Holstein Kiel

Although Kiel were expected to come straight back down after a first top-flight appearance, they certainly made their mark with some brave attacking performances last season. Things looked bleak in December after just one victory, but a much improved second-half of the campaign would see them fight for survival right until the end. Coach Marcel Rapp remains at the helm for the upcoming season, with the club trusting in him to rejuvenate the squad for life in the second division once more. This will be his fourth year in charge, but arguably his most challenging. Plenty of new faces have arrived in the summer so expect a different looking Kiel than last season. How quickly midfield duo Therkelson and Davidsen can adapt remains to be seen, but both should bring energy. The experience and leadership of Schwabe should also help, especially after the departure of Holtby. Keeping hold of the better players is always a struggle after relegation, so a few departures were expected. Midfield regular Remberg has been snapped up by Hamburger while in attack they could also be left short. Pichler has moved to Hannover and Machino is being courted by bigger clubs. New forward Muller certainly has potential, but may need time to settle. Kiel conceded 80 goals in the Bundesliga last season so this could be an area of weakness again. The quality they will come up against will of course be weaker but more additions may be necessary. Robust Bosnian centre-back Cvjetinovic has been brought in and could prove to be all they need.