Is Rot-Weiss Essen a candidate for promotion to the Bundesliga this season? The majority of over 7000 participants in an RS survey doubt it.

With a 3-2 comeback win against Halleschen FC, Rot-Weiss Essen put a brilliant end to a turbulent 2023. Coach Christoph Dabrowksi’s team is in fourth place in the table, level on points with SSV Ulm 1846 in the relegation place.

After relegation worries in the previous season, RWE can suddenly look up. However, it is considered unlikely that it could actually be enough to get promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga this season – at least according to the participants in the latest forecasting survey.

We wanted to know: “After an outstanding first half of the season: Where will Rot-Weiss Essen finish at the end of the season?” and offered four possible answers. 7467 people took part (as of Friday, December 29, 8 p.m.).

Almost two-thirds (62 percent, 4606 votes) of RS users believe that the team from Bergeborbeck will, in the best case, finish the season in fourth place in the table as they currently are – or, in the worst case, drop to ninth place.

A tenth of the participants expect the team from Essen to drop even further. They see Red-White in the lower half of the final table. After all, tenth place is only five points away after the first 20 match days – and thus much closer than the direct promotion places. Dynamo Dresden in second place has a ten-point lead, and leaders Jahn Regensburg have a twelve-point lead.

It seems hardly surprising that only a fraction of the participants (five percent, 380 votes) consider direct promotion to be feasible.

One thing is clear, though: with 33 points on the board, RWE no longer sees itself in danger of relegation. “Now nobody can tell me that we’re going into the second half of the season and staying in the league. That’s an alibi. We want to stay up there and settle down,” said captain Vinko Sapina after the 3-2 win over Halle at the end of the year.