Four rounds before the finish line, the players and fans of Darmstadt 98 can finally breathe relatively easy. "The Lilies have been in the lead for three quarters of the current season, but the battle for outright promotion could have ended in failure at any time. The reason for that was the pressure from Heidenheim and Hamburg. That pressure has now eased, particularly from Tim Walter's team, who have been systematically losing points in recent months. A current advantage of eight points with four rounds to go allows Darmstadt 98 to win just twice with 100% of their rivals' points, which would be enough to qualify for the Bundesliga. Another thing is that the Lilywhites are unlikely to concede. St. Pauli are no rivals for them, but the Hamburg club has repeatedly made themselves respected with their results in 2023. Bookmakers ahead of the second most crucial match of the upcoming round give the advantage to the home team, offering odds of 2.13 on their victory.

Darmstadt 98 suffered a minor crisis in the first half of March, at the end of which the leadership throne shook slightly beneath them. However, the team quickly recovered and have won five of their six Bundesliga II fixtures since mid-March. In April, the Lilies had exceptionally tough opponents from the top half of the table, but the club passed all their examinations, except the trip to Düsseldorf, with an excellent mark. Last Sunday, Darmstadt 98 visited Kiel, where they thrashed the local Holstein 3-0.

St Pauli made better use of the two and a half months "holiday" from November last year to the third decade of January this year than any other member of the Second Bundesliga. From 29 January to 8 April, the Hamburg club won ten times in a row, something no other club in the league has managed this season. After coming close to the top three, St Pauli suffered a setback against Braunschweig and then lost the derby against Hamburg. Last Saturday, the club came to their senses by beating Arminia, which will put them in the mood for the trip to the leaders.

The rivals had parted ways in the first round with a 1-1 draw. Now St. Pauli are even stronger, so an exchange of goals at Darmstadt will come as no surprise to anyone.