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.
SV Darmstadt 98 invites all its members to come to the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor on November 1st, 2026, starting at 11:30am. Together, we aim to once again create the largest team photo in our club’s history—with the professional players in the front and the entire Lilies family behind them.
On Sunday (Oct 18th), SV Darmstadt 98 will visit Karlsruher SC. The side from Baden differs from the Lilies in several key respects. Furthermore, the match will see SV 98 cross paths with a former player once again. Find out here about other connections between the two clubs, as well as some particularly interesting statistics ahead of the encounter.
On Tuesday evening (October 13th), the SilberLilien took part in SV Darmstadt 98’s Stolperstein tour for the first time. Along the approximately six-kilometre route, the participants made several stops to learn more about the fates of Jewish club members who were persecuted and driven out during the Holocaust.
From new grassroots sports offerings and a look back at the club's history to birthdays and the latest updates from the media briefing—there is plenty to report from SV Darmstadt 98 again this week. In "Lilien Across the Board," we round up the news, insights, and stories from life at the club.
Tickets for the home match against 1. FC Heidenheim on November 22nd are available for purchase now.
SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team proved their mettle at home against KSV Hessen Kassel II in the Hessenliga on Sunday (Oct. 11th). After a convincing 90-minute performance, the Young Lilies secured another three points, finishing with a decisive 4–0 victory that lifts them to sixth place in the standings.
The Lilies overturned an early deficit to celebrate a 3–1 home victory against Energie Cottbus—a win that boosts confidence and confirms the progress being made. Read our analysis to find out why there is still work to be done and what positives SV 98 takes away from the match.
This season, too, Lilien fans will be doubly rewarded for every home goal scored by SV Darmstadt 98. In addition to the joy and excitement of the goals, the team's supporters will receive 98 litres of Krombacher Pils for every home goal scored by Darmstadt at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor.
After the international break, Darmstadt 98 returned to the Bölle with a home win! Against Energie Cottbus, SV Darmstadt 98 put on a spirited performance in front of their home crowd and rewarded themselves with three points after an intense match. We've compiled the post-match reactions for you here:
Despite falling behind, Darmstadt secured their second consecutive home win! Darmstadt defeated Energie Cottbus 3-1 (1-1). The home side equalised after conceding an early goal in the four-minute period through Weißhaupt before halftime. Vukotic headed his team into the lead in the second half, before Lührs sealed the victory with the third goal. This home win brings Darmstadt's season total to seven points.
Homegame at Böllenfalltor (10/10, 1pm): Florian Kohfeldt has made two changes to his starting XI compared to the away match in Wolfsburg three weeks ago. Richter and Mikelbrencis come into the starting lineup for Sickinger (calf issues) and Lannert (illness).
On Saturday afternoon (October 10th, 1pm), SV 98 hosts Energie Cottbus at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor for Matchday 7. What do the two head coaches have to say ahead of kick-off? Who is officiating the match, and where can you follow the action live? As always, we have compiled all the key information regarding the game against Cottbus in our "Matchday Guide" feature.