The next phase of the exciting battle for promotion begins in the 2nd league. Because it is so concentrated, mistakes can even happen.
Before the start of the season in the second division, things seemed relatively clear. The relegated Schalke 04 and Hertha BSC were seen as outstandingly promising candidates for promotion, simply because their squads are still full of players who have proven their class in the Bundesliga for a long time. But after almost 40 percent of the season, a completely different picture has emerged: While Schalke and Hertha are far away from their ambitions, at least half of the league has a chance of promotion.
“Anyone can beat anyone”
FC St. Pauli, which has been playing at a consistently high level since the arrival of coach Fabian Hürzeler at the end of 2022, sits very convincingly at the top. His team is the only second division team without a defeat this season and is also the only team that has an average of over two points per game. And this fact alone shows that the race for the top three is very even and exciting, but it also allows for slip-ups.
Coach Fabian Hürzeler from FC St. Pauli smiles broadly
Because the performance level – especially at the top – is extremely balanced. “This is a typical picture for the 2nd league, that everyone can beat everyone, even more extreme than in the Bundesliga. We always talk about the form of the day“, said Fürth coach Alexander Zorniger recently. Before the international break, his team managed to get into the race for the best places with a win against Fortuna Düsseldorf (1-0). Five teams, which also include Fürth and Düsseldorf, occupy with 21 points, places five to nine.
Unlike in the Bundesliga, where Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich are leading the way, the teams placed before them are also so close that every club in this quintet has the theoretical chance of making the jump to a promotion place on the next matchday.
candidates with different requirements
The clubs differ significantly from one another. The second-placed Hamburger SV (24 points), Hannover 96 and Düsseldorf want to return to the Bundesliga after a few years in the lower house, while the newly promoted SV Wehen Wiesbaden and SV Elversberg have their first goal of staying in the league. And teams like Holstein Kiel, 1. FC Nürnberg and Fürth are ambitious, but they also know that they are not necessarily among the favorites.
The term “favorite” is often irrelevant in this league anyway. What Zorniger said (keyword “daily form”) is also supported by the results. For example, Kiel defeated HSV (4:2) and Fürth (2:1), but fell under the wheels at St. Pauli (1:5). On the other hand, Fürth had the league leaders on the verge of defeat at 0-0 and won against Düsseldorf, but lost clearly against Hannover (1:3) and also at Hertha BSC (0:5).
Teams like Hertha, Schalke and Kaiserlautern are lurking
And it is precisely this unpredictability in the league that is the hope for Berlin (and even Schalke). Or 1. FC Kaiserslautern, which, despite its crisis (one point from the last four games), is directly behind the 21-point quintet. If one of the teams manages to start a series by the winter break, it will be back in the promotion race. Because the teams in the first half of the table take points from each other and the teams in the bottom half have what it takes to beat the supposed top teams.
Accordingly, Düsseldorf coach Daniel Thioune’s warning before the duel against Schalke on Saturday evening (November 25th, 2023, 8:30 p.m.) was also issued. “We are playing against Schalke 04 – and not against the sixteenth place in the table. This is very important to me to emphasize. Schalke still have the format that allows them to beat any team in this league. But they currently still have a problem adapting to every opponent“, said the 49-year-old. This also applies to the teams in the promotion race, in which slip-ups are allowed. In the end, the only question is who makes the least effort.