Fans of German football will need to wait just a bit longer for the Bundesliga to return, but one can take solace from the fact that the most exciting division in all of Europe returns this evening. 

When FC Köln hosts Hamburger SV tonight, another chapter in the Zweite Bundesliga epic will be opened. The upcoming 290 days will inevitably promote another unpredictable journey whose twists and turns will leave even the most well-versed journalists scratching their heads at what ultimately unfolds by the end of the season.

Nevertheless, we’ve assembled just the crew to take on this impossible task. Head writer Adam Khan is joined by Jake (Host of the 50plusDöner German Football Twitch show), Matthew (host of the 2nd Bundesliga Podcast), and Dani (HSV fan, journalist, & X personality) to preview the upcoming campaign in all its entirety. 

From the young player of the season to the impending flop and the clubs destined for promotion, all is explored in The German Football Weekly’s Ultimate Bundesliga 2 Preview. 

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The teams who will get promoted are…

Jake

I might be naive but I think Hertha BSC had an excellent transfer window. This is a team that started to find their rhythm at the end of last season and have added talent who will come good with a bit of time. There are quite a lot of parallels to the moves that Stuttgart made before last season. I’m pretty high on Hertha and getting Cristian Fiel, while breaking free of the Dárdai era, pairs this highly-talented roster with a manager ready to impress. 

My professional answer to how Hamburg will get promoted is that I believe Steffen Baumgart’s impact will be much greater this season. He’s now had a full summer to acclimate, and we saw how impressive he was in Cologne across his first two campaigns. Hamburg haven’t looked to revolutionize the squad in the summer, but there is no doubt that this team has been good enough to earn promotion for a while.

I see a lot of pundits picking the 3 biggest teams to earn promotion, but I feel like that’d be pretty anticlimactic and against the insanity that we have grown so accustomed to in this division. In 9 of the last 10 seasons, there’s been at least one “outsider” that has earned promotion. Karlsruher SC could potentially be the gatecrasher in this campaign. KSC had an under-the-radar season last year, coming in 5th after a remarkable second half of the campaign where they won 8 of their final 12 fixtures. Even if they do eventually fall short of promotion, Kalsruher are going to be a tough team to play against, and edge closer than ever to a Bundesliga edition of the Baden-württembergische Derby against VfB Stuttgart.

Matthew

Year three of the Stefan Lietl project is here and the pressure will be noticeable in Hannover. Nobody can question their desire to gain promotion with the additions of Jannick Rochelt and Josh Knight, plus loan deals for Hyun-ju Lee and Jessic Ngankam. Hannover look more versatile than ever under the Leitl reign, and they are primed for a title challenge this season. 

It’s been a rather quiet window in terms of players leaving Hamburg with the most noticeable departure being László Bénes to Union Berlin. The additions of Daniel Elfadli, Davie Selke—who reunites with former coach Steffen Baumgart—and Czech midfielder Adam Karabec on loan, mean that HSV remains well-positioned for a strong promotion campaign. I think they can do it but the question once again comes to if not now, when? 

Hertha BSC have made a big splash in the summer, none bigger than swaying Cristian Fiel away from Nürnberg to join the capital city club. This will be Fiel’s biggest and best opportunity to lead a team to the Bundesliga. Last season felt like a waste as Fabian Reese and Haris Tabaković carried Hertha to respectability, but for their sake, Hertha have added Diego Demme, Kevin Sessa, Michaël Cuisance, and striker Luca Schüler. With improved depth and undoubtedly stronger personnel, Hertha will be challenging this season.

Adam

I share the panel's optimism about Hertha BSC's prospects for the upcoming season. They demonstrated consistent improvement last campaign and have made excellent signings to revitalize their midfield. In Fabian Reese and Haris Tabaković, they also have two genuine game-changers in attack.

The competition behind Hertha is quite difficult to judge, but I predict Schalke 04 and Hannover 96 will secure the remaining two spots (in that order). Schalke, under the guidance of Karel Geraerts, have a manager whose talents and pedigree appear far too good for the second Bundesliga. With a full pre-season to implement his innovative strategies, I believe his vision will soon be realized to full effect. Additionally, Ben Manga's impressive recruitment has brought a fresh wave of young talent to invigorate an aging squad. 

As for Hannover 96, their advantage lies in sustained continuity. Stefan Leitl, now in his third season at the Heinz von Heiden Arena, is a highly lauded manager who has a proven track record. The management have also largely kept the squad intact while supplementing the side with two impressive attacking additions (Jannik Rochelt & Hyun-ju Lee).

Dani

Hertha BSC seems to be the favorite for promotion in the 24/25 season. They did not lose their

key players, and they added a lot of quality and depth in midfield. With Fiel replacing Dárdai, they look destined for promotion this season.

Behind Hertha, I have FC Köln taking the second spot. Apart from losing Jeff Chabot, the squad remains more or less the same. Players like Benjamin Hübers, Eric Martel, and Dejan Ljubicic are way too good for this league. If you combine this quality with the potential of Max Finkgräfe, Damion Downs, and co., you might have the best squad in the second league. 

The best of the rest for me is HSV. I'm not overly optimistic about my club, but I just have more doubts about the remaining 15 clubs that could also vie for third place. I don't like

the consistency of Leitl's Hannover. I think KSC is lacking quality in the striker position, and Fortuna are hamstrung following the loss of Tzolis and Engelhardt. For Schalke, it seems a year too early, and Darmstadt lacks a style of football to excite. 

HSV seems to have the most balanced squad of the remaining 16, and if Baumgart can eliminate their problems in the final third, they will have a great chance this year.

The teams who will get relegated are…

Jake

I imagine that the race at the bottom will come down to the final matchday and could easily include up to 5 teams. The 5 teams I’d consider for this contest would be the recently promoted trio of SSV Ulm, Jahn Regensburg, and Preüßen Münster, as well as FC Magdeburg, and SV Elversberg.

The newly promoted sides were offered a kind hand given that some of the traditionally “bigger” 3 Liga teams slipped up at the final stretch. As for Magdeburg and Elversberg, Elversberg have to survive now that more teams are used to their style of play. Magdeburg, on the other hand, barely did enough to survive last season, and I don’t think they filled the holes from the talent that left in the summer. It’s hard to say which of these 5 will make it into the final 3, but with a gun to my head, I am going with SV Elversberg, Preußen Münster, and FC Magdeburg (in that order). 

Matthew

You could put several teams on a dart board and whatever hits could be a fair prediction. This season I believe Preußen Münster - who return to the 2. Bundesliga for the first time since 1991 - will have a tricky time of it. Whilst they’ve brought in several players who have 2. Bundesliga experience none have set the world alight. Maybe the one key difference-maker could be Jorrit Hendrix. He is quite the signing for Münster, and someone with a point to prove after applying his trade in Australia last season. 

SV Elversberg were fascinating to watch with their progressive play style and talented up-and-comers. But the second season is often the hardest as Kaiserslautern and Eintracht Braunschweig found out last season. Losing Jannick Rochelt and Paul Wanner are massive losses for Elversberg and we will have to see what tricks Horst Steffen has up his sleeve.

Jahn Regensburg have gone down a similar route to fellow promoted side Münster regarding recruitment. Kai Proger and Julian Pollersbeck seek first-team minutes again, whilst Sebastian Ernst returns to Regensburg after a disappointing spell in Hannover. Christian Kühlwetter is probably the most fascinating signing and showed glimpses during his spell at Heidenheim. Still, Joe Enochs has a big task ahead of him turning this team out of the bottom three.

Adam

Relegation is always a difficult topic that tends to go down to the wire in the 2. Bundesliga. This season, I have significant concerns for Preußen Münster and Jahn Regensburg. While both teams earned their place in the league, they benefited greatly from the underwhelming performances of stronger promotion contenders like Dynamo Dresden, Erzgebirge Aue, and 1860 Munich. 

As for the final playoff spot I have gone for SV Elversberg. Horst Steffen’s side had an impressive debut season in the 2. Liga, finishing a commendable 11th and never spending a day in the relegation zone after the fifth matchday. Still, key personnel in Hugo Vandermersch, Jannik Rochelt, and Paul Wanner have all left the club, while performances were already spiraling downward at the end of last season with Elversberg winning only 3 of their last 12 league games

Dani

I think the relegation battle will not be as close as it was last year when, at some point, every team in the lower half of the table could potentially drop several places in just a couple of weeks.

This season, I believe there will be a clear pool of teams that will face relegation to the third league. The promoted teams— Ulm, Münster, and Regensburg—will all face an uphill battle to stay in the Zweite Bundesliga. I predict that Münster will survive their first year, while Regensburg will go down again, and Ulm will finish 16th. 

My prediction for the remaining relegated team is Magdeburg. They struggled a lot last year, but eventually turned it around. However, they lost several key players, and with Christian Titz's style of play relying heavily on confidence, I could see them struggling a lot next season. 

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The biggest positive surprise will be…

Jake

Following up on my pick for Karlsruher SC to earn promotion, there is no debate who would become my surprise package. There is one particular stat that stands out. After the winter break, Karlsruher had the second-best form in the league and earned 34 points across 17 matchdays. That’s only 2 points less than eventual champions St. Pauli earned.

I think this is a big stat that forecasts a huge season ahead. We saw a similar trend before Bayer Leverkusen’s title-winning campaign. Die Werkself went from 17 to 6th in 2022/23 after Alonso took over on matchday 9. You also saw this from St.Pauli in the 2022/2023 season when Hurzler took over and only lost 2 games in the second half of the season. Karlsruhe had a similar resurgence and didn’t even have to change managers. So they have the benefit of knowing exactly what made them successful the season before and have been able to build on that over the summer.

Matthew

There are so many great options regarding who could surprise the 2. Bundesliga this season. I have gone for the redemption arc of 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Die Rotten Teufel are the team I think will surprise this season. 

Markus Anfang is a polarizing option as coach, but he proved throughout his time with Holstein Kiel and Darmstadt that he can build a strong 2. Bundesliga team. Despite a poor showing in Dresden, I think Anfang can turn the tide. 

Jannik Mause is also a fascinating talent who has been on a massive rise. This is his third move in three seasons. He scored 14 goals with Alemannia Aachen in the Regionalliga in 2022/23, and followed that up with 18 goals in his 3. Liga debut with Ingolstadt. Mause is an important signing given how much Kaiserslautern struggled without Ragnar Ache. Add Florian Kleinhansl, Jan Gyamerah, Jannis Heuer, and Erik Wekesser to the mix and Kaiserslautern will at the very least be a fun watch.

Adam

Given that I haven't placed SSV Ulm in the relegation zone, they stand out as my pick for the surprise package of the season. Die Spatzen have made an impressive return to the second tier for the first time since 2001, achieving back-to-back promotions. Manager Thomas Wörle will not be able to call upon the hugely influential Léo Scienza after his departure to FC Heidenheim, but the 3. Liga’s best defense has remained intact, while bright young talents have been added to supplement the attack. 

Dani

Eintracht Braunschweig is my positive surprise of the year. I don’t see them as a promotion dark horse, but they will be a more than solid mid-table team that regularly steals points from better-equipped sides. 

Braunschweig earned an impressive 24 points in the second half of last season and showed promising signs on the pitch, with a good variation of tactics both on and off the ball. Lennart Grill, Christian Conteh, Sven Köhler, and Leon Bell Bell are solid additions to the squad and effectively replace the

departures of Ron-Thorben Hofmann and Anton Donkor. I think it will be a quiet year in Braunschweig, and if they can further develop their style of play, it will be absolutely deserved.

The biggest disappointment will be…

Jake

I may be a FC Köln fan, but even I can’t look past the obvious challenges that await. I’ve seen them on countless lists for immediate promotion, but I just can't envisage this being the season. 

They couldn’t make any transfers this summer due to the transfer ban, have dealt with notable departures in the form of Jeff Chabot, Benno Schmitz, and Davie Selke, and have a new manager on top of all that. 

There is some impressive talent that they have managed to retain but to call these players Bundesliga quality would be misleading. Köln scored a league-low amount of goals last season and only remained in the relegation battle for so long due to the inadequacies of a few other topflight sides.

Matthew

Since the relegation playoffs returned to the 2. Bundesliga in 2008, only one team has lost in the playoffs and gained promotion to the Bundesliga the following season. That was Augsburg. Since then, failing in the playoffs, and going one better the next season, has proven virtually impossible. Hamburg came close after two playoff appearances but fell away in Tim Walter’s third season. So why Fortuna Düsseldorf? 

It’s been a quiet window for Fortuna, who preferred to profit off of the financially beneficial sales of Christos Tzolis and Yannik Engelhardt. However, can Fortuna replace the 22-time goalscorer and midfield cornerstone? I’m not so sure. The 2. Bundesliga is stronger than it was last season, and returning to the playoffs will be tough.

Adam

I have significant concerns for Greuther Fürth. Die Kleeblätter were heavily dependent on the loan market last season, with Robert Wagner, Tim Lemperle, and Jonas Urbig making a strong impact in South Germany.

All of these players have now left, and Fürth received no transfer fees or direct compensation for their departures. Adding to their troubles, last season’s top scorer, Armindo Sieb, has also been sold. The combination of all these factors casts a dark cloud over Fürth’s prospects for the upcoming campaign. A relegation battle awaits!

Dani

I have Fortuna Düsseldorf as my flop of the year. Marcel Sobottka and Shinta Appelkamp don’t come close to the quality needed to replace Christos Tzolis and Yannik Engelhardt, so they still

have big gaps to fill. If they can do it, they might be in for another run for promotion, but I still have doubts. 

Statistically, Düsseldorf was very efficient last year. They significantly overperformed their xG, and I just don’t see them doing it again. Thioune's squad might be extremely solid against the ball,

but they lack consistent chance creation and a Greek x-factor on offense. The close games they won last year might not fall in Düsseldorf’s favor again this year.

The best transfer will be…

Jake

I don’t know how they did it, but Hertha signing Kevin Sessa was a big move as they look to get back to the first league.

Although Sessa only started 7 times for Heidenheim last season, he still brought an attitude and stability in the midfield that made them a very tough fixture for even the most successful of first-league outfits. He’s got a big opportunity to build on his career and already knows what kind of football succeeds in the second division. He is looking to be the engine of a team that can make some waves this season.

Matthew

I will go with the new Hannover signing Jannick Rochelt. The now 25-year-old hit the 2. Bundesliga with a bang last season as he played an integral role in Elversberg’s debut season. 4 goals and 7 assists was an impressive return. Now, Rochelt heads north to Hannover with a promotion bid in mind. Hannover were a step away from being a serious promotion contender and adding a player with the quality of Rochelt can only boost their credentials.

Adam

I have a particular fondness for free transfers, and Kevin Sessa stands out as one of the best this window. Despite being only 24, Sessa already boasts 89 matches in the 2. Bundesliga and featured in 30 of Heidenheim’s 34 Bundesliga matches last season.

At Heidenheim, Sessa struggled to cement his place as a regular starter, but in Berlin, he finally has that opportunity. His on-ball dynamism and relentless box-to-box work ethic will significantly enhance Christian Fiel’s side

Dani

Moussa Sylla has everything it takes to make an impact from day one in this league. His speed and positioning look good, and so does his finishing. If Schalke improves their transitions, it might skyrocket Sylla’s offensive output. I can see him excel in that role, but he might struggle against deeper opponents where he lacks physicality.

The young player of the season will be…

Jake

Damion Downs, was a derby-day hero for FC Köln last season, and is someone I’m very excited to watch grow this year. Despite limited playing time on a team that struggled to score, Downs managed to net two crucial goals in just 173 minutes in the topflight last season. Now that the striker situation is less competitive with Davie Selke leaving and Mark Uth taking a non-starter role, this is a great opportunity to possibly give Köln a striker for the future. 

On top of all that, Downs has also been looking very good in preseason, and I think Köln fans can be very hopeful that the club will have a top goalscorer with more than 6 goals this season!

Matthew

I’m going back to the well with this prediction. Last season Jonas Urbig was my choice for young player of the season and after a strong campaign in Fürth, the 20-year-old shot-stopper is ready for the big time with parent club Köln.

Köln has big desires for promotion and one thing you need is a stable goalkeeper. Urbig helped cover the cracks on a poor Fürth defense and should new coach Gerhard Struber struggle to create a system with a solid defense, they can at least rely on one of the best young shot-stoppers in Germany. 

Adam

I have chosen a defensive option in Márton Dárdai. The 22-year-old is extremely underrated in the European market. The Hungarian international has consistently demonstrated his abilities as a center-back or holding midfielder who can make an immediate impact at a mid-table club in one of Europe’s top 5 leagues. His long-range passing is excellent, complemented by his solid physicality and agility. With 70 appearances across Germany's top two tiers, Dárdai is a proven performer. Regardless of whether Hertha earns promotion, this will undoubtedly be Márton Dárdai’s final campaign in the Zweite Bundesliga.

Dani

Finn Jeltsch might be the next big thing in Nürnberg. He was already solid last year, but I think he can make the next step this season. A big reason for this is the addition of Robin Knoche, who could be a strong leader and take a lot of the pressure off Jeltsch. This duo looked good in preseason, and I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t succeed this year.

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The Top Goalscorer will be…

Jake

While theoretically, Davie Selke could take Robert Glatzel’s minutes, I just don’t think he’ll be healthy enough to take too much away from his production. Robert Glatzel will continue to torch the second-league defenders for another season, maybe even hitting the 20+ goal mark again.

Matthew

Robert Glatzel stunned many, including myself, by opting to stay with Hamburg during the first full season of Steffen Baumgart football. Baumgart probably didn’t do Glatzel’s numbers any favors by bringing in his favorite offensive option Davie Selke to the Volksparkstadion. However, I don’t think this will affect his goal-scoring output. With Simon Terodde retiring, the 2. Bundesliga craves the next scoring phenomenon. After seasons of 22, 19, and 22 once more, Glatzel prepares for another tilt at winning the Torjägerkanone.

Adam

Robert Glatzel has been the most prolific forward in the 2. Bundesliga, but I anticipate his goal-scoring output may slightly decline next season with the arrival of Selke. Therefore, my pick for the top goal scorer is the Bosnian international, Haris Tabaković. Tabaković impressed last season with 22 goals for Hertha BSC, sharing the top spot in the league's goal-scoring charts. With additional creative threats bolstering the team this summer, Tabaković's goal tally should only increase, making him a formidable force in the upcoming season.

Dani

Cross Reese, goal by Haris Tabaković. If the injury bug does not hurt Hertha, I don’t see which other striker could compete with Tabaković in terms of goals. All other competitors mostly play in a striker tandem which will reduce their goal statistics at the end of the season.

My very specific prediction will be…

Jake

Given that I don’t live in Germany, I am at the mercy of the world feed for my games. ESPN will show 2 games every weekend, and last season Hertha and Hamburg were the vast majority of the games. I stopped counting after 24 matchdays, but at that point, Hamburg had featured in 67% of the matchdays on the world feed. We all on this panel have talked about how much parity this season will bring, but from a world-feed standpoint, they only care about the big fanbases. Even St. Pauli - the eventual champions! - received only 41% of the world feed games after 24 matchdays. 

When the season is promising to be one of the best in recent memory, sticking to the same 4 teams every week doesn’t help the league’s profile. I fear we will not be seeing any promising changes to the global coverage of 2. Bundesliga this season.

Matthew

The 2. Bundesliga was a powerhouse in European football in terms of overall attendance from the 2023/24 season, eclipsing the likes of Ligue 1 and La Liga. In fact, on some matchdays the 2. Bundesliga even gained a larger attendance than its bigger, more prestigious, top-flight brother.

