SV Darmstadt 08 v Portsmouth: All you need to know as overseas trip’s confirmed
Pompey’s overseas pre-season friendly was last night revealed, as it was confirmed they will travel to Germany to play SV Darmstadt 08. Here’s all you need to know on the game, the city and the side John Mousinho’s men are travelling to face.
An underdog story
Darmstadt’s tale is one with more ups and downs than a rollercoaster.
The current club’s forerunners were FK Olympia 1898 Darmstadt, who were formed - yes you guessed it - in 1898 before merging with SC Darmstadt in 1919 becoming SV Darmstadt 98.
They spent their time at regional level before joining the 2. Bundesliga on its creation in 1973 - reaching the highest level in Germany for the first time in 1978.
They remained as amateurs, however, becoming known as the ‘after-work footballers from Böllenfalltor’ and were relegated the following term.
A second single top-flight season followed in 1981, before the club fell to the third and fourth tiers through the 90s.
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As Pompey were winning the FA Cup in 2008, Darmstadt had to initiate bankruptcy proceedings, with the club saved but dropping to regional level.
That was the start of an incredible rise, however, which culminated in the club returning to the Bundesliga just seven years later - and remaining in the big time for the first time in their history.
German international Torsten Frings’ arrival as coach at the start of 2018 saw improved form but eventual relegation, with the club remaining in the second division since. They finished fifth last season.
Players to watch
Florian Kohfeldt is the side’s current head coach and has seen star striker Isac Lidberg depart this week, with the Swedish international joining Borussia Monchengladbach for €3.5m.
That’s after a season in which Lidberg bagged 17 goals to finish second in the divisional goalscoring charts.
Former Scottish under-21 international Fraser Hornby would’ve been one to look out for, with the former Everton man delivering an outstanding 19 goal contributions last term comprising 11 goals and eight assists. - before moving to Wolfsburg last week.
Left-sided midfielder Fabian Nurnberger has 10 Bulgaria caps, with centre-back Patric Pfeiffer gaining his first Ghana call-up this year.
Science and brewhouses!
Located in southwest German 118 miles from the French border, Darmstadt is known as the ‘city of Science’ in Germany.
Sat just over 20 miles south of Frankfurt with a population of 160,000, Luisenplatz is the city’s main square with plenty of bars, restaurants and brewpubs to choose from. The Darmstädter Ratskeller, Braustüb'l and Grohe Brauhaus are a few of the city’s favourites.
The city’s known for its gardens and The Mathildenhöhe is a UNESCO world heritage site.
Getting there
The nearest airport to Darmstadt is Frankfurt with Lufthansa a servicing airline and flights from Heathrow. An alternative is to fly from Stansted to Hahn - which is a 90-minute drive from Darmstadt. Return flights from Heathrow cost from £167 at the time of writing with Stansted flights £148.
The match
The match will take place at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor, which has a capacity of 17,810.
The friendly will kick off at 2pm local time with ticket information to be confirmed by Pompey. Darmstadt tickets cost from €14 to €47 last season.