+++ May 23, 4:40 p.m.: Planned bus reception for HSV fans canceled

In several fan forums, there were calls to give the HSV bus a loud reception at the stadium before the game. This was to show the team that, with the exception of the Berlin fans, the entire stadium is behind the team.

But this plan will not be carried out after all. According to ran-According to information from the Supporters Club, the bus reception will be cancelled because the players of the Hanseatic League will come to the Volksparkstadion separately and not in the team bus. The Supporters Club had already called on all HSV supporters two days ago to come to the stadium in blue clothing.

+++ May 23, 12:45 p.m.: Hertha with secret training session

Hertha is apparently working on special tactics for the relegation second leg against HSV (from 19:30 live on SAT.1 and on ran.de).

At the request of coach Felix Magath, Sunday afternoon’s training session was held to the exclusion of the public. All fans had to leave the stadium.

+++ May 23, 12:00: Referee team is known

Deniz Aytekin will decide on promotion and relegation. The 43-year-old will blow the whistle for the second leg between Hamburger SV and Hertha BSC. His two assistants are Christian Dietz and Eduard Beitinger. Martin Petersen will be on the sidelines as the fourth official. As VAR, Robert Schröder and Markus Sinn have the overview at the monitors.

The fact that Aytekin is in charge of the game speaks more for Hertha than for HSV. In a total of 27 games under Aytekin, HSV lost 14 times and only managed to leave the pitch as winners seven times. Hertha’s record is balanced: In 31 games, there have been twelve wins and twelve defeats with seven draws.

+++ May 23, 10:15 a.m.: HSV already has plans for promotion celebration

Hamburger SV can make plans in tonight’s relegation second leg against Hertha BSC (from 19:30 live on SAT.1 and on ran.de) make the return to the Bundesliga.

Thanks to the 1-0 away win, the chances are good for the Hanseatic League to return to the top flight after four years; a draw in the second leg would already be enough. Accordingly, preparations for the promotion celebrations are reportedly already underway.

According to reports, a fan party is planned for Tuesday at Volkspark, plus the team would still have an appointment at City Hall. How and when exactly this date can take place is probably still being coordinated with Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher.

+++ May 21, 8:14 p.m.: HSV goes for the color blue for the second leg +++

Hamburger SV has chosen the color blue for Monday’s second leg of the relegation tie against Hertha BSC at Volkspark. (from 19:30 live on SAT.1 and on ran.de) agreed on a common dress code.

“Together with our fan scene, we call on all HSV fans to support our team on Monday dressed in blue at the Volksparkstadion,” it says on the social media channels of the Hanseaten.

HSV goes into the second leg against the Berliners with a 1-0 advantage, with its sights set on a Bundesliga return.

+++ May 20, 11:30 p.m.: Hertha captain declares renunciation of going to the fan curve +++

Dedryck Boyata, captain of Hertha BSC, has issued an official statement from the club explaining why the team did not thank the supporters for their support after the 1-0 defeat in the first leg of the relegation tie against Hamburger SV.

This was “not a conscious decision by the team,” the 31-year-old said. The team was “like all Hertha fans after the game simply very disappointed” in themselves.

At the same time, the central defender used the statement to belatedly thank the team on behalf of the support. In addition, he turned his attention to the second leg on Monday (from 19:30 live on SAT.1 and on ran.de). “We’re 0:1 behind at halftime. Now it’s a matter of turning the game around in Hamburg.”

+++ May 20, 12:30 p.m.: Dr. Felix Brych blows the whistle for relegation first leg +++

The refereeing team for the relegation first leg between 1. FC Kaiserslautern and Dynamo Dresden (starting at 7:30 p.m. LIVE on Sat.1 and streamed at ran.de) has been announced. Dr. Felix Brych will be in charge of the match, with Stefan Lupp and Marco Achmüller as his assistants. Daniel Schlager will be the fourth official.

Günter Perl and Wolfgang Haslberger will take over as VAR.

+++ May 19, 9:18 p.m.: FCK icon warns: “Tackled opponent is always dangerous” +++

Ahead of the relegation duel between 1. FC Kaiserslautern and Dynamo Dresden, FCK chief scout Olaf Marschall is naturally the center of attention. The former champion of the Palatinate not only kicked on the Betzenberg, but also one year for Dynamo Dresden.

“Not that I wanted the game, I would have liked to be second. But clearly: such a game is an experience, for everyone. Whether here or in Dresden: The atmosphere will be right,” said the 56-year-old in the “SWR” interview full of anticipation for the relegation duels with Dresden.

Marschall’s ex-club Dynamo failed to win a single game in the second half of the – Season , but still made it to the relegation round in third last place in the 2nd Bundesliga. “If you win a game now, then they are the heroes again. Then they perform completely differently again. They certainly won’t be the most confident. But a shot opponent is always dangerous,” Marschall nevertheless warned Dynamo.

+++ May 19, 7:39 p.m.: Hertha keeper Lotka must pass +++

For the Berliners, keeper Marcel Lotka was not fit in time, so Oliver Christensen is between the posts for Hertha today.

The lineups:

Hertha BSC: Christensen – Pekarik, Boyata, Kempf, Plattenhardt – Tousart, Stark, Wollschläger, Serdar, Mittelstädt – Belfodil.

