Darmstadt 98 vs Hannover 96 preview

Germany flag 2026/2027 2. Bundesliga, Germany
Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor
2. Bundesliga
Darmstadt 98SVD
Hannover 96HAN
KICKOFF :
Round 3 Regular Season

CONTEXT

In the 2. Bundesliga regular season of 2026/2027 Darmstadt 98 welcome Hannover 96 to the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor for a league encounter. Both clubs currently sit near the foot of the domestic standings with Darmstadt 98 placed 17th and Hannover 96 one spot lower in 18th. Hannover 96 carry a modest overall power advantage of 3.3 points and are identified as the stronger side on paper. The home team registers a form score of 5.5 while the visitors show a mark of 0 entering the fixture. Limited additional metrics are available on efficiency transition play and set piece execution leaving the contest to hinge on broader squad quality and current positioning. The match offers both sides an opportunity to climb the table early in the campaign.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Darmstadt 98 occupy 17th place and Hannover 96 sit 18th in the 2. Bundesliga standings.
  • Form: Darmstadt 98 record a form score of 5.5 while Hannover 96 hold a mark of 0.
  • Squad: Hannover 96 are the stronger side with a power score of 75.53 against 72.26.
  • Efficiency: Efficiency metrics remain unavailable for both teams ahead of the match.
  • Transition: Transition phase data is not provided in the current dataset.
  • Set pieces: Set piece indicators show low confidence and rely on proxy data.
  • xVariable: Hannover 96 hold a 3.3 point power advantage entering the fixture.
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
Darmstadt 98 F. Kohfeldt
F. Kohfeldt
VS
Hannover 96 C. Titz
C. Titz
0.67
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
1.25
0.5 i
Last 6 Opponents
Dynamo Dresden Rank: 72 L
Holstein Kiel Rank: 73 D
Paderborn Rank: 78 L
Preußen Münster Rank: 67 D
Karlsruher SC Rank: 71 L
Elversberg Rank: 79 D
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
1 i
Last 6 Opponents
VfL Wolfsburg Rank: 78 L
Energie Cottbus Rank: 71 L
Nürnberg Rank: 76 D
VfL Bochum 1848 Rank: 73 D
Preußen Münster Rank: 67 D
Karlsruher SC Rank: 71 W
3
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
3 - 0 - 1
1
No sidelined player data available.

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power ranking is SportMonks' model-based team strength indicator. Historical input capped to 2 seasons.
72.26
75.53
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
Darmstadt 98
Hannover 96
Power Score
72.26
75.53
League Position
17
18
Global Rank
201
140

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

–
vs
Darmstadt 98 — Opponent-weighted form score
Hannover 96 — Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) Darmstadt 98 Hannover 96

Team Head to Head Last 6 Seasons

Summary of 4 matches between these sides — filtered by competition and venue context.

Darmstadt 98 SVD Home
4 matches
Hannover 96 HAN Away
Match Record
3
Wins
1
0
Draws
0
1
Losses
3
Goals
8
Goals Scored
6
6
Goals Conceded
8
+2
Goal Difference
-2
Expected Goals
0
xG
0
0
xGA
0

Data last updated: 2026-08-30T09:30:34+00:00

STARTING XI - EXPECTED

Match Formation 4-2-3-1
Match Formation 3-4-3
Pitch

General Information

Date & Time
Competition
2026/2027 2. Bundesliga, Germany · Round 3 · Regular Season
Stadium
Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor
Capacity
16500
Pitch Surface
Grass
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair
Referees
Timo Gerach
Alexander Sather
Patrick Kessel
Marc-Philipp Eckermann

Expected Lineup

Referee : Timo Gerach

Starting XI ▼

1
Marcel Schuhen
Marcel Schuhen Goalkeeper
7.23
36
Milan Smit
Milan Smit Centre Forward
6.74
16
Hiroki Akiyama
Hiroki Akiyama Defensive Midfield
6.52
41
Lance Duijvestijn
Lance Duijvestijn Attacking Midfield
6.66
6
Patric Pfeiffer
Patric Pfeiffer Right Back
6.73
7
Noah Weißhaupt
Noah Weißhaupt Right Wing
6.56
23
Carlo Sickinger
Carlo Sickinger Defensive Midfield
7.23
20
Aleksandar Vukotic
Aleksandar Vukotic Left Back
6.87
28
Christopher Lannert
Christopher Lannert Right Back
6.6
44
Yosuke Furukawa
Yosuke Furukawa Left Wing
6.87
18
Raoul Petretta
Raoul Petretta Left Back
6.44
Referee : Timo Gerach

Starting XI ▼

30
Leo Weinkauf
Leo Weinkauf Goalkeeper
7.44
29
Kolja Oudenne
Kolja Oudenne Midfielder
7.01
33
Maurice Neubauer
Maurice Neubauer Midfielder
7.37
25
Lars Gindorf
Lars Gindorf Centre Forward
7.11
8
Waniss Taïbi
Waniss Taïbi Attacker
6.84
11
Benedikt Pichler
Benedikt Pichler Attacker
6.18
3
Boris Tomiak
Boris Tomiak Centre Back
6.59
4
Jean Hugonet
Jean Hugonet Left Back
6.64
23
Stefán Teitur Thórdarson
Stefán Teitur Thórdarson Central Midfield
7.36
10
Marcel Hartel
Marcel Hartel Central Midfield
7.06
20
Ime Okon
Ime Okon Right Back
6.69

CONCLUSION

Hannover 96 arrive with a narrow power edge and are viewed as the stronger unit despite their lower league position. Darmstadt 98 benefit from home surroundings and a superior recent form score that could help them control proceedings. Both sides need points to move away from the lower reaches of the table and the contest may be decided by which team converts limited opportunities more effectively. With sparse data on efficiency and set pieces the emphasis falls on overall squad strength and basic positional awareness. Expect a measured encounter where small margins in execution determine the outcome rather than dominant displays from either side.