Hamburger SV and relegated FC Schalke 04 open the new season of the 2nd Bundesliga on Friday. Ex-national player Mario Basler sees both clubs facing a difficult year.
“I think it will be a very exciting second division season. There are great teams! […] And then with such a bang Hamburg against Schalke at the beginning. It feels like a first division game, a great start,” the 54-year-old initially made no secret of his anticipation in his podcast “Basler ballert”.
When asked about the promotion favorites, the former midfield star was undecided. “I’ve been saying for five years that HSV will be promoted. But now you can’t forget Schalke and Hertha BSC, who also want to be promoted. And there’s a surprise team every year,” mused Basler.
At HSV, however, he had “a strange feeling that they wouldn’t make it again,” he revealed. In the past two seasons, the Rothosen had only failed in the relegation.
Basler expects “very difficult year” for FC Schalke
The hottest contender for one of the first two places is FC Schalke 04, which has strengthened itself after being relegated from the top flight.
However, Basler warns the miners against premature euphoria. “It’s going to be a very difficult year for Schalke 04. There were a lot of departures,” emphasized the 1996 European champion. But he hopes that S04 will “find each other as soon as possible”.
Basler rated the chances of Schalke’s co-relegated team as considerably worse. “Hertha BSC won’t play such a big role. You can wait until there’s unrest in the club again,” predicted the former Bayern professional.
The Berliners “deserved” the crash in 2022/2023, and now “difficult times” are coming their way. “They don’t have the best team. Hertha needs a lot of luck to get in the top three,” said Basler.