Last season, Heidenheim and Darmstadt achieved promotion to the Bundesliga with 67 points each. In the upper house, of course, there can no longer be any talk of eye level. Ahead of the direct duel on Sunday evening, various statistics speak very clearly.
Eren Dinkci is on top with Heidenheim against Tim Skarke and Darmstadt. IMAGO/Sportfoto Pack
Two newcomers, two worlds. While 1. FC Heidenheim can mathematically achieve relegation this Sunday, Darmstadt is threatened with an irrevocable return to the 2nd league. If this were to be decided in the direct clash on Sunday evening, the symbolism could hardly be more apt. Ultimately, the performance of the two nominal underdogs in the first floor actually marks a class difference over the entire season.
This becomes immediately obvious when you look at the ultimately all-important statistics: With 34 points after 30 match days, the FCH got exactly twice as many as the Lilies. When researching the causes, observers and those involved in Darmstadt quickly end up with a lack of Bundesliga experience. Not without reason, given that the 98 squad only played 840 first division games. However: Heidenheim’s squad is the only competitor to have even fewer Bundesliga appearances, namely 569 – all other competitors have at least 1,583.
Running performance and aerial duels – Lieberknecht’s team drops significantly
Other numbers are likely to be much more informative about the difference in performance between the two newcomers. When it comes to the total mileage, for example, there is an immense discrepancy: with an average of 120.5 kilometers, Frank Schmidt’s team is second in the league behind Union Berlin (121). With 115.5 kilometers, Torsten Lieberknecht’s professionals are in second to last place, only slightly undercut by FC Bayern.
“Fortuna for All”: Recommended for imitation?
A year ago, second division team Fortuna Düsseldorf started the “Fortuna for All” project, which included, among other things, three free games. How did the premiere season go and will the project continue? We talk about this with our employee Henning Eberhardt. Also: BVB reporter Patrick Kleinmann calculates why fifth place is most likely enough to qualify for the Champions League, Kevin de Bruyne ensures a premiere and there is a big surprise at the NFL draft.
04/26/24 – 2:45 p.m. 15:53 minutes
The latter proves that mileage does not always have to be the measure of quality – but the Lilies were far from compensating for a lack of individual class with athletic ability. In fact, the opposite is true. With a success rate in aerial duels of just 47.4 percent, Darmstadt is in 16th place in the league. Heidenheim (52.9 percent) is also ready for the Champions League in this category (third place).
Since the defeat in the first leg, Darmstadt has consistently been at the bottom
The icing on the cake: Since the 2-3 defeat at FCH in the first leg, Darmstadt has been in last place in the table. The hosts now explicitly see the second leg as a “revenge”, as right-back Matthias Bader puts it – and generally as a real prestige duel. Beating the fellow promoted team, who wrested the championship from the Lilies in 2023 on the last second division matchday and is now being celebrated by all of football Germany for its Bundesliga premiere season, would certainly be a special satisfaction for Darmstadt.
A statistic even shows the Lilies as favorites: the football teachers Lieberknecht and Schmidt, who once played together for the DFB junior national teams, have met as coaches a total of 19 times. With nine wins (four draws and six defeats), Lilien coach Lieberknecht is still clearly ahead.
2024-04-28 10:34:52
#Lilies #Heidenheim #newcomers #class #difference
