Nuremberg, Düsseldorf hope to keep up on Bundesliga return

It would be tempting to suggest that newly promoted sides tend to struggle on their arrival in or return to the Bundesliga, but that hasn't been the case in recent years. Since the 13-14 season, only two of the 10 new sides have gone straight back down (Eintracht Braunschweig in 2013-14 and Paderborn in 2014-15). So there's at least reason for the 2018-19 newcomers to hope.

Fortuna Düsseldorf

Fortuna won the second division last year, and have generated genuine excitement across the city by returning to the top flight. After five years of second division football though, the return to the big time comes with the fear of instant relegation (as it was in 2013). One look at the talent in Düsseldorf's team, the experience of their head coach and the competition in the Bundesliga, and Fortuna fans have every right to believe they can stay up.

Düsseldorf haven't spent much — around €6 million — but they've been smart to pick up players such as Kenan Karaman, Alfredo Morales and Diego Contento on free transfers. Takashi Usami arrives on loan as does 20-year-old talent Aymen Barkok from Eintracht Frankfurt. Striker Marvin Ducksch was the most expensive signing at just €2 million ($2.3 million). Other noteworthy players on the roster include Rouwen Hennings, Kaan Ayhan and Andre Hoffmann.

Their squad has the look of one more than capable of holding its own against fellow relegation-battlers, and they'll be led by 64-year-old head coach Friedhelm Funkel, who has won promotion to the Bundesliga six times. However, Funkel had not done so since 2005, and there are perhaps some quiet concerns that the top flight is not where he is at his best. But this a young team — the average age of the 30-man squad is 25.4 — with a much different feel to it than last time they were here.

Verdict: With at least five or six other sides also facing a tough season, Fortuna have a good chance of staying above the relegation playoff line. They may be safe.

1. FC Nürnberg

It has been a long time since Nuremberg enjoyed a spell of dominance in German football. In the 1920s they were one of the best teams in the country, and won the Bundesliga in the 1967-68 season, but like many sides who have built a reputation on past history they have struggled to keep up in more recent years. Last year's promotion-winning season was encouraging, but the club's Bundesliga squad suggests a very tough season ahead.

Losing Tobias Werner (returned to Stuttgart after the end of a loan spell) and playmaker Kevin Möhwald (Werder Bremen) has left Nürnberg thin in terms of quality and depth. Despite nine total departures, the club also failed to generate any transfer income.

Arrivals are equally threadbare, with goalkeeper Christina Mathenia and defender Robert Bauer the only notable additions. Talented teenage winger Timothy Tillmann, born in Nuremberg, comes on loan from Bayern Munich, but is a gamble. He's also very young, like much of the squad. The approach is bold and may well pay off, but it is by no means a guarantee.

A lot will come down to head coach Michael Köllner. The 48-year-old knows the club well, having been the academy manager in 2016 and then second team head coach before taking on the top job. Köllner has put his focus on team spirit, fitness and strong transitional play. But while Nürnberg talk a good game there are serious concerns as to whether they can play enough of a good one to stay in the Bundesliga. 

Promotion has provided a much needed financial boost for a club that has struggled in that regard of late, but Köllner, who reportedly chats to his players about politics and reading material, will be hoping the team can rally around captain and leader Hanno Behrens to compete for what would be a miracle survival.

Verdict: The club's return to the Bundesliga could be far too brief. Will do well to stay up.