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.
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.
Tickets for the league match in Nürnberg (Nov. 7th) and the cup match in Elversberg (Oct. 27th) are available for purchase now.
For the upcoming home match on Saturday (October 10th, 2026, at 1pm), SV 98 asks you to take note of the following information. Since the start of the season, we have been offering dedicated entrances for women at the west side of the stadium. Additionally, there is a "Bölle Bande" family entrance with easier access at the Karl-Hess-Platz entrance. Please also take note of the information provided by HEAG regarding the autumn break.