Saarbrucken

The Case For Them

Saarbrucken are not a spare club. They are Germany 3. Liga, Ludwigsparkstadion, and 123 years of people deciding this was theirs, pick them and the season has a second spine.

• Old enough to matter

  1903 is the founding date, old enough that the club has survived a war, a rebuild and at least one financial scare, young enough that the good years are still in living memory.

• Loaded cabinet

  9 distinct honours on record, including German football championship. Adopt them and you inherit expectation, which is more fun than it sounds when the trophies keep coming.

• Close to the pitch

  Ludwigsparkstadion holds about 16,003. You can hear the defenders shouting at each other, which is the single best argument for lower-capacity football.

• You get a nickname

  Known as {{nowrap|}} {{nowrap|}}. That is your new shorthand, your search term and your excuse for buying a scarf.