Football Season Guide

FC Ingolstadt were relegated from the Bundesliga last season and will be looking to head straight back to the top division for next season. While far from being an awful side last term, Ingolstadt simply never looked like they had the quality to stay up. However, by and large the squad has remained similar to last season and Mark Walpurgis' side go into the season as marginal favourites for promotion. There has been a slight loss of quality in the team with two of the side's better performers from last season going to Brighton & Hove Albion alone in the form of creative midfielder Pascal Groß and left-back Markus Suttner. The loss of Roger de Oliveira and Matthew Leckie will also significantly weaken the side overall. In their places come a series of players who are proven in the second division but lack the flair and quality of those who have left the club. For that reason Walpurgis will be looking for new players within the squad to step up and push the team forward. With Roger and Groß having left, the likes of Almog Cohen and Sonny Kittel will now expect to become the more important players in the centre of the park. Both have experience of being part of sides promoted from the second division. In defence there is experience throughout, though left-back could be an issue as they have no clear first choice starter currently. The biggest question will be in attack as their strikers only produced 10 goals altogether last season. Main centre-forward, Dario Lezcano, is also rumoured to be unsettled at playing in the second division meaning others might have to step into his place. Overall, the squad has the experience and quality needed to have a run at promotion but there are other sides at a similar standard who will challenge them throughout.