It's been a long wait; 38 years. Hannover 96 could secure the autumn championship in the 2nd Bundesliga in December for the first time since the 1986/87 season. Back then, the side from Lower Saxony, who are currently back at the top of the table, had a similarly strong season. The end result was promotion to the 1st Bundesliga in 1987. 38 years ago, the Hanoverians were at the top of the table both after halftime and at the end of the season. Can the current team repeat the history of 38 years ago?
At least it looks really good. Hannover 96 is leader of the 2nd Bundesliga in the 2024/25 season. Above all, an impeccable home record with six wins from six games in front of the home crowd ensures a thick cushion of points. The team from Lower Saxony has 22 points on its side – and is therefore one point ahead of its direct competition from Paderborn and Düsseldorf. But now SV Darmstadt 98 is coming to the Heinz von Heiden Arena and is ready to stop the 96ers‘ home run. But before the ball rolls on Saturday (November 23rd/1pm), let’s take a closer look at the Lilies‘ opponents.
| Top Arrivals | Top Departures |
| Bartlomiej Wdowik (Defender, SC Braga) | Bright Arrey-Mbi (SC Braga) |
| Jessic Ngankam (Striker, Eintracht Frankfurt) | Cedric Teuchert (St. Louis City SC) |
| Jannik Rochelt (Winger, SV 07 Elversberg) | Louis Schaub (SK Rapid Wien) |
| Josh Knight (Defender, Peterborough United) | Max Besuschkow (FC Ingolstadt 04) |
| Hyung-ju Lee (Midfield, FC Bayern München) | Sebastian Ernst (SSV Jahn Regensburg) |
“It was work, football, games and very little free time,” is how Stefan Leitl, head coach of Hannover 96, once described his early days as a professional footballer. The former midfielder started vocational training when he was still just 16 years old. In addition, he was already involved in competitive youth sports. While he later completed his final professional examination, he managed to make the step from youth to the professionals at FC Bayern Munich. However, it was far too big a step, as the now 47-year-old himself admitted in an interview with his current employer. No chance of keeping up. Also injured too often. The dream of a big football business? At first it seemed to have burst. From the German record champions, Leitl went to SV Lohhof – from the Bundesliga to the Oberliga.
But Leitl got up and worked on himself. He got better, gradually rose. He ended up at SV Darmstadt 98 in the summer of 2004 via 1. FC Nürnberg and Unterhaching. The former midfielder with an offensive instinct played a total of 93 competitive games for the Lilies until 2007. He later found his footballing home in Ingolstadt, where a further 190 appearances were collected.
During his time as a player, the Munich native gradually completed some coaching training. “I have my former coach at FC Ingolstadt, Benno Möhlmann, to thank for the step after my active career to become a coach,” he explained in an interview with Hannover 96. Starting with the Ingolstadt U17 team, Leitl also worked his way up in the coaching profession . He trained the FCI professionals, then joined SpVgg Greuther Fürth and achieved promotion to the Bundesliga with the Kleeblatt in 2021. But after 30 match days in the German top flight, he left the club to start anew a league lower at Hannover 96. Leitl has been in the saddle there since 2022 and is in his third season in Lower Saxony – the season in which promotion to league one should succeed?
With 16 goals this season, Hannover 96 is just 14th in the statistics. Although Leitl’s team didn’t score many goals, the Lower Saxony team can rely on an extremely strong defence. Only ten goals conceded is a league record – remarkable because they conceded three against Elversberg on the last matchday alone. However, Hannover managed to keep a clean sheet in six of the twelve second division games – also a league record.
Cagliari, Italy. The son of an Argentine mother and an Italian professional footballer was born there in Sardinia in 2004. Nicolò Tresoldi. Even as a small boy, the German-Italian loved football – but also tennis. To this day he has never lost his love for the racket and still loves being on the court. But his main focus is on football – even if a tennis icon helps him. Before every game, he watches a ten-minute motivational video by Rafael Nadal. The Spanish tennis ace is his absolute role model. A motivational ritual that seems to be paying off.
