Football Season Guide

An impressive second-half of last season saw Karlsruher finish in fifth position, their highest finish under coach Christian Eichner. If it wasn't for such a poor start, Karlsruher may well have competed for promotion after eventually finding a good balance between attack and defence. The KSC lost just three of their last 22 matches and will be hoping to bring that form into the start of the new campaign. This would certainly be possible if coach Eichner had the same side at his disposal, but unfortunately many changes to personnel in the summer, could mean another slow start. There have been 11 departures in total but a lot of these could not be helped due to retirements, end of contracts, and loan deals coming to a close. Matanovic and Nebel really hit form last season but have returned to their parent-clubs. Goalkeeper Drewes was snapped up by Bochum while captain Gondorf and club legend Stindl are both at the end of their careers. Despite the losses, there is plenty to be optimistic about with the incoming crowd. Robin Heußer is a shrewd addition to the midfield after being Wehen Wiesbaden’s top performer in this division last year. Young striker Hunziker comes in on loan from Basel and has plenty of potential, Eichner was able to get the best out of Matanovic, so will be hoping to do the same for the Swiss attacker. Conte is another exciting loan from Bundesliga Hoffenheim and will be looking to make his mark. Left-back Herold has been signed permanently after a successful loan spell, with Gunther providing competition for the position, having previously played in this division for Wiesbaden and Regensburg.