Thanks to the derby win against Eintracht Braunschweig, Hannover 96 is now third in the 2nd league and pursuers of the Hamburg clubs FC St. Pauli and HSV. On Friday evening the top game goes to the Millerntor.
Of course the “Reds” enjoyed the triumph. A 2-0 win in the Niedersachsensenderby against Eintracht Braunschweig, and in such a confident manner, without a single chance for the opponent to score – that simply had to be recognized and celebrated.
“Compliments to the team. It’s a very special game – they mastered it. I’m really happy about it,” said 96 coach Stefan Leitl, who in the next breath also thought more broadly: “I’m happy about it Everyone who lives in Hanover. Congratulations also to the citizens of Hanover and the entire region!”
96 past Holstein Kiel and Düsseldorf
As sweet as this success against their neighbors tasted and as rich in prestige as it is, it also offers Hannover 96 an exciting prospect in the 2nd league: By winning the three points, the “Reds” are the first hunters of the Hamburg clubs. Behind the still unbeaten leaders FC St. Pauli (26 points) and the second-placed HSV (24), the Leitl team is ahead of Fortuna Düsseldorf (both 21) in the ranking thanks to the better goal difference. Holstein Kiel (20) rounds off the North German dominance in fifth place.
Top game against St. Pauli “will be a real endurance test”
And so at 96, after the home game against Eintracht, they tried to pull off a balancing act that wasn’t exactly easy. On the one hand, savoring the derby victory, but on the other hand, maintaining concentration because the situation in the league opens up so many opportunities. The focus must remain sharp because the game plan is so demanding: after the derby is before the northern duel. Next Friday (6:30 p.m., in the live center at NDR.de) Hannover’s top game is against FC St. Pauli.
“Now we have a nice cracker on Friday.”
— 96 professional Marcel Halstenberg
“It’s going to be a real endurance test. Let’s see what we can deliver there,” said Marcel Halstenberg, goal scorer in the 2-0 win against BSTV, to NDR. For the nine-time national player it will be a return to an old place of work. The defender wore the brown and white jersey from 2013 to 2015 before moving to RB Leipzig.
The Laatzen native also played a big part in the fact that the “Reds” have performed so well so far this season. After a bumpy start, the 32-year-old has long since made a successful comeback to Hannover. On defense, Lower Saxony appears much more solid.
Bundesliga promotion possible?
Overall, the team is playing much more maturely, better than in previous years – in fact, better than ever since they fell into the second division in the summer of 2019. In short: In the fifth year of membership in the lower house, a return to the Bundesliga now seems possible.
Bumpy start to the season with criticism from Kind
After the start of the season against newly promoted SV Elversberg, it looked as if things would quickly go haywire for the club off the leash. Managing director Martin Kind was extremely displeased with the 2-2 draw in the home game: “If I said everything I think, then we would have war.” When Leitl was asked by a journalist whether he was sleeping worse because of Kind’s criticism, the Munich native replied with Bavarian calm: “I sleep very well, I have a good bed. It totally bounces.”
“A derby like this can be inspiring.”
— 96 professional Fabian Kunze
This resistance helped the entire team. Because now, three months later, Leitl and his team are hunting the Hamburg clubs. He sees his team ready for the difficult task at Millerntor: “We’re already going into this game with self-confidence.” Midfielder Fabian Kunze, who scored 1-0 against Eintracht, also underlined this: “On Friday we have a really difficult game at St. Pauli, we will prepare well for that and then want to score points. A derby like that can do that inspire.”
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Sports club | November 5, 2023 | 10:50 p.m
