„One of the most atmospheric stadiums in Germany“

I don’t think the last few games mean anything for Sunday’s game, because an away game at the Betze is always something special. Kaiserslautern plays differently at home than away. You can see that in the fact that they’ve picked up 17 of their last 18 points at home across the season. Lautern’s home game against Schalke was super energetic—they fully exploited the power of the Betzenberg. Nevertheless, with three wins and a draw, we’re coming out of a phase where we can say that we have confidence in what we’re doing—including the processes we’ve been able to play since last season. The fact that Sergio is fully fit again also gives us more options at right-back. We’re looking forward to the away game.

The Betzenberg is one of the most atmospheric stadiums in Germany. It creates an atmosphere that is unique, particularly due to the design of the stands, and isn’t often found. The journey there is also very special – first up the hill, then in the glass elevator through the VIP area to the changing rooms. These are all things you don’t find in other stadiums. Furthermore, the changing rooms are very close together. These aspects make the stadium unique – but in all directions: This stadium can also exert a lot of pressure, even for the home team. On good days, it’s a huge advantage for the team, but it’s also a crowd that quickly demands a lot of energy from the pitch.

I think one of the reasons some Lilien coaches become Lautern coaches is so they can win at the Betzenberg – because Darmstadt have never won there before (laughs). To be honest, I don’t know why Darmstadt have never won there. This stadium is certainly impressive and an advantage. That’s why I’m glad that many of our players saw the stadium in May. We’re no longer an inexperienced team when it comes to playing in such atmospheric stadiums – it was different last year because of the many new signings from the 3rd division and abroad. In terms of atmosphere, the 2nd division is unique, and you need to gain a bit of experience in stadiums like these. But we gained that last season. So playing at the Betze will be something special – but nothing intimidating.

Lautern presents two different faces at home and away. At home, they play very offensively, try to establish man-marking early on, and leave no space between them so that the opponent can’t get going. They have only signed top players across the board, including Mahir Emreli, Ivan Prtajin, and Fabian Kunze. They also brought in Paul Joly, a player who has 26 Ligue 1 appearances to their name – that shows what they’re capable of. Therefore, it will be a challenge to defend their individual quality. At the same time, it’s crucial that we avoid the stress they try to create. Then they will certainly open up opportunities for us to work with counterattacks.

I believe the sale of Clemens Riedel is a success story for Darmstadt 98. The club developed a player over six years, accompanied him through various phases, and molded him into a very important player who learned a lot about leadership, team management, and football. I think this story has produced only winners. Clemens has a great challenge ahead of him with Espanyol in La Liga – just to be the focus of a club there is an honour. I am convinced that this experience abroad will help him develop not only as a footballer, but also as a person. And he certainly didn’t choose the worst city in Barcelona. Of course, it’s also a financial issue for the club: It’s important to financially reward a player who has been able to develop here for his performances. Kudos to Paul Fernie and his squad planning – this departure was already factored in back in May. Even though I would have liked to continue working with him, we were prepared and feel well positioned despite his move. All the best to Clemens! I believe that stepping out of his comfort zone and into a city where he’s no longer „our Clemens“ but „Mr. Riedel“ will be beneficial to his development.

We’ll use the international break to give the boys a little respite. Jean-Paul Boëtius and Fabian Nürnberger are away with the national team, while the others will train in football-specific athletics. We’ll combine this with a few days off, so we can then get back to normal preparation for Braunschweig.