwarts
Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV kick off the season’s opening night as they welcome relegated Schalke to the Volkparkstadion. Die Rothosen (The Red Shorts) will aim to return to the Bundesliga for the first time since 2018. The six-time German Champions came up short last season, losing to Stuttgart in the playoff. The same happened the previous season as they succumbed to Hertha Berlin. Die Rothosen have never finished lower than third in their five consecutive seasons in the 2. Bundesliga. They hope that this year will be their time. Hamburg have strengthened this summer, especially in defence, with Dennis Hadžikadunić on loan from FK Rostov and Guilherme Ramos from Arminia Bielefeld. It could be the final chance for most of the Hamburg contingent, including manager Tim Walter for whom it could be promotion or bust. I expect Hamburger SV to be in the top three again, but I don’t think they could face the daunting task of another playoff.
Prediction: 2nd.
FC St Pauli
FC St Pauli came close to the promotion hunt last season, but their sluggish start in the Hinrunde left them lagging behind. Fabian Hürzeler’s promotion from assistant to Head Coach in December brought the boost they needed to climb up the table, finishing a respectable fifth. St Pauli’s transfer business has been quiet this summer. But they come into 2023/24 with a squad bolstered across the board. The charismatic Aussie Jackson Irvine captains the side in midfield and forms a formidable midfield partnership with Marcel Hartel. The arrival of Englishman Dapo Afolayan in January added some potency going forward, and the winger will look to continue his fast start to life in Germany by providing the attacking power St Pauli need. Karol Metz made a similar impact in defence. The Swiss centre-back arrived on loan from Zurich in January, a move that has been made permanent. Hürzeler’s three-at-the-back system provides a formidable force to break down. If they can continue the fine Rickründe form from last season, they could be there or thereabouts to make their long-awaited return to the Bundesliga. But in such a tough league, they could come up short again.
Prediction: 3rd.
The Newcomers
SV 07 Elversburg
SV 07 Elversburg have been the surprise package of German football over the last few seasons, winning the 3. Liga title at the first attempt is a monumental achievement, and the club is looking to make more history in their first-ever season in the 2. Bundesliga. Manager Horst Steffen has put together a seemingly unstoppable force, and in his sixth season in charge of the club, he believes the sky is the limit. Elversburg come into the campaign with an inexperienced side for this level, but they have shown they can compete with the best. Their shock victory over Bayer Leverkusen in last year’s DFB Pokal is evidence of that. None of their additions carries any huge expectations, but they hope new striker Dominik Martinović from 3. Liga side Waldhof Mannheim can provide the quality they need to get valuable points. There is a risk for the other teams in the league to underestimate the newcomers, which could benefit Elversburg. But I still expect them to be in the fight to stay up, which will ultimately be their aim.
Prediction: 14th.
VfL Osnabrück
VfL Osnabrück gained promotion to the 2. Bundesliga after finishing second in the 3. Liga in 2022/23. They return for the first time since 2021 after a two-season stint that ended in relegation. They nearly missed out on promotion altogether on the final day before two stoppage time goals earned them a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund II to secure 2nd. The 2. Bundesliga will be challenging for Tobias Schweinsteiger’s side as the manager faces the biggest challenge of his career to keep them up. Osnabrück have been the busiest of the promoted sides during the transfer windows. Addressing areas that need improvement has been their priority. Their main task will be replacing the goals of Holstein Kiel-bound striker Ba-Muaka Simakal. Kwasi Wreidt moves in the other direction and arrives challenged with supplying the goals. Out of the three sides that have come up from the 3. Liga, I worry about Osnabrück the most. They may have to depart from their attacking style to get some points on the board and protect their league status. But thanks to the unpredictability of the 2. Bundesliga, there is a chance that they can prevent this being a fleeting return to the second tier.
Prediction: 17th (Relegated).
SV Wehen Wiesbaden
SV Wehen Wiesbaden come into the 2. Bundesliga season via the playoff from the 3. Liga after beating Arminia Bielefeld comfortably over two legs. It’s their first appearance in the second tier since their disappointing 2019/20 tenure when they went straight back down. Manager Markus Kauczinski will look to keep his side in the league this time, and the general feeling is that the club have the tools to do so. As expected with a promoted side, they have lost some of their best players in the transfer window. Striker Benedict Hollerbach ended last season on fire in front of goal, which has earned him a move up two divisions to Bundesliga side Union Berlin. His departure leaves Wehen short in attack this season and will require Australia youngster John Iredale to step up. There’s been a similar departure in defence, with Ahmet Gürleyen departing for Nürnberg. But, with the established Sascha Mockenhaupt, Florian Carstens, and Gino Fechner remaining, their backline remains very solid.
Despite this, Wehen will be in a relegation battle this season. But, they are better equipped than their previous appearance, and with their mix of youngsters and experienced players, they are also a good shout for survival.
Prediction: 16th (Relegation Playoff).
The Wildcard
Hannover 96
Hannover 96 are my wildcard for a promotion push the season. I believe they have an outside chance of being in the mix near the top. Die Roten have lumbered in midtable mediocrity in the 2. Bundesliga for the past three seasons and a disaster in the Rickründe of 2022/23 helped produce the same result. The club have had a relatively quiet transfer window so far. But, one acquisition has allowed some Hannover fans to dream big again. Marcel Halstenburg has returned to his boyhood club from RB Leipzig. The experienced centre-back’s drop-down from the Champions League side back to the 2. Bundesliga comes as a surprise to the majority. At only 31, he could be the standout defender of the second tier. Manager Stefan Lietl arrived ahead of the 2022/23 season with high hopes, and progression in his project is vital in this campaign. Can they spring a surprise and compete with the giants at the top? The league has always been unpredictable and one of the most competitive in the world. If one or two underperform, Hannover could be lurking, ready to take advantage.
Prediction: 4th.
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