Football Season Guide

Eintracht Braunschweig go into this season hoping to turn their mid table finish from last season into a push for promotion back to the Bundesliga, but Torsten Lieberknecht’s side are probably a bit short of where they need to be. Lieberknecht did well to manage the team’s relegation from the top division in 2013/14 and the club has remained in the top half in the two seasons since. The coach’s focus this year was clearly to maintain consistency from the side that finished in eighth place as very few players have joined or left the club. Of those who have left only Gerrit Holtmann was a true regular in the team but the other four players will not be greatly missed. Of those coming into the side the focus has been on trying to add to their fairly paltry tally of 44 goals last term which saw no single player getting into double figures. The man hoped to help lead the line this year is Nigerian striker Suleiman Abdullahi who has signed from FK Viking and despite his young years, he is likely to become one of their main strikers this year. Overall Braunschweig have a solid team with players who have a lot of experience at this level but there are no real stand out players. Their attack, despite some strengthening over the summer, remains weak and they will probably struggle to get many goals this year. Lieberknecht is clearly happy with the balance of his team and he has worked with some of the current squad for a number of seasons already. The wily coach has also overseen their promotion to the top division before so they cannot be discounted. Nevertheless the Niedersachsen side are likely to finish in a solid mid table position once again with a possibility of moving into the top third should they find some form.