- Ore Mountains Aue before uncertain start of season
FC Erzgebirge Aue is still shrouded in mystery despite seven test matches. The start was bumpy, but the club leadership remains optimistic ahead of their 3. Bundesliga debut. "We hope to field a good team that excites the fans and plays successfully," said sporting director Matthias Heidrich in the "Auepodcast". "It would also be nice to further enhance our home advantage."
With nine new signings, the personnel changes are greater than anticipated. "We had to let go of some players," Heidrich explained, "but I think we laid a good foundation last year that we can build on." Jonah Fabisch (1. FC Magdeburg) and Ricky Bornschein (SpVgg Greuther Fürth II) are expected to bolster the offense, while the departures of key players Marco Schikora and Tim Danhof must be compensated.
The team has already faced setbacks. Starting center-back Niko Vukancic suffered an external ligament injury in his left knee, required surgery, and will be out for weeks. New midfielder Can Özkang (Arminia Bielefeld) also missed a significant portion of the preparation due to injury, and his involvement in the first league games is uncertain. Sean Seitz had to pause due to a ligament strain in his ankle.
Test match results were mixed. While Aue managed a draw against Champions League finalist Borussia Dortmund (1:1), they also suffered losses to regional league teams ZFC Meuselwitz (0:4) and Carl Zeiss Jena (1:3).
Despite this, the goals are clear. After finishing last season in sixth place, the team's sights are set higher, with even a promotion to the second league being discussed. "We're not going to say we want to be tenth," said coach Pavel Dotchev. "We want to improve."
Aue's first league match is against Hannover 96 II this coming Saturday (MagentaSport/14:00). Later in August, they have two special home games: the DFB-Pokal match against Bundesliga team Borussia Mönchengladbach on August 17 (13:00) and the Saxony derby against Dynamo Dresden on August 23 (19:00).
The upcoming test match against Hannover 96 II on Saturday might provide an opportunity to assess the team's progress, following their mixed test match results against both high-ranking and lower-tier opponents. Additionally, the Test match against Bundesliga team Borussia Mönchengladbach in August will be a significant challenge, adding to the team's test match schedule.
