Darmstadt - Newcomers SV Darmstadt 98 can extend their unbeaten start to the season to three games when they face TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 15:30 CEST).

HISTORY

The Lillies have been one of the season's surprise packages so far, holding more illustrious sides Hannover 96 and FC Schalke 04 to draws on Matchdays 1 and 2 respectively. Dirk Schuster's men will now be targeting a first Bundesliga victory of the campaign against a Hoffenheim side reeling from two straight defeats, including a last-minute reverse against FC Bayern München a week ago. bundesliga.com previews the action from the charming Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor...

Top facts

Darmstadt are unbeaten in their last 13 home league games (seven wins, six draws).Stretching back from last season, Hoffenheim have lost five of the last six league matches.Only once have 1899 lost the opening three games of a Bundesliga season: in 2012/13, at the end of which the club stayed up via the relegation play-off.Darmstadt are in their third spell as a Bundesliga club, while Hoffenheim are in their eighth Bundesliga campaign following their sole promotion in 2008.Kevin Volland scored the fastest goal in the Bundesliga's 52-year history against FC Bayern last week, finding the net inside 9 seconds.Darmstadt captain Aytac Sulu was a Hoffenheim player between 2007 and 2009 but did not make a first-team appearance.

Team news

Darmstadt

Possible line-up: Mathenia - Garics, Sulu, Caldirola, Holland - Gondorf, Niemeyer - Heller, Rausch - Sailer - Stroh-Engel

Absentees: none

Hoffenheim

Possible line-up: Baumann - Kaderabek, Schär, Süle, Kim - Schwegler, Polanski - Volland, Uth, Schmid - Kuranyi

Absentees: Hamad (fitness), Herdling (knee)

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