The 2. Bundesliga season kicks off with Claus-Dieter Wollitz's Cottbus hosting Christian Titz's Hannover in what should be a tightly contested opener. Cottbus famously knocked Hannover out of the DFB Pokal on this ground a year ago with a disciplined 1-0 performance, and that…
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Sign inEnergie Cottbus begin their first 2. Bundesliga campaign in over a decade against Hannover 96 on Sunday, 9 August 2026, at the LEAG Energie Stadion in Cottbus. The hosts knocked Hannover out of the DFB-Pokal first round last term, setting up a simmering rematch on the opening matchday.
Hannover 96 are expected to line up in a 3-4-3 shape under head coach Stefan Leitl. A predicted XI — Loretz; Okon, Tomiak, Hugonet; Neubauer, Thórdarson ©, Taïbi, Oudenne; Bundu, Källman, Gindorf — suggests a blend of experience and youth, with youngsters Etcibasi and Yunus Ünal hoping to make a breakthrough. Attacker Yokota is likely to depart, leaving the Lower Saxony side needing another addition in the final third.
Cottbus’s most eye-catching summer move was the capture of former Hannover midfielder Leonardo Bittencourt. The 31-year-old brings second-tier know-how to a squad that has waited more than ten years for a return to the 2. Bundesliga. No major injury concerns have been reported by either camp ahead of the curtain-raiser.
The newly promoted side used pre-season to test themselves against Bundesliga opposition. A 4-2 friendly defeat to Werder Bremen, in which they still managed two goals, highlighted both the attacking threat and the defensive work still to be done. Cottbus will be eager to carry the momentum of their promotion into a competitive league start, and a cup upset over Hannover last season proves they are not overawed by more established opponents.
Hannover started last season with four consecutive wins, a burst that set the tone for a campaign in which they did the double over fierce rivals Eintracht Braunschweig for the first time since 1992/93. That ability to hit the ground running will be tested immediately in Cottbus, where a loud home crowd will be desperate to celebrate a successful return to the second tier.
Leonardo Bittencourt’s switch to Energie Cottbus adds a personal edge to the fixture. The midfielder spent part of his career at Hannover and will know the visitors’ set-up well. His role in Cottbus’s midfield could be decisive in disrupting the rhythm of Thórdarson and Taïbi, while his set-piece delivery may be a weapon against a Hannover back three that is still gelling.
Hannover return home to host relegated Wolfsburg on matchday two, a fixture that will demand a quick turnaround. Cottbus, meanwhile, will turn their attention to a DFB-Pokal first-round tie against Union Berlin later in August, giving them another chance to claim a scalp.
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