Five Germany internationals with ambitions in the Bundesliga

The 53rd Bundesliga season gets underway again on Friday when FC Bayern München meet Hamburger SV. When the ball gets rolling there will almost always be Germany internationals on show. DFB.de will be outlining what the Bundesliga clubs have done and their ambitions for the new season from the perspective of Die Mannschaft. Today these clubs are Stuttgart, Hannover, Köln and Hoffenheim.

VfB Stuttgart

Germany international: In years gone by, quite a lot of things have gone badly for VfB Stuttgart. Avoiding relegation was far from clear cut; the fans could only celebrate survival on the final day. A silver lining was, however, that VfB have another Germany international in Antonio Rüdiger. After his debut in May 2014 in an international friendly against Poland in Hamburg, the defender was considered a regular with Die Mannschaft, and he now has six caps under his belt. It’s not known when the Germany International will return to action for VfB. In the summer break Rüdiger had to undergo minor surgery on his meniscus tendon, which was followed by four weeks out of training.

What’s new?: The manager. Alexander Zorniger has taken over from Huub Stevens, and the Stuttgart faithful are being managed by a fellow Swabian. VfB now also have new goalkeepers in the shape of Mitch Langerak and the Polish international Przemyslaw Tyton. They also maintain hopes of signing Jan Kliment. The Czech striker sparked interest from other clubs in the U21 Euros in the Czech Republic, among other things scoring a hat-trick in a group game against Serbia.

What’s are the expectations?: The new manager has clear visions. Zorniger says, “Our aim is to have nothing to do with the relegation battle. It’s important for me to implement my style of play. We want to work quickly. It’s going to be rough out there, but we’re going to go at it. We have the team with the highest average speed in the league."

When do they start?: Stuttgart have jumped the first hurdle of Holstein Kiel in the DFB Cup with a 2-1 win. In the Bundesliga, VfB get their league campaign underway on Sunday when they face 1. FC Köln at home.

Hannover 96

Germany international: World cup winner Ron-Robert Zieler is starting his sixth season with 96, and boasts six appearances in goal for Germany – most recently on the 6th of June in Cologne against USA.

What’s new?: A few things. Michael Frontzeck is manager of the Reds, and has been since April 2015. The team from Lower Saxony has undergone significant change, and the manager is a new face for the season. The captain, along with Lars Stindl, has moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach, and Christian Schulz, with Zieler as deputy, has been chosen to replace him. Another new face at 96 is Oliver Sorg. The former Freiburg player has already gained experience in the senior side. The defender’s only international appearance came just before the World Cup in a game against Poland in Hamburg.

What are the expectations?: Last season their safety in the Bundesliga was only secured on the 34th matchday. The predictions of the protagonists are rather pragmatic. Germany international Zieler says, “We found ourselves in a period of change, next season may well be very difficult. There’s no point even talking about Europe. Finishing between eighth and twelfth in the table is realistic.

When do they start?: In the first round of the DFB Cup, Zieler kept a clean sheet in a 2-0 win over Hessen Kassel – the serious work though starts on Saturday in the Bundesliga. 96 kick off their Bundesliga campaign against newly promoted side Darmstadt 98.

1. FC Köln

Germany international: Jonas Hector. The defender made his Germany debut on 14th November 2014 in a European Championship qualifier against Gibraltar, and has earned four more caps since. After the international friendly against the United States in Cologne, Joachim Löw said of Hector: "Jonas remains rooted and needs the right people around him. The manager and the team at Cologne are just right for him. He plays an important role at the club and has the potential to become a permanent force in the Bundesliga. He has established himself well at the club and in the league."

What's new?: A lot. Köln have been very active in the transfer market. One of the new arrivals is Germany U21 international Leonardo Bittencourt, who joined from Hannover. Other signings include Anthony Modeste from Hoffenheim, Dominique Heintz from Kaiserslautern, Milos Jojic from Dortmund, Philipp Hosiner from Rennes and Frederik Sörensen from Juventus.

What are the expectations?: Manager Peter Stöger has stood out from the rest of the league with his title prediction by casting a shadow of doubt over Bayern München's recent triumph. With regards to his own team, he's drawn attention to their nine goalless draws from last season: "For the coming season we've thought long and hard about what we need to do to take our game to the next level. However, we won't sacrifice our organisation for the sake of more attractive football. I've thought to myself whether we could perhaps in the near future repeat the successes of a club like Borussia Mönchengladbach in the last few years. I feel like things are going well for me in Cologne at the moment. I sense a great deal of motivation and a great desire to establish this club in the Bundesliga for the long term."

When do they start? 1. FC Köln comfortably beat Meppen 4-0 in the DFB Cup. Their first league match is away at Stuttgart on Sunday.

1899 Hoffenheim

Germany internationals: Two of Joachim Löw’s players are part of the Hoffenheim squad: Sebastian Rudy and Kevin Volland. Since making his senior international debut against Poland on 13th May 2014, Rudy has gone on to collect nine caps for Germany, whilst Volland has so far appeared three times for the World Champions.

What’s new?: Quite a bit. Hoffenheim have lost a key player with the departure of Roberto Firmino for a reported €41 million to Liverpool. There has been quite some upheaval at TSG with experienced players such as Sead Salihovic, captain Andreas Beck, Modeste and David Abraham all leaving the club. Some new faces have also arrived, with the most spectacular new arrival of the summer being former Germany international striker Kevin Kuranyi, who has returned to the Bundesliga from Moscow. Jonathan Schmid (from Freiburg), Mark Uth (from Heerenveen) and Brazilian Joelinton (from Recife) are all new striking options for the club. Fabian Schär (from Basel) and Pavel Kaderabek (from Prague) were also brought in to strengthen the defence.

What are the expectations?: Coach Markus Gisdol says, “I want to play brave, pressing football. That means defending high up the pitch, early and energetic pressing and then fluent, quick attacking play to the opponent’s goal once we’ve won the ball. Realistically, we currently have a mid-table team. If we had more, then I’d be the first to say that my clearly formulated goal is the Europa League or even the Champions League. But we are working well under the current conditions. We have an entertaining team, and my gut feeling tells me that we could be a surprise package this season.”

When do they start?: Things are already under way, and they haven’t started well. TSG were eliminated 2-0 by 1860 München in the first round of the DFB Cup. Hoffenheim’s Bundesliga campaign begins on Saturday when they meet Bayer Leverkusen.