The situation
A few days after the first competitive action in the DFB Cup, Frankfurt and Darmstadt will be in very different states of mind. While Eintracht ran out comfortable 7-0 winners at 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig to progress to the second round, Darmstadt slipped to a 3-0 defeat away to fourth-tier club FC 08 Homburg. Now the two Hessian rivals face off on the opening matchday of the 61st Bundesliga season. Kick-off at Deutsche Bank Park is on Sunday 20 August at 17:30 CEST, with up to 55,000 spectators expected.
From Wednesday it’s full steam ahead for Darmstadt.
Dino Toppmöller
“Full steam ahead for Darmstadt”
Dino Toppmöller watched the promoted side’s cup match in Saarland at home, where he had “a good view of things”, pointed out the head coach, who has certainly gone into the week with a good feeling after the victory in Leipzig. “When you win a match – regardless of the opponents and the competition – you come into training with a very different mood and demeanour.”
After the warm-down and an analysis on Monday, as well as a day off on Tuesday, the name of the game for the days ahead is: “From Wednesday it’s full steam ahead for Darmstadt,” as the 42-year-old put it.
Fortress Deutsche Bank Park
If last season is anything to go by, the Eagles can be confident of points and few goals conceded when it comes to the Bundesliga at Deutsche Bank Park. The last defeat at home was back in October 2022, a 2-1 reverse against Borussia Dortmund. Since then, Eintracht’s home record in the league reads six wins and four draws. Moreover, they’ve never conceded more than one goal in their last nine league matches on home turf.
Match info
Kick-off: Sunday 20 August, 17:30 CEST
Stadium: Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt