The Bundesliga.2 season kicks off on Friday night with a big clash between Schalke and Hamburg at the Veltins Arena.
Schalke suffered relegation from the Bundesliga last season after a truly woeful campaign. The Royal Blues will look to enjoy better fortunes in the second tier of the German game this season.
Mit zwei Trainingseinheiten startete unsere Mannschaft heute in die Vorbereitung auf die am Freitagabend anstehende Partie beim FC Schalke 04 🆚 Den Bericht zum Auftakt in die Woche vor dem Saisonstart findet ihr hier ➡️ https://t.co/23U4DzKcIy 💻📲#nurderHSV #Training pic.twitter.com/YdSXKGamyj— Hamburger SV (@HSV) July 20, 2021
Mit zwei Trainingseinheiten startete unsere Mannschaft heute in die Vorbereitung auf die am Freitagabend anstehende Partie beim FC Schalke 04 🆚 Den Bericht zum Auftakt in die Woche vor dem Saisonstart findet ihr hier ➡️ https://t.co/23U4DzKcIy 💻📲#nurderHSV #Training pic.twitter.com/YdSXKGamyj
However, the team from Gelsenkirchen are unlikely to find Bundesliga.2 easy, as there are some quality teams and players in the second tier.
Dimitrios Grammozis’ team have enjoyed a decent pre-season, having mounted a five-game unbeaten run, including draws against Zenit and Shakhtar Donetsk and a win over Eredivisie team Vitesse Arnhem.
The signings of striker Simon Terodde and experienced midfielder Danny Latza look to be shrewd additions to the squad.
The former has scored 142 goals and produced 39 assists in 253 appearances in the German second tier throughout his career.
Schalke have only spent five years outside the Bundesliga since the league’s formation in 1963. They have won promotion back to the German top-flight in three of those five seasons.
Terodde’s experience in the second tier will be useful for the Royal Blues.
Hamburg are traditionally one of the powerhouses of the German game. In fact, they were ever-present members of the Bundesliga until season 2018/19 when they suffered relegation to the second tier.
The visitors have finished fourth in the last two seasons after promotion bids failed in the latter stages of the campaign. HSV will be hoping that it is a case of third time lucky for winning promotion this time around.
Although these two teams have not met since 2018, Hamburg can claim superiority in the fixture of late, as they have won two of the last four meetings, while suffering just one defeat.
This is a big game even so early in the campaign. Forebet predicts that Hamburg will get their campaign off to a winning start by recording a win in a high-scoring encounter.