Next July, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim will celebrate its 125th club anniversary; the Sinsheim club has been represented in the 1st Bundesliga since 2008. The Hoffenheimers have had a steep rise over the last 35 years, from village pitches in the district league to the Champions League, the self-proclaimed “village club” has experienced a lot. Next Sunday (12.05/15.30) the Lilies will meet TSG for the 16th time. In the first leg, the spectators were treated to a real spectacle, Tim Skarke scored in the 85th minute to equalise 3-3. We take a closer look at the European Cup contender before the last home game of the season.
“For the first time since Wolfsburg in the 1997/98 season, a Bundesliga newcomer, 1899 Hoffenheim, was able to win its debut game. “The Rangnick protégés at Energie Cottbus did this in a convincing manner,” wrote “Kicker” on August 18, 2008, after Hoffenheim had won their first Bundesliga game in the club’s history. Vedad Ibisevic immediately impressed with two goals, and after the first half of the season there were to be a total of 18 goals.
Under Ralf Rangnick, the newly promoted team played strong offensive football; after the first half of the season, TSG had scored 42 goals, more than any other Bundesliga team. This led to Baden-Württemberg becoming autumn champions with 35 points. In the second half of the season, however, the great high came to an end; Rangnick’s team had to survive a series of 12 games without a win. In the end, TSG came seventh in the table, 25 points ahead of the relegation place, and the season immediately showed what goals Hoffenheim were pursuing.
For the next four years it was to be a single-digit place in the table. In 2013, Hoffenheim only managed to stay in the league via relegation, but here they were able to defeat 1. FC Kaiserslautern in the south-west duel. The Sinsheimers made it into Europe for the first time in 2017, and a year later they even achieved a direct Champions League place.
Hoffenheim qualified for Europe for the last time in 2020; after a sixth place in the Bundesliga, TSG competed in the Europa League. It remains to be seen whether it will be enough to qualify for Europe this year. Two match days before the end of the season, head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo’s team is in eighth place in the table. If Leverkusen wins the cup, this would be enough to qualify for the Conference League. The Hoffenheim team urgently need three points on Sunday, Augsburg is coming from behind, but with two wins the Europa League could just as well beckon.
Pellegrino Matarazzo
| Top Scorers | Top Assists |
| Maximilian Beier, 13 Goals | Robert Skov, 5 Assists |
| Andrej Kramaric, 12 Goals | Grischa Prömmel, 5 Assists |
| Wout Weghorst, 7 Goals | Ihlas Bebou, 4 Assists |
| Ihlas Bebou, 5 Goals | Maximilian Beier, 4 Assists |
| Grischa Prömmel, 4 Goals | Marius Bülter, 4 Assists |
Hoffenheim can rely on one thing this season and that is their striker goals. Overall, TSG is in the top third of the league with 56 goals, 38 of which were scored by Baden-Württemberg’s attackers. Maximilian Beier and Andrej Kramaric alone have 25 goals, but Weghorst and Bebou also pose a goal threat.
The Hoffenheim players also run a lot; with 3,838 kilometers, TSG has the third-best mileage in the entire league.
“I went to boarding school in Cottbus and was only at home for one day at the weekend. It was difficult to drive back to Cottbus every time. During this phase, I also had thoughts of perhaps quitting football altogether,“ young star Maximilian Beier described his doubts in an interview with TSG Hoffenheim and continued: „I was just too homesick. The distance from my parents and being alone in Cottbus put a lot of strain on me and it was sometimes no longer possible.“ From a Bundesliga fan’s point of view, you can say today: Fortunately, Beier didn’t stop. The 21-year-old is playing a very strong season, and was also recently rewarded by national coach Julian Nagelsmann with a national team nomination.
Both stories show the character of the Hoffenheim offensive player. Maximilian Beier is a quiet, reserved guy and describes himself as shy. “My girlfriend and I used to argue about who would approach the cashier in the supermarket to ask where something was in the store,” remembers Beier.
The striker, who was born in Brandenburg an der Havel, moved to boarding school at Energie Cottbus at the age of 12, two and a half hours away from his parents‘ home. A huge challenge for the shy Beier, who still has exam anxiety to this day. His coach at the time, Patrick Schrade, prevented him from moving out of the boarding school. “He picked me up from the train station or even went out to eat with me,” Beier remembers, “I’m still very grateful to him to this day!”
Beier’s move to TSG Hoffenheim at the age of 16 seems all the more astonishing, as the distance home was now significantly greater. Beier himself believes that he was much tougher and that the experience from Cottbus also helped him. The attacker immediately impressed in the U17 Bundesliga, scoring 18 times in 26 games. The Bundesliga debut followed in the 2019/20 season.
