German Second Division Preview: Darmstadt Overhaul Squad After Relegation, Six Düsseldorf Players Out Injured

On August 4 at 7:30 PM, the first round of the new German Second Division season kicks off with Darmstadt hosting Düsseldorf at Böllenfalltor-Merck-Stadion.

Darmstadt finished last in the Bundesliga last season and was relegated as a result. Following relegation, Darmstadt underwent a major squad overhaul, with key defender Klarner moving to England, midfield mainstay Meihle transferring to Hull City, and players like Maglica and Franjic, who were on loan from Union Berlin and Wolfsburg, respectively, returning after their loan deals expired. The club brought in some low-cost players from Stuttgart, Paderborn, among others, and secured several free transfers, completing the inevitable major squad overhaul following relegation.

In pre-season, Darmstadt won four out of six games, showing good offensive performance, particularly from 24-year-old center-forward Lakenmacher, who joined on a free transfer from Munich 1860. German media believes that Darmstadt’s challenge at the start of the season will be team cohesion, as five of the potential starting eleven for the opening match are new signings.

Düsseldorf finished third in the German Second Division last season and lost in the promotion playoff to Bochum (3-0 away, 0-3 home, 0-0 extra time, 5-6 penalty shootout), missing out on promotion. This summer, the team sold midfielder Enghardt to Como in Serie A for €8 million and winger Solis to Slavia Prague for €6.5 million, among other sales, earning a total of €14.85 million in transfer fees, making them the top earners in the division.

Additionally, Düsseldorf brought in some young players from Norwich, Copenhagen, among others, to complete their squad integration. During the warm-up phase, the team won four and drew two out of six games, although most victories came against teams from other countries. They suffered consecutive losses when facing German sides (Offenbach Kickers and Kaiserslautern).

In terms of head-to-head record, Darmstadt has won two and lost eight out of the last ten meetings with Düsseldorf. Specifically, over the past three years, the two teams have met six times in the German Second Division, with Darmstadt winning one and losing five.

Both teams have multiple players out injured. For Darmstadt, it is Holland (captain, full-back, cruciate ligament injury), Bader (full-back, nose surgery), and Nürnberg (midfielder, shoulder injury). Düsseldorf, meanwhile, has six players out: Vincent (forward, foot injury), Gavory (full-back, muscle injury), Heibert (center-back, tendon injury), M’Baba (midfielder, knee injury), Pesicnovic (forward, fracture), and Manu (center-back, muscle injury).

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