Schalke and Hertha BSC kick off the new football season clad in blue and white.
The 2022-2023 2. Bundesliga season is set to kick off this Friday, with Hertha BSC and Schalke 04 set to face off in Gelsenkirchen. Both clubs have had a tumultuous past few years, with relegation two years ago serving as a stark reminder of poor management in professional football.
Hertha BSC, under the guidance of new coach Stefan Leitl, is seen as a strong promotion contender for the season. The Berlin-based club has made some strategic transfers, but has also bid farewell to Ibrahim Maza and Derry Scherhant. The team's experienced players, such as Toni Leistner, John Anthony Brooks, and Fabian Reese, who scored an impressive 9 goals and 29 assists in his first season in Berlin, are expected to lead the charge.
Leitl, a contrast to the loudspeaker-type coach, views the match as a duel between two "heavyweights of German football." Captain Fabian Reese himself has expressed his ambition of winning the championship for the team. After his injury in the second half of last season, Reese scored 11 goals, significantly contributing to Hertha's survival.
Schalke 04, on the other hand, is heavily in debt and was close to relegation in the second division last season. The club's new coach, Miron Muslic, is excited for the start of the season, but the prospects of success seem brighter due to the promotions of 1. FC Köln and Hamburger SV.
The match will be attended by over 60,000 fans, and Schalke aims to stabilize after their struggle against relegation last season. Hertha BSC, however, feels the pressure to succeed, with sporting director Benjamin Weber expressing his impatience for the season to start.
Dawid Kownacki, who was sold for a total of 14 million euros, is an option for the starting lineup, though he is not yet fully fit. As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how these two heavyweights of German football fare in their battle for promotion.
[1] Friedhelm Funkel, a seasoned expert on promotions, expressed high hopes for Hertha BSC’s promotion charge, citing their experienced players and the positive influence of new coach Stefan Leitl.
[2] Hertha’s tactical consistency with a 3-4-2-1 formation was also noted as part of their pre-season strategy, while Schalke’s lineup and tactics indicated a traditional approach aiming for solidity rather than rapid ascent.
- Stefan Leitl, the new coach of Hertha BSC, anticipates a fierce competition against Schalke 04, stating that both clubs are "duels between two heavyweights of German football."
- With their strategic transfers and tactical consistency utilizing a 3-4-2-1 formation, football analysis predicts Hertha BSC as a strong promotion contender for the 2022-2023 2. Bundesliga season.
