Hamburgo vs Schalke

Hamburg failed to climb up the division after finishing last season in one of the top places. The team's new goal will therefore be to revive their hopes of returning to the Bundesliga.

Schalke, who finished near the bottom of the table, were one of the teams who lost their Bundesliga status last season, so their main aim will be to finish among the Bundesliga leaders and secure promotion again.

After a very tight season in the last few rounds, Hamburg managed to hold on to third place in the standings and advance to the promotion round when they faced Sttutgart, which they lost by an aggregate score of 1-6.

After the end of the regular season, the team played a series of friendlies, four in total, in which they won only once, while the last two games ended with defeats to Salzburg and Rangers.

The team retains the same core of players as last season and few changes have been made by Tim Walter's team for this season, with only the arrival of Immanuel Pherai.

Finishing top of the 2nd Bundesliga in the 21-22 season did not help the team, which maintained mediocre performances and was relegated to the second German division.

The team won only seven of the 34 games played and lost 17 in the same period. The defense was one of the team's biggest weaknesses, conceding the highest number of goals in the tournament, with an average of more than two goals conceded per game.

The team's preparation for the new season in the second tier did not start in the best way, with only two wins in the five friendly matches played.

It should be noted that the team suffered a significant reduction in the number of players who had managed to impose themselves on the team during their time in the Bundesliga, with the departures of Harit, Zalazar, Buller and Larsson.