It's the year 2011. A flood of 77,116 people stream into the Berlin Olympic Stadium on the 34th matchday of the 2nd Bundesliga. To this day the attendance record in Bundesliga 2. The encounter against FC Augsburg (2-1) will be a worthy conclusion to a brilliant season for Hertha, who had already secured promotion to the Bundesliga on Matchday 31. The return to the Bundesliga is of course also associated with the hope of becoming a permanent fixture in the Bundesliga again in the future. A goal that has not been fully achieved to date.
Around the turn of the millennium, Hertha was regularly in the absolute top group of the Bundesliga and qualified for the international cup competitions with great regularity. It was all the more surprising that they were relegated at the bottom of the table in the 2009/10 season, after finishing the season in fourth place the previous year. This was followed by direct promotion and another relegation, which in turn was eradicated by a direct return to the Bundesliga, before the “Old Lady” was able to stay in the upper house of football for ten years in a row. In 2023, the club from the capital had to move to the second division and is currently playing in this league for the second season in a row. Before the current season, Hertha made some changes to the squad, so we’ll take a closer look at our upcoming opponents before the duel.
| Top Scorers | Top Assists |
| Michaël Cuisance – 4 Goals | Jonjoe Kenny – 5 Assists |
| Ibrahim Maza – 3 Goals | Michaël Cuisance – 4 Assists |
| Florian Niederlechner – 3 Goals | Ibrahim Maza – 2 Assists |
| Luca Schuler – 2 Goals | Kevin Sessa – 1 Assists |
„Evening game, full house, an amazing experience. The size and charisma of this club are well known. Now I’m head coach of this club – without words. I’m very happy about it,“ said Christian Fiél in a club interview before the season. The 44-year-old impressed his superiors by his playing philosophy. The offensive style that the new man has demonstrated since taking office in the summer is intended to lead Hertha back into the German upper house. Managing director Thomas E. Herrich was pleased that Hertha had achieved their goal in Fiél. „Preferred Candidate“ as Pal Daradai’s successor.
Fiél previously worked closely with Dieter Hecking at 1. FC Nürnberg and ultimately took on the role of head coach at FCN in the 2023/24 season. The trainer with Spanish roots gained his first experience after his playing career at SG Dynamo Dresden in the youth sector and trained the professional team there between 2018 and 2019.
What may have taken some getting used to for many Hertha fans was the fact that Fiél, an ex-Union player, took over the position of head coach at their favorite club. The coach, who comes from Essingen, had a very successful year in 2001, both nationally and internationally, in the red and white jerseys in the stadium at the Alte Försterei. Shortly afterwards, due to his strong individual performance this season, he moved from Köpenick to VfL Bochum. Despite the short stay in Berlin, the trainer raves about “a time that I will never forget and don’t want to miss.” At Hertha, the coach is now hoping for another successful time in the capital, crowned at best by a promotion the Bundesliga.
The away strength. In football we often talk about the famous home advantage or the luck of being able to play at home. All of this is less true at Hertha this season. The Berliners collected six points in as many appearances in their own stadium, while eleven points were already scored in five matches on a foreign pitch. The Lilies now have the opportunity to inflict the first away defeat of the current round on the “Old Lady”.
Diego Costa, Diego Simeone, Diego Forlán, Diego Ribas or even Diego Maradona. Many great players from South America share this first name. The latter in particular was crucial for a little boy from Herford to be named that way. Hertha player Diego Demme’s father named his son after the legendary Argentine. With this well-known first name, the path to becoming a professional footballer was already paved for the now 32-year-old. From Arminia Bielefeld’s youth ranks, the midfielder went to SC Paderborn before moving to Leipzig. The subsequent move in particular must have made his father proud, because Demme went abroad, or rather to no less a club than SSC Napoli, for whom Maradona had once laced up his football boots very successfully.
But the German-Italian is not only great on the football field, but also on the console. During his time in Leipzig he had a triple burden. In addition to the national and international competitions, the then 27-year-old also filled the squad in the e-sports department and competed in the Virtual Bundesliga. At his Playstation debut, the then head coach and current national coach Julian Nagelsmann even provided support and sat next to his former protégé. In the end, Demme had to admit defeat 0-2. “It was a great experience. It was fun,” said Demme after his first experience in the Virtual Bundesliga.
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.
Our head coach spoke at the press conference before the away game against Karlsruher SC (May 3rd/1:30pm) about the mental freshness of his team, the course of action for the remaining games and his coaching colleague, whose commitment to KSC will end after six years this season.
Left hook, 'One hundred and eightyyyyyyy', and hand over the baton. Doesn't sound like football – and that's true. KSC is often associated with professional football, but with the sheer number of titles the club has won, it's worth looking beyond the pitch. Titles from Baden-Württemberg to Rome.
In a rescheduled Lotto Hessenliga match, SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team hosted SV Hummetroth at their youth academy on Wednesday evening (April 29th) but unfortunately came away empty-handed. Despite a spirited performance and playing with one man less, the score after 90 minutes was 3-1 in favour of Hummetroth.
Lilies at the Wildpark! SV Darmstadt 98 will be playing away against Karlsruher SC this coming Sunday (May 3rd/1:30pm) for the 32nd matchday of the 2. Bundesliga. Will Darmstadt's positive record from recent encounters continue? Will Florian Kohfeldt and Isac Lidberg extend their scoring streak against KSC? And will Fabian Schleusener finally stop scoring against SV 98? We've compiled all the facts and figures for you.