At the age of 17, the German-Italian made his professional debut for Hannover 96 in Kaiserslautern on the first matchday of the 2022/23 season. At the end of that season, the youngster had made a total of 13 competitive appearances in the 96 shirt. It’s now hard to imagine the Lower Saxony team without him. Last season he scored seven goals in 30 games, this season Tresoldi has been used in all games and has already scored twice in the opponent’s box. The 20-year-old attacker’s performances have already attracted the attention of the DFB juniors. And so he was initially nominated for the U19 national team. Since September 2023, he has also been an integral part of U21 national coach Antonio Di Salvo’s team. The 20-year-old scored five goals in eight U21 games. Tresoldi doesn’t put any pressure on himself. Maybe that is exactly the secret of his success? „I just want to go out and have fun. That’s all I want,“ he told kicker.
The second consecutive away game, and the last of the season, is upon us. Once again on a Sunday (May 10th, 1:30pm), Darmstadt will be playing away – this time against SC Preußen Münster. Everything you need to know for your final away trip of the season to the LVM-Preußenstadion, about three and a half hours away, can be found here in the usual fan information section.
There's a lot going on at the Bölle. The 98th Darmstadt baby of 2026, along with their family, visited the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor, and they weren't the only ones. Where else the Bölle gang has ended up, and many more news items about the club, can be found here in our "Lilies Across the Board" section, as every Wednesday.
SV Darmstadt 98 informed all season ticket holders about the season ticket procedure for the 2026/27 season on Wednesday (May 6th) and would also like to share this letter on the club's own website.
Autographs, photos, and personal encounters with the Lilies: You'll have the opportunity to do so on Thursday (May 7th) from 5pm to 6pm. As part of an autograph session presented by Merck, Patric Pfeiffer, Kai Klefisch, and Fynn Lakenmacher will be at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. You'll also receive a ten percent discount in the fan shop during this time.
Darmstadt's 2-1 defeat at Karlsruher SC also ended any remaining theoretical hopes the South Hessian club had of finishing the season in the top three. The loss at the Wildpark stadium served somewhat as a symbol for the past few weeks, during which SV 98 had only managed one point from five matches since the international break in March. Following the game on Sunday afternoon, the Darmstadt players addressed the assembled media representatives with mixed feelings.
Three points! SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team secured a victory in the Lotto Hessenliga on Saturday afternoon (May 2nd). In their match against Hünfelder SV, the young Lilies overcame an early deficit to clinch a convincing 3-1 win. This result puts the U21 team currently outside the relegation zone. "Our trend is clearly upward," said a delighted U21 coach Sebastian Schmitt.
The successful collaboration between the Hessian Disabled and Rehabilitation Sports Association (HBRS) and SV Darmstadt 98 will continue long-term: Both partners have extended their existing agreement to promote inclusive sports indefinitely. This sends a clear signal for the sustainable development of inclusion and disability sports in Hesse.
A bitter end in Karlsruhe: After 90 entertaining minutes in which both teams sought salvation in attack, Darmstadt suffered a narrow defeat. The final score was 2-1 after a late goal from the home side, following Isac Lidberg's earlier equaliser. After the match, the players were particularly frustrated with the missed opportunities in the first half.
The away form continues to be poor: SV 98 suffered a 2-1 (0-0) defeat against Karlsruher SC. Lidberg scored the equaliser for the team from southern Hesse in the 70th minute.
Darmstadt 98 visit Karlsruher SC on matchday 32 (May 3rd, 1:30 PM). Florian Kohfeldt has made five changes to his starting lineup. Killian Corredor replaces the injured Fraser Hornby, Aleksandar Vukotic comes in for the suspended Patric Pfeiffer, and Fabian Holland starts in place of Matej Maglica, who is sidelined with an ankle injury. Merveille Papela and Niklas Schmidt also join the team, replacing Sergio Lopez and Yosuke Furukawa. In addition to Hornby, Pfeiffer, and Maglica, Darmstadt will also be without the injured Matthias Bader, Fabian Nürnberger, and Luca Marseiler.
Finally, the weekend is here, finally Sunday! On Sunday afternoon (May 3rd, 1:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98 will face Karlsruher SC away. What do the two coaches have to say about the match, who will be refereeing, and where can you watch it if you're not at the stadium? All the important information about the Lilies' 32nd matchday is compiled for you here in "Matchday Guide".
Continuity in sporting management: SV Darmstadt 98 has extended Paul Fernie's contract early and for the long term. As part of the contract extension, the current sporting director will move into the club's management board and will now serve as managing director of sport.