Supporters of the two clubs have enjoyed their fair share of success in recent years. In May, Fortuna sealed promotion to the top flight by winning the Bundesliga 2 title, while Eintracht lifted the DFB Cup for the first time in 30 years. Champagne corks were popping at the end of the 2011/12 season too, as both SGE and Düsseldorf achieved promotion to the Bundesliga.
Five years in charge at SGE
The Eagles have a clear upper hand over Düsseldorf in the Bundesliga, winning 22 and drawing 12 of the teams’ 44 encounters to date. Their last meeting at the Commerzbank-Arena, on Matchday 32 of the 2012/13 campaign, ended in a 3-1 victory for SGE. Frankfurt has proved to be a particularly unhappy hunting ground for Fortuna, who have beaten Eintracht just once in the league on their travels.
Friday’s meeting also sees Friedhelm Funkel return to his former place of work. The current Fortuna boss spent more time at Eintracht than he has at any other club, taking charge of 194 games in his five years in the SGE dugout.
Funkel was the last coach before Niko Kovac to guide Eintracht to a DFB Cup final in Berlin. The Eagles suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in 2006, but Funkel also enjoyed plenty of success during his time at the club. Under sporting director Heribert Bruchhagen, he achieved promotion back to the Bundesliga at the first attempt in 2005, before consolidating SGE in Germany’s top flight over the following four years.
Funkel is regarded as something of a promotion expert, having achieved that feat for the sixth time in his career last summer. No other head coach in German football has been promoted as often as the 64-year-old.
