Fortuna Cologne kicks off the Regionalliga season on Friday evening at Wuppertaler SV. The South City team last looked poor at the Zoo. A small honor for Fortuna Cologne: for the first time in twelve years and only the second time ever, the South City team is part of the opening game in the Regionalliga West. The last time was at the start of the 2013/14 season. Back then, there was a 1-3 defeat against Alemannia Aachen.

Of course, things should go better when Fortuna visits Wuppertaler SV on Friday evening (7 p.m., RS live ticker). In recent years, however, the stadium at the zoo has not been a popular destination for Cologne fans. They have been waiting 13 years for an away win at WSV.

The last time they did so was in August 2012 under former coach Uwe Koschinat. Fortuna failed to win any of the following six games, losing the last three.

However, this record is unlikely to be of much significance for Friday’s clash. After undergoing major changes in the summer, neither club knows where they stand at the moment.

“Difficult to say,” is also the assessment of Cologne coach Matthias Mink. In an interview with the club, he explains: “Two newly formed teams are facing each other. I’ve watched Wuppertal twice. It’s important that we’re in good shape physically. And we are. I can’t judge how our opponents are doing.”

Fortuna made 13 signings and 15 departures in the summer. One of the new arrivals could help break the away curse in Wuppertal. Timo Bornemann is a WSV expert who joined the club in the summer from the Bergisches Land region. Last season, he scored in Wuppertal’s 3-1 win against Fortuna Cologne.

Mink believes that the quality of the squad compared to last season will become apparent over the course of the season. However, he says it has become more difficult to decide on the starting eleven. The coach on the start of the season: “It will be important to put the many things we worked on in pre-season into practice on the pitch.”

Mink is refraining from making any predictions about promotion for now. He believes the top of the table is more competitive than in previous years. The 57-year-old sees Borussia Dortmund’s U23 team, which was relegated from the 3rd division, as the “presumed favorites.” “Everything else will become a little clearer on the first matchday.”