Hannover 96 is experiencing a spectator boom. The game against FC Schalke 04 has also been sold out for a long time.

FC Schalke 04 will play Hannover 96 this Friday (6:30 p.m.). In previous second division seasons – and also in Bundesliga seasons – this was always a welcome opportunity for the traveling fans of S04 to accompany their team in their thousands.

But this time, things could be different. As usual, the Royal Blues have received a good 4,500 tickets from Hannover 96 for their fans, which are also sold out. As is so often the case with Schalke away games, demand was significantly higher than supply.

In addition, many Königsblau fans have always bought tickets in the blocks adjacent to the guest area, so that almost the entire south stand was in Schalke hands. Whether this will be possible again this season is questionable, to say the least. Hannover 96 is currently experiencing a boom in spectator numbers unlike anything seen in a long time.

The Heinz von Heiden Arena was sold out three times in the first four home games. All 49,000 seats were occupied for the matches against 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Hertha BSC Berlin, and Arminia Bielefeld. Only a few seats remained empty for the 3-1 win against 1.FC Magdeburg. Even before the Schalke game, the overall average was 46,800. This puts the club in fourth place behind FC Schalke 04, Kaiserslautern, and Hertha BSC. By comparison, last season an average of 38,600 fans passed through the turnstiles. Only four games were sold out over the entire year. But the good start and the role as co-favorite for promotion to the Bundesliga have made the fans in the state capital of Lower Saxony curious. In this respect, it was probably much more difficult for S04 fans to get additional tickets. Nevertheless, coach Miron Muslic’s team will certainly be supported by 6,000 to 8,000 fans again.

One thing is clear: the winner of the match will find themselves in a promotion spot. Hannover 96 are currently just one point behind second-placed FC Schalke 04.