 This is a trend that I predict will undoubtedly continue this season with the addition of Köln and Darmstadt to the mix. Add clubs like Ulm and Münster, who haven’t featured in the 2. Bundesliga for a significant period of time, and you will have many groundhoppers looking to add these stadiums to their collection of visited grounds. With an average of 29,189 last season, my prediction is the 2. Bundesliga will break the 30,000 attendance average. 

Adam

With only 17 points and a -56 goal difference, SV Darmstadt endured a dismal return to the top flight in their first Bundesliga campaign since 2017. Relegation was expected, but the manner of their downfall left many within the club disheartened. From matchday 13 onwards, Darmstadt was entrenched in the relegation zone, suffering morale-shattering defeats against FC Bayern (8:0), FC Augsburg (6:0), and TSG Hoffenheim (6:0).

Amidst the chaos, manager Torsten Lieberknecht surprisingly retained his position, showcasing the club's loyalty in the often ruthless world of modern football. While the club believes in Lieberknecht's ability to steer them back to success I remain skeptical. I predict that Torsten Lieberknecht will be the first manager to be sacked this season after Darmstadt fails to win any of their first three fixtures.

Dani

I'm going a bit bold here, but I think that half of the league could eventually fire their coach. The promoted teams—Ulm, Münster, and Regensburg—are, of course, candidates for firing their coach. Deep in the relegation battle, a new coach might be the spark they need to remain in the league. The same goes for Elversberg and Magdeburg, even though I think it is highly unlikely that Elversberg will fire Horst Steffen.

Another big candidate for a coaching change is Darmstadt. After playing a rather disappointing season in the Bundesliga, the stint of Lieberknecht may come to an end if they fail again in the 2. Bundesliga. The same goes for Fürth, with a completely overhauled squad. I also think Kaiserslautern and Anfang are not a match made in heaven and could cause trouble. If Schalke continues to struggle with consistency in their results, Geraerts should be on the hot seat as well; the same goes for Leitl and Hannover. Baumgart in Hamburg might be another name on that list if things continue to go in the wrong direction. This makes ten names on the list. If the new faces of Fiel and Struber disappoint as well, there might be more!

A Word to Describe Why Fans Should Watch the 2. Bundesliga Season…

Jake

Chaos. It is unironically the best men's league in the world in terms of competitiveness. We all predicted who we think can get promoted or relegated, but the key word there is think. This league is famously extremely hard to predict. League favorites can get slain by Braunschweig on any day of the week!

Moreover, you'll likely hear more about the 2. Bundesliga than the top league this season due to the numerous historic teams with massive stadiums and fanbases vying for just two automatic promotion spots. There are so many more derbies in the second league which promises its own kind of insanity. This league has always been a wild ride, but this has the promise to be its most chaotic to date.

Matthew

Unpredictable. The joy of making predictions is reflecting on how wrong they might be come late May 2025. The league feels quite open and the promotion race is a flip of the coin. Hannover, Hamburg, and Hertha are my favorites, but we shouldn’t discount Schalke with Karel Geraerts’ first full season, and Köln also looks interesting. What happens with Fortuna Düsseldorf, and where do the likes of Paderborn, Karlsruhe, and even Kaiserslautern end up? One thing I am certain is that this season will not only be unpredictable but one of the most watchable yet!

Adam

Perhaps it's the fact that almost a month remains in the transfer window, but this 2. Bundesliga season appears to be a 'work in progress' for many contenders. Numerous top clubs are rebuilding or ushering in a new era. Schalke 04 and FC Köln have overhauled their rosters. HSV has handed the reins to Steffen Baumgart to shape the squad in his first transfer window as coach, and Hertha BSC has been extremely active in the market.

Predicting the promotion race is harder than ever, as the integration of new talents and personalities adds a layer of unpredictability to how these teams will come together.

Dani

Drama! Last season’s ending (apart from the playoff between Düsseldorf and Bochum) was

kind of boring by 2. Bundesliga standards. I think we will have more drama at the end of this season and throughout the entire campaign. The middle of the table should be even more tightly packed, leading to favorites struggling consistently and unexpectedly.