When Magdeburg meets Hannover’s reserve on Friday, 19 December, it will be the 18th matchday of the seson, marking the beginning of its second half. The first half saw Magdeburg’s newly formed team struggle at first, with a mere 3 points from the first 4 matches. But since the defeat to arch-rivals Hallescher FC, Magdeburg have remained unbeaten for a run of now 13 games, winning 10 of them and gaining 2nd place behind Holstein Kiel.
The decisive moment of the campaign will come in the end of February. Then Magdeburg will face Kiel away, Babelsberg at home, and Halle away, in other words, the top 4 will play each other. If Magdeburg can win two of these matches and not lose to Kiel, this would mean a big step towards promotion, despite the remaining 13 matchdays that by then will still have to be played.
In a surprise move, Kiel announced today that they have signed Falko Götz, former manager of Hertha BSC and 1860 Munich as manager. Götz will take over the team in the winter break. It is difficult to see what drove this decision, as Kiel seem to be on course to win promotion, winning the non-official fall championship. Speculation about additional financial means will certainly rise considering this move.
Magdeburg’s results so far:
Hannover 96 II (A) 2-0
Holstein Kiel (H) 0-1
Babelsberg 03 (A) 0-2
Hallescher FC (H) 1-2
Hamburger SV II (A) 1-0
Hertha BSC II (H) 2-0
VfL Wolfsburg II (A) 2-1
VFC Plauen (H) 0-0
Sachsen Leipzig (A) 1-0
VfB Lübeck (H) 3-0
Wilhelmshaven (A) 2-2
Rostock II (H) 2-1
Cottbus II (H) 3-1
Altona 93 (A) 0-0
Türkiyemspor (H) 2-0
Oberneuland (A) 2-1
Chemnitzer FC (H) 4-1