After an 11-year absence, Bochum are back in the big time. The Bundesliga 2 champions had a busy summer bolstering their squad, with Elvis Rexhbecaj one of several shrewd loan signings.

Last season

Bochum were promoted as Bundesliga 2 champions at the end of last season, although they looked a long way off achieving that feat initially. Two draws and a defeat in their first four games left Thomas Reis’ men well off the pace, but they soon recovered and victory over promotion favourites Hamburg on Matchday 8 gave the side renewed belief – as did a 3-0 away win over Mainz in the second round of the DFB Cup in December.

Bochum’s consistency was arguably their greatest strength and they invariably bounced back immediately from a league loss with a win. Simon Zoller and Robert Zulj were key to that, each scoring 15 times and registering an additional 10 and 15 assists respectively, forming the most dangerous attacking partnership in the second tier.

Watch: Bochum's promotion celebrations

New arrivals

The top-flight newcomers have brought in several experienced Bundesliga pros over the summer to help them gain a foothold in their first top-flight season since 2009/10. Eduard Löwen, Konstantinos Stafylidis and Christopher Antwi-Adjei have all joined on loan, while Takuma Asano’s arrival in attack should help compensate for Zulj’s departure. The 26-year-old Japan international previously had two seasons at VfB Stuttgart and another at Hannover, so he is well versed in the demands of the Bundesliga.

Rexhbecaj will also spend 2021/22 in Bochum, having arrived on loan from Wolfsburg. The 23-year-old central midfielder impressed during his stint at Cologne last term and his dynamism in the middle of park could prove a key factor in the promoted side’s campaign.

How might Bochum line up?

Head coach Thomas Reis steered Bochum to promotion and is now tasked with keeping his team in the Bundesliga. - /

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What to expect

Despite all their shrewd reinforcements, Bochum will be happy if they can avoid the drop. Fixtures against Mainz, Cologne and Hertha in their opening five games are the kind of matches they will need to pick up points in if they are to survive.

Bochum needed extra time to overcome fourth-tier side Wuppertaler SV in the first round of the DFB Cup, a result head coach Thomas Reis knows leaves plenty of room for improvement: “In the second half you could see we’re capable of playing good football, but it’s clear we still have a whole lot of work to do.” With less than a week between that match and meeting Wolfsburg in their Bundesliga opener, they will need to improve – and fast.

A versatile box-to-box midfielder, Rexhbecaj could shape Bochum's Bundesliga campaign. - Revierfoto via www.imago-images.de/imago images/Revierfoto

Opening fixtures

DFB Cup: Wuppertaler SV 1-2 Bochum
Wolfsburg vs. Bochum (Saturday, 14 August)
Bochum vs. Mainz (Saturday, 21 August)
Cologne vs. Bochum (Saturday, 28 August)
Bochum vs. Hertha (Sunday, 12 September)
Bayern vs. Bochum (Saturday, 18 September)
Bochum vs. Stuttgart (Sunday, 26 September)

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

About the clubs

VfL Bochum 1848

Vonovia Ruhrstadion