Bundesliga 2: Best Bets & Predictions

Here, we look at the promotion odds for the upcoming 2. Bundesliga campaign and offer our outside bet for promotion.

18 teams contest the league. The top two teams gain automatic promotion to the Bundesliga, whereas the third-placed side takes on the 16th-placed team in the league above in a relegation play-off. The bottom two are relegated to the tier below at the opposite end of the league. The 16th-placed team enters a relegation play-off.

Hamburg are the bookmaker's favourite for promotion from the 2.Bundesliga this season. The 6/1 odds suggest that Stefan Baumgart’s side are ready to take the next step and achieve promotion after their last campaign.

Hamburg finished fourth, which is a place outside the play-off spot. Hamburg finished on 58 points last season, five points behind Fortuna Dusseldorf, who didn’t take advantage of their playoff opportunity. Robert Glatzel will be the one to bring Hamburg to the promise land after his performances last season. The German striker scored 22 goals last season, averaging a goal every 120 minutes. Hamburg lost Laszio Benes, who joined Union Berlin after his 24-goal contributions the previous season.

Cologne (FC Koln) endured a disappointing season last year, as they suffered relegation from the Bundesliga. FC Koln finished 17th last season and six points adrift from VFL Bochum, who survived relegation following their play-off victory over Fortuna Dusseldorf.

FC Koln have looked to move astutely in the transfer market, acquiring the likes of Luca Waldschmidt on a free transfer from Wolfsburg. Luca Waldschmidt can operate in the number ten position alongside a makeshift striker role. The German scored three goals for Wolfsburg last season from 14 starts. However, he is expected to find the net more regularly in this division.

It was a surprise to many when Hertha Berlin were relegated to the second tier of German Football in 2023, considering their lavish spending. Their first season, back in the German second division, was disappointing as they finished ninth. Interestingly, Hertha Berlin were closer to the bottom three than they were at the top of the division, and this season, they are tipped to rectify their previous campaign.

One of the standout players for last season was striker Haris Tabakovic. The Bosnian striker scored 22 goals last season from 29 starts and averaged a goal every 117 minutes. Hertha Berlin have managed to retain the services of midfielder Fabian Reese, who recorded 20 goal contributions last season in 29 league starts.

Fortuna Dusseldorf came the closest from any team on this list to gaining promotion to the Bundesliga in their previous campaign. Fortuna Dusseldorf reached the playoff game last season and took a commanding position by winning the first leg 3-0. The side then blew their chances by allowing Bochum to recover the aggregate score and beat Dusseldorf on penalties, ending their promotion chances.

The bookmakers still place Dusseldorf this season as one of the stronger outfits. Dusselforf manager Daniel Thione has to deal with losing star player Christos Tzolis to Club Brugge. The Greek International recorded 28 goal contributions last season. The focus will be on Vincent Vermeij to compensate for the goal deficit. The Dutch native scored 13 league goals last season from 22 starts.

Our choice to potentially clinch a promotion place is former Bundesliga side Hannover 96. Hannover have been away from the top tier of German Football for five years. However, their recent club strategy could provide the impetus needed for the side to finally escape the second tier of German Football.

Manager Stefan Leitl has a squad blended with youth and experience across all positions. Ron Robert-Zieler will be one of the better goalkeepers in the division, with years of playing for the likes of Leicester City and Manchester United under his belt. Nicolo Tresoldi will wear the number nine shirt for Hannover 96 this season, with the young German expected to lead the line. Last season, Tresoldi scored seven from 24 league starts. Hannover have brought in the likes of Josh Knight from Peterborough United, who will be relishing the opportunity to prove himself at this level.