More than 2,000 German football fans have arrived in the capital as Hibs host Rot-Weiss Essen tonight to kickstart 150th Anniversary celebrations; with kick-off at 7pm at Easter Road Stadium.
The pair first met in the European Champions Cup back in 1955, when Hibs became the first British team to compete in European competition.
Despite Rot-Weiss Essen being German champions and Germany being World Cup holders Hibs won 4-0 away from home and drew 1-1 at Easter Road.
Managed by Uwe Koschinat, sleeping giants Rot-Weiss Essen currently compete in the 3. Liga – the third tier of German football.
After a tough start to the 2024/25 season – winning just four of their first 20 league matches – the German side won 12 of their last 18 league matches to surge up the table and finish in eighth place.
Rot-Weiss Essen also lifted the Lower Rhine Cup after defeating MSV Duisburg – who the Hibees faced in the Netherlands last week – in the final.
There will be various activations and events around the ground on matchday – including the official unveiling of The Pat Stanton Stand.
The Club have also opened up a special fanzone outside the Pat Stanton Stand from 3:30pm for supporters to gather for a drink or a bite to eat.
A successful warm-weather training camp in the Netherlands saw the players get minutes in their legs following friendlies against German side MSV Duisburg and Dutch giants Ajax.
A goalless draw played out against Duisburg, before a nine-goal thriller treated viewers when Hibs faced Ajax – with the Amsterdam club running out 6-3 winners.
With several new arrivals and promising youngsters on the pitch, it was Martin Boyle, Junior Hoilett and Kieron Bowie who scored the goals at De Toekomst.
