Is this Dynamo team a dark horse contender for promotion?

It’s the question people in Dresden ask themselves before every season: Quo vadis, Dynamo? And just like every year, the initial response is a shrug. That said, ahead of the Saxons’ first game on Sunday (1:30 p.m./Sky) against 1. FC Nürnberg, quite a few experts have high hopes for coach Thomas Stamm’s team. To be more precise: the big break—namely, promotion to the Bundesliga. Because, as always, the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga is a real wild card.

It’s no coincidence that TV analysts Felix Kroos and Simon Terodde count Dresden among the dark horses. Following an extremely successful second half of last season and an eleventh-place finish, Dynamo has largely kept its roster intact. Above all, the fact that the players who were on loan last season—Jonas Sterner, Robert Wagner, Thomas Keller, and Ben Bobzien—have now been signed permanently is seen in the industry as a statement. On top of that, the team has added Nicolai Rapp, a very experienced second-division defensive midfielder from Karlsruher SC. In total, sporting director Sören Gonther has brought in twelve professionals who will certainly add quality to the roster.

Dynamo’s initial goal is 42 points

However, the talk from the competition and the experts seems to bounce off the club’s leadership, at least. They say they want to improve. “We earned 41 points last season. 42 points this time around would be nice. That’s a step forward. I don’t care when we get those 42 points. Only then can we talk about everything,” said Stamm, well aware that after a fairly successful preseason—capped by a 2-1 victory in the season opener against Bundesliga club 1. FC Union Berlin—euphoria is running high not only within the team’s immediate circle but especially among the fans.

Who will take over the leadership role from Stefan Kutschke?

Following the resignation of “spokesperson” Stefan Kutschke, new people are now needed to keep this momentum going and prevent any sense of overconfidence from taking hold within the team. Sure, Niklas Hauptmann, as captain, can quickly step into this role. But now other key players must also take on more responsibility. Wagner, Rapp, and Keller should be capable of doing so and holding the team together internally.

Coach Calls for More Consistency

In any case, the match in Nuremberg will already be an indication of what the Black-and-Yellows are capable of in the new season. The victory against Union was, at the very least, not entirely insignificant. “It’s always good to start the season with a sense of accomplishment,” said Hauptmann. Coach Stamm takes it a step further: “It’ll be about bringing consistency to our play. That’s also what makes the difference between a team being able to compete at the top or not. To be honest, we haven’t shown that over an entire season yet.”