Hamburger SV: Heuer Fernandes – Heyer, Vuskovic, Schonlau, Muheim – Meffert, Reis, Rohr – Jatta, Glatzel, Kittel.

+++ May 19, 4:50 p.m.: Relegation hero Marcelo Diaz swears in HSV +++

In the relegation of the 2014/15 – Season , Chilean Marcelo Diaz became HSV’s hero. In the second leg in Karlsruhe, he scored the 1-1 equalizer for the Hanseatic League with a free kick shortly before the end, taking them into extra time in which HSV saved itself from relegation with a 2-1 win.

Now the 35-year-old has sent a message of greeting to his former club ahead of Hamburg’s relegation duel with Hertha BSC.

+++ May 19, 11:00 a.m.: Referee team set +++

The referee team for Thursday’s relegation first leg (starting at 7:30 p.m. LIVE on SAT.1 and streamed on ran.de) between Hertha BSC and Hamburger SV has been determined. Harm Osmers will be in charge of the match, his two assistants are Robert Kempter and Thorben Siewer. Frank Willenborg is the fourth official.

Dr. Robert Kampka and Christian Fischer will serve as VAR.

+++ May 18, 20:00: Hertha warns: No HSV jerseys outside the guest block +++

At the relegation first leg in Berlin on Thursday (starting at 7:30 p.m. LIVE on SAT.1 and streamed on ran.de), there are likely to be more HSV fans in the stadium than the guest block allows. However, the supporters outside the guest block will have to do without an HSV jersey. Because otherwise they won’t even get into the stadium. Host Hertha BSC made that clear via Twitter.

“Attention: outside the guest area (blocks G/H, I and 15-17) wearing fan clothing of the visiting team is prohibited. Our security staff will refuse entry to the stadium or seats in such cases,” read a tweet from the club. A corresponding note has also been placed on the tickets.

+++ May 18, 4:08 p.m.: Relegation matches will be sold out +++

As was to be expected, the two relegation matches at Berlin’s Olympiastadion and five days later at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion will be sold out.

The Berlin team stated at their press conference that they expect around 76,000 fans to attend, and the Hamburger SV pre-sale that started this morning (see news story below) is already unavailable. However, whether the full capacity of the Volkspark can be used (57,000) is still open.

+++ May 18, 10:25 a.m.: HSV website crashes at presale start +++

On Wednesday, punctually at ten o’clock in the morning, the advance sale for the relegation second leg against Hertha BSC (on Monday from 7:30 p.m. LIVE on SAT.1 and in the stream on ran.de) was supposed to start on the website of Hamburger SV for members of HSV, but most fans initially looked down the tube.

For about 20 minutes, the website of the former Bundesliga dinosaur was not accessible, because too many accesses were made at once.

In the meantime, however, the website is once again accessible without any problems and advance sales for members are underway. That for – Season ticket holders has already been completed. If, contrary to expectations, tickets remain, a free sale will begin on Friday.

+++ May 18, 09:19: Commentator Wolff Fuss assesses relegation duels: “Emotional state of emergency” +++

“Four games, four sold-out stadiums, four times tradition – more is not possible, Wolff-Christoph Fuss is pleased. “The relegation matches will be an emotional state of emergency for thousands of soccer fans.” The ranFußball commentator will be reporting from the relegation matches in the Bundesliga together with presenter Matthias Opdenhövel and the reporter duo Andrea Kaiser and Matthias Killing.

“Hertha against HSV is – a game called Magath. It seems to have come full circle and Felix Magath may be playing destiny for Hamburger SV for the last time,” says Wolff-Christoph Fuss. “However, the momentum advantage is clearly on HSV’s side at the moment. After four wins and the turned-around game in Rostock, the team will be coming in with a broad chest. Hertha, on the other hand, has missed three match points and now has to go into the penalty round.”

Fuss expects a similarly exciting clash between two traditional clubs in the 2nd division relegation. “Kaiserslautern and Dresden are in crisis, going into the relegation with suboptimal conditions. On both sides, self-confidence should not be too good. Dynamo has not won a single game in the second half of the – Season . FCK starts with the burden of having missed out on direct promotion and now having to go through relegation – and with a new coach.”

+++ May 18, 08:42: How will the home-rights question be decided? +++

In the relegation matches between the Bundesliga and the 2. Liga, Hertha BSC has first home right, while in the relegation between the 2. Liga and the 3. Liga, 1. FC Kaiserslautern enjoys first home advantage.

But this is by no means predetermined or even coincidental. The DFL follows strict rules in this regard. At ran-After asking the DFL, it says: “The home right in the second leg is held by the club that, according to the match schedule of the past – Season , had fewer match-free days before the first leg. If the number of match-free days is the same, the draw will decide.”

Since HSV was active on Sunday and Hertha on Saturday, the Rothosen get to play the second leg at home. Dresden was also active on Sunday and thus had a whopping seven days less break than Kaiserslautern, who thus have to play away in the second leg.

ranFußball will show the Bundesliga relegation live on SAT.1 and on ran.de on May 19 and 23. In addition, the relegation for the 2nd division can be seen live on May 20 and 24 – all starting at 7:30 p.m.!

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