Koln and Hamburg SV are back in the Bundesliga after securing the Top 2 spots in the second division last season, with the former registering 61 points and the latter recording 59 points. Elversberg narrowly missed out with 58 points.
As is always the case for the newly promoted sides, the Bundesliga 2025 odds don’t expect too much from Die Rothosen and the Billy Goats this upcoming season. We won’t be surprised if they return to the second division after 2025-26.
However, Lukas Kwasniok and Merlin Polzin’s groups have a wealth of intriguing talent at their disposal, and they will be the key to their fortunes. Today, let’s meet the players to watch out for from these promoted clubs, here at SBOTOP.
Yussuf Poulsen, Hamburg SV
Yussuf Poulsen is already a household name in the Bundesliga. After spending 12 years with RB Leipzig, the Danish international will take on a different challenge by joining forces with Hamburg SV.
The 31-year-old striker comes into the new season with a chip on his shoulder after he lost his place with Die Roten Bullen over the past few months in favour of Lois Openda and Benjamin Sesko. Poulsen, who holds the club record of 425 appearances across all competitions while scoring 95 goals, has only made 22 appearances last term, mainly as a substitute.
Here at Hamburg SV, Poulsen can re-establish himself as a starting-calibre Bundesliga striker as long as he stays healthy throughout the year. He could make his competitive debut for Die Rothosen in their DFB-Pokal first-round match against Pirmasens on August 16.
Nicolas Capaldo, Hamburg SV
Hamburg SV also recruited Nicolas Capaldo to bolster their midfield. The 26-year-old Argentina international last played for RB Salzburg for almost five years, tallying 15 goals and 10 assists in 126 competitive appearances, winning two Austrian Bundesliga titles and the Austrian Cup. He also played 22 Champions League matches, featuring in the 2021-22 Round of 16 defeat to Bayern Munich.
Capaldo has been likened to Bayern Munich’s Leon Goretzka because of his all-around ability and high motor. Besides operating in the middle of the park, he can also play as a full-back when needed.
Jean-Luc Dompe, Hamburg SV
With Davie Selke leaving Hamburg SV to join Istanbul Basaksehir, Die Rothosen will need more from Jean-Luc Dompe, who was his right-hand man in the final third last term. Dompe was the team’s iron man, having played an astounding 2,404 minutes across all competitions, registering nine league goals and 12 assists.
This is Dompe’s first foray in the Bundesliga, so he will look to make it count. The 29-year-old forward’s top traits are his passing and ball handling, as he fired the second-most crosses in the second division last season (125). Dompe should be a regular in the Bundesliga 2025 highlights reel.
Ragnar Ache, Koln
Ragnar Ache will be the key to Koln’s fortunes because of his uncanny ability to find the back of the net. The 26-year-old striker, who joined the Billy Goats from Kaiserslautern last year, scored 18 league goals, putting him joint-third in the Golden Boot race alongside Elversberg’s Fisnik Asllani. Ache is never gun-shy, as he fired the most shots in the second division with 106, with five of them hitting the woodwork.
Ache should prove to be a handful for opposing centre-backs next season because of his physicality. Standing at 6’0″, he can more than hold his own in the air, which is evidenced by winning 131 aerial duels last term. He should’ve won Bundesliga 2 Player of the Year if it weren’t for Davie Selke.
Linton Maina, Koln
Ragnar Ache wouldn’t score 18 league goals last season if it weren’t for the services of Linton Maina, Koln’s top playmaker. The 26-year-old attacking midfielder only had three league goals, but he had 11 assists, which was the joint-third most of any player in the second division.
At 5’8″, Maina has a low centre of gravity, and he’s a superb ball-carrier. He’s arguably the fastest player the Billy Goats have, as he recorded the 11th fastest sprint in the second tier last season at 35.87 kph.
Eric Martel, Koln
Eric Martel is probably Koln’s unsung hero last season. The 23-year-old was always available for the Billy Goats, logging over 3,000 minutes in 2024-25 as their lynchpin in the middle of the park.
Martel covered a team-high 352.3 kilometres and recorded the second-most duels (420) and seventh-most in the air (120) in the second division last term. The former Leipzig academy graduate is also tidy in possession, having completed 91.26-per cent of his passes.
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