Hannover 96 2025/26 season preview: Can we expect Die Roten to rise under Titz? | OneFootball

Hannover endured a reasonable 2024-25 campaign which culminated in a 9th-place finish – their third best since being relegated from the Bundesliga in 2019. Although firmly lodged in the midtable bracket, their points total was just seven behind Elversberg who claimed the play-off berth and eight behind directly promoted Hamburger SV. Furthermore, they ranked joint-third best for number of defeats (9) however, a joint-highest ratio of 12 draws proved costly for Die Roten.

Perhaps even more detrimental to their 2.Bundesliga travails was their revolving door head coach difficulties. Hannover started the season well under Stefan Leitl, but early November marked a spell of bad form which led to his dismissal. Into the near year, an even worse run came to a conclusion with three consecutive defeats in April to close the curtains on Andre Breitenreiter’s reign. With their promotion hopes well and truly dashed, interim gaffer Lars Barlemann guided them through their final four fixtures. Perhaps this season will be different under new coach Christian Titz.

Transfers:

As already alluded to, the appointment of Titz – hailed for his attacking style and achieving promotion with Magdeburg – is possibly their best bit of business. However, Hannover have also been one of the league’s most active sides in the transfer market with a whopping 14 signings to date. The arrival of Cracovia duo Virgil Ghiță (27, CB) and Benjamin Källman (27, ST) and Holstein Kiel’s Benedict Pichler (€750k fee) could prove important alongside Mustapha Bundu who comes off the back of a fine season with Plymouth.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Nahuel Noll (Hoffenheim), and centre-halves Maik Nawrocki (24, Celtic) and Hendry Blank (20, Salzburg) make for excellent loan arrivals. A paltry €1m fee for midfielder Waniss Taïbi looks great after his strong season with Rodez in Ligue 2, while loan returnee Marius Wörl could be sharp after his heroics on loan with Arminia Bielefeld last campaign.

Perhaps some of their arrivals wouldn’t be here if not for the departure of Nicolo Tresoldi. The 20-year-old bagged 7 goals last season, earning him a big €6million move to Club Brugge this summer. The loss of veteran defender Marcel Halstenberg and his talented understudy Phil Neumann (both on free transfers) will sting despite finding sufficient replacements. Beyond that, Jessic Ngankam who provided 4 goals and 2 assists in 24-25, has returned to Eintracht Frankfurt after his loan expired. Defensive midfielder Fabian Kunze also leaves for fellow 2.Bundesliga side Kaiserslautern.

Pre-season preparations:

Hannover geared up this summer with a 3-0 win over Pattensen and a 4-2 victory over Hannoverscher SC in late June. As the quality of the opposition increased, their form has since taken a bit of a blow with a 2-1 defeat to Danish side Randers FC. They arrived at their pre-season training camp on Sunday, 13 July, in Saalfelden, Austria where they took on SC Paderborn in two games which resulted in a 3-2 loss and a 1-1 stalemate. Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr, boasting Cristiano Ronaldo, happened to be staying in the same resort which caused some bother. However, Titz insisted the opposite, stating the local high school’s pitch was in “very, very good condition” after they were forced to move. A final test against Cagliari just passed today, July 26, and ended in a 2-0 triumph with goals from Tomiak and Neubauer.

Possible starting lineup:

(3-4-3) Noll (GK) – Ghiță, Tomiak, Blank – Muroya, Leopold, Taïbi, Neubauer – Bundu, Pichler, Rochelt

Christian Titz often prefers to setup in a 3-4-3 formation although the 54-year-old is no stranger to a more traditional 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 on occasion. Nahuel Noll ought to take over from the departing Ron Robert Zieler. The back-three could be comprised of Ghiță, Tomiak and Blank, although Josh Knight or Maik Nawrocki might fancy their chances too. Muroya and Neubauer will bring width to the midfield with Enzo Leopold alongside new man Taïbi. Marius Wörl or Benjamin Källman could easily feature, but the front three ought to see the pace of Jannik Rochelt and Mustapha Bundu either side of Pichler.

Predictions for the 2025-26 season:

Competition is fierce this year with a good fistful of teams in the running for promotion, but competition within squads is equally important. From that perspective, Hannover is in a luxurious position with great depth in all departments. However, it can go two ways – having game-changing substitutions can turn stalemates into victories, but a lack of consistency in form and cohesion can equally unsettle a side. Here is where Titz must integrate his tactics, strike the balance and build confidence in his first-choice names. With all that said, Die Roten ought to be ambitious this campaign and could easily finish anywhere from 3rd-7th if things go their way.