However, Beier did not achieve his final breakthrough in Kraichgau; the now 21-year-old was loaned out to Hannover 96 for two years, where his star continued to rise. But very few people expected how “Maxi” began the 2023/24 season. After eight games, Beier had six goals and in the first ten matchdays he had a total of nine goals.
Maximilian Beier wants to play internationally with TSG Hoffenheim next season, but whether he succeeds will certainly depend on his performances in the last two games. If you move into the Europa or Conference League, the television viewer may also be able to look forward to a rather rare Beier interview.
A floodlit match at the Rudolf-Haribig-Stadion is always something special. Darmstadt 98 are aiming to take three points back to southern Hesse this Friday evening (February 27th). Kick-off is at 6:30pm. All the important information about the 24th matchday of the 2. Bundesliga is clearly summarised for you in our "Matchday Guide".
Darmstadt 98 aim to extend their unbeaten run to 14 games in Friday evening's match against Dynamo Dresden. While Darmstadt's potent attack has resulted in a respectable goal tally, they are wary at the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion. The Saxons have been on an upward trend since the winter break and will have a vociferous home crowd behind them. We've compiled all the facts and figures surrounding this clash in this report. Here you'll find the key facts for tomorrow's match.
Darmstadt and Dresden are 598 kilometres apart. On Friday evening (February 27th, 6:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98 will travel to the Saxon capital for the 24th matchday of the 2nd Bundesliga. The next away game will take place under the floodlights at the historic Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion. You can find all relevant fan information here.
Before SV Darmstadt 98 plays under floodlights in Dresden on Friday evening (27.02/18.30), Florian Kohfeldt spoke at the press conference about the strengths of Dynamo Dresden and the special atmosphere in the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion.
Raoul Petretta joined SV Darmstadt 98 in the winter and already feels very much at home. He talks about his arrival and his goals. Besides their sporting focus, the Lilies are also committed to sustainability: On March 15, 2026, over 3,500 trees will be planted as part of the fifth "In the Sign of the Lily" tree-planting campaign. In our "Lilies Across the Board" section, we provide you with the most important news from SV Darmstadt 98 every week.
Numerous Dynamo Dresden fans flock to the stadium on home match days. But one day, they came for a single reason: What should their stadium be called in the future? Tens of thousands of supporters gathered in front of the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion, ready to cast their votes. In cooperation with regional partners, Dynamo Dresden's management took the unusual step of letting the club's supporters decide for themselves.
WirLilien – Together for nature conservation! Together with our partner Krombacher, we will once again plant more than 3,500 trees on Sunday (March 15th) – under the banner of the Lily. You can still register for the event at short notice.
On Friday (February 27th, 7:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team begins the second phase of their Hessenliga season. With 23 points after 20 matchdays, the Lilies are currently in 14th place. Following intensive weeks of winter training, the team aims to start the upcoming challenges with renewed energy and secure crucial points.
A fast-paced, thrilling exchange between SV Darmstadt 98 and Fortuna Düsseldorf reached its ecstatic climax in the 88th minute. Thanks to Matej Maglica's header, Darmstadt secured a 2-1 victory in a wild battle that resembled a 12-round boxing match, with both sides neglecting their defences and constantly searching for the next hook or punch. A day later, sv98.de looks back on what was probably the most exciting home game of the season so far for the South Hessian side.
For every home goal scored by the Lilies, SV Darmstadt 98 fans will be doubly rewarded in the 2025/26 season. In addition to the joy and excitement, the Lilies' supporters will also receive 98 litres of Krombacher Pils for every home goal scored by Darmstadt at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor.
In an intense 90 minutes between SV Darmstadt 98 and Fortuna Düsseldorf, the Lilies fought back to secure three points shortly before the final whistle. The early lead taken by the team from southern Hesse was quickly erased by the Rhinelanders. The match became increasingly wild and physical. The second half remained evenly contested, but in the end, SV 98 once again demonstrated their fighting spirit: Matej Maglica's late header sealed the three points. What do the players and the two head coaches have to say about this thrilling encounter? We've compiled all the post-match reactions.
SV Darmstadt 98 remain a force to be reckoned with at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor! The Lilies defeated Fortuna Düsseldorf 2-1 (1-1) on matchday 23. It's their sixth consecutive home win, bringing their total to 45 points. Hornby opened the scoring for the home side after just seven minutes, before Maglica (88th minute) netted the decisive goal in the second half.