Arminia Bielefeld will be out to retain their Bundesliga status once again in 2021/22, with Japanese ace Masaya Okugawa leading the charge after the completion of compatriot Ritsu Doan's loan.

Last season

Having clinched the second division title in 2019/20, Bielefeld's top-flight return was an eventful one. An opening weekend draw with Eintracht Frankfurt, followed by victory over Cologne was a perfect start to the campaign but just one victory in their next 10 matches - with nine losses - was a dramatic wake-up call for Uwe Neuhaus' men. Neuhaus eventually departed the club in March, with Frank Kramer his replacement in the Arminia dugout.

It proved somewhat of a masterstroke as Kramer led Bielefeld to four wins, five draws and just three defeats across the remaining 12 matchdays of the season. Having sat second bottom with seven games to go, subsequent victories over Freiburg, fellow strugglers Schalke and, crucially, VfB Stuttgart on the final day completed a superb turnaround and secured safety with two points more than Cologne in the relegation play-off place. Captain Fabian Klos and on-loan Japan international Doan fairly meagrely led the cub's scoring charts with five league goals apiece, with the latter scoring important goals in four of Bielefeld's nine victories over the course of the campaign.

Watch: Bielefeld beat Stuttgart to stay up on final day of 2020/21

New arrivals

While Doan was one of a number of loanees that returned to their parent clubs in the summer, Okugawa turned his temporary stay permanent. The 25-year-old initially joined the club on loan in January, going on to contribute one goal and two assists in 13 Bundesliga appearances. It was enough to convince Bielefeld into permanently prising Okugawa from Austrian outfit Red Bull Salzburg on a three-year contract.

Bielefeld's summer business certainly didn't stop there. lorian Krüger (Erzegebirge Aue), Bryan Lasme (Sochaux), Guilherme Ramos (Feirense), Alessandro Schöpf (Schalke), Janni Serra (Holstein Kiel), and Sebastian Vasiliadis (Paderborn) have all signed on, with the aim of retaining Bielefeld's Bundesliga status once more.

How might Bielefeld line up?

Arminia Bielefeld have been active this summer as they look to retain their Bundesliga status once more. - /

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What to expect

Things certainly won't be easy for Bielefeld, and the league's second-least productive attack will have to improve this time around. Their 26 efforts from 2020/21's 34 matchdays was only more than relegated Schalke's 25-goal return, highlighting just how precarious Bielefeld's situation was thanks to their lack of goals. Their end-of-season rally under Kramer, however, suggests that there are plenty of positives going into a first full season under the 49-year-old tactician.

Only six sides conceded fewer than Bielefeld (52), so if they can defend as resolutely in 2021/22, while also sharpening up in attack, they will certainly be on to something. Stefan Ortega's 11 clean sheets were a major factor in Bielefeld's defensive success and the 28-year-old will be hoping for more of the same, while former Borussia Dortmund youth player Serra brings with him 13 goals from Bundesliga 2 last season and Lasme scored 12 times in France's Ligue 1. They should help shoulder some of the goalscoring responsibilities alongside skipper Klos.

Janni Serra (c.) has already found the back of the net in pre-season and will add more firepower to the Arminia Bielefeld attack. - Thomas F. Starke/Getty Images

Opening fixtures

DFB Cup: Bayreuth 3-6 Bielefeld
Bielefeld vs. Freiburg (Saturday, 14 August)
Greuther Fürth vs. Bielefeld (Saturday, 21 August)
Bielefeld vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (Saturday, 28 August)
Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Bielefeld (Sunday, 12 September)
Bielefeld vs. Hoffenheim (Saturday, 18 September)
Union Berlin vs. Bielefeld (Saturday, 25 September)

Click here to download all of Bielefeld's Bundesliga fixtures to your calendar