With FC Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen, the 2nd Bundesliga has lost two mainstays. But there is hope. This time the celebrities come from below – all games of the 2nd Bundesliga in full length and in the conference can be heard live at sportschau.de and in the Sportschau app.
Last season, the 2nd Bundesliga was considered to be the best and strongest of all time. With Werder Bremen, FC Schalke 04 and Hamburger SV, three clubs with tremendous appeal were there. The traditional clubs 1. FC Nürnberg, Fortuna Düsseldorf and Hannover 96 also played.
After the return of Schalke and Bremen to the top flight of football, the new season means a turning point – in terms of sport, but also emotionally. Fewer fans, less attention, fewer top games. With all due respect, the relegated Arminia Bielefeld and Greuther Fürth cannot compensate for that.
But there is hope, although this time the prominence comes from below from the 3rd division. Eintracht Braunschweig and 1. FC Kaiserslautern return to the second division as former German champions, 1. FC Magdeburg as former European Cup winners and East German champions. That means a lot of tradition and a broad fan base.
Kaiserslautern lands transfer coups
Above all, the euphoria around the Betzenberg is huge after four years in the 3rd division. “The longer the preparation goes, the shorter the gap to the first game and the more the tingling begins.”said FCK captain Jean Zimmer. The “Red Devils” open the season against Hannover 96 on Friday (07/15/2022).
They have already attracted attention with two transfer coups. World champion and Europa League winner Erik Durm comes from Eintracht Frankfurt, the veteran is expected to play a leading role. With Andreas Luthe from Union Berlin, there is also a keeper with Bundesliga experience. These are two changes that should bring a lot of momentum to the Palatinate – and at no cost to that. Nevertheless, the team is approaching the new season rather humbly. Staying up is the goal, says Zimmer, “everything else would be presumptuous. Relegation is above all”.
However, the expectations of the environment could still be a problem. If it works, the Betzenberg is a madhouse. But if the start of the season fails, the mood can quickly change.
Magdeburg relies on Atik and his fans
The sovereign third division champion Magdeburg could also be a sporting enrichment. In the promotion season, the team under coach Christian Titz impressed with early pressing, fast switching and the best offensive. And with Baris Atik, there is now a small whirlwind in the lower house, who has set new standards in the 3rd division with his record scorer (19 goals, 22 assists).
If the team from Saxony-Anhalt can take this momentum into the new season, staying up in the league is realistic. However, the summer brought many newcomers and even more departures. The squad, which has been thrown through, probably still needs some time to get used to it. With captain Tobias Müller and right-back Raphael Obermair, FCM also lost two important defensive pillars to SC Paderborn.
It will also be important that those responsible keep calm this time, should things not go so well. In the only second division stay to date in 2018/2019, the promotion coach at the time, Jens Härtel, was fired after just 13 match days. The big bargaining chip for Magdeburg is the support of the fans. 13,050 season tickets were sold. More than ever before in FCM history.
Braunschweig has come to stay
Eintracht from Braunschweig returned to the 2nd division after just one year – and wants to stay there longer this time. Most recently, the Lower Saxony had earned the dubious reputation of an elevator team. After the resurgence, the squad was reinforced selectively, all important players could be kept. Coach Michael Schiele says: “We have a super homogeneous team.”
In the 2nd league, just like for Kaiserslautern and Magdeburg, for Eintracht it will be all about staying up. “We have to take the promotion euphoria with us”, says Schiele. However, the start of the season is tough: Eintracht welcomes Hamburger SV to the north duel. Other heavyweights of the league are then waiting in Heidenheim, Darmstadt, Kiel, Düsseldorf, Bielefeld and Nuremberg.