The upcoming opponent and their style of play, the atmosphere in Magdeburg and the starting position before the clash: Florian Kohfeldt spoke about exactly these and other topics at the press conference on Friday afternoon (February 28th). Before SV Darmstadt 98's away game at 1. FC Magdeburg (02.03/1.30pm), the head coach was available to speak to the journalists present. We have summarised the most important statements for you.
Personnel update: Fabian Holland, Matthias Bader, Paul Will and Christoph Zimmermann as well as Kai Klefisch are out. Oscar Vilhelmsson and Othmane El Idrissi are also unavailable due to knee problems. Fabian Nürnberger and Clemens Riedel are missing due to red and yellow suspensions respectively. Philipp Förster was able to train again during the week. Jean-Paul Boetius is also available again.
Magdeburg has a very exciting, attractive and, in a positive sense, an extreme style of play. They are a team that passes the ball a lot and makes the game very wide. At the same time, they are brave and play from the back. They press against the ball one-on-one across the entire pitch. This can create very spectacular games. Magdeburg stands alone with their style of play, which, however, also involves a certain amount of risk – both with and against the ball. It will be a very exciting and very special football game. We don’t have to change our own style of play, but we have to adapt it accordingly. I have no explanation as to why the results at Magdeburg haven’t come together yet. Nevertheless, they won their last home game against Köln. Overall, 1. FC Magdeburg has a very