Will VfL Osnabrück finally break the elevator curse?

VfL Osnabrück has secured a return to the 2. Bundesliga and is determined to Endet the "Fahrstuhl‑Fluch" that has seen the club bounce up and down after six Aufstiegen. The club hopes to stay longer than in previous promotion seasons, aware that the Bundesliga‑Aufsteiger test against SC Paderborn ended in a 0:2 defeat.

The recent Tests in Niedersachsen did not go and the bad Nachricht for the staff arrived early in the Woche. Trainer Timo Schultz faced a setback at the Beginn of the week when the Neuzugang Jonathan Wensing was ruled out for the Saisonbeginn.

Jonathan Wensing, the new Mittelfeldspieler, suffered a thigh muscle injury in the Test on Samstag against the Bundesliga‑Aufsteiger SC Paderborn. The Osnabrücker reported that the injury occurred while contesting the Ball and Und the Spiel, meaning the Spieler will miss the opening match.

The first injury comes just before the 2. Liga start at 1. FC Heidenheim, scheduled for Samstag at 13:00 in the NDR Livecenter. Earlier that weekend the team also lost 0:3 to SV Meppen, adding to the End‑of‑pre‑season concerns.

Schultz said the Testday “did not show the compactness we need”. He noted that the team “rarely created pressure on the Ball and often made the wrong decisions”, resulting in too few Umschaltmomente that normally make the side strong.

The club has undergone a major personnel shift, with 14 players departing. Jonas Krumrey replaces Lukas Jonsson as goalkeeper, reflecting the new configuration that must still develop the desired compactness, pressing and transition play.

Striker Robin Meißner, the summer’s top transfer at €200,000, is expected to deliver points quickly, as the pressure to collect points for Klassenerhalt will rise from Spieltag eins.

Record scorer Simon Terodde warned that the season will be “a fight over 34 Spieltage” and predicted that Osnabrück will not succeed. He cited the gap between the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, noting that clubs like Dresden, Bielefeld, Ulm and Regensburg have struggled similarly.

Schultz summed up the club’s outlook with a simple motto: “volle Fahrt voraus”. The Lila‑Weißen are back in the 2. Liga, and off the pitch the situation is becoming more orderly after a period that nearly left the club in ruins a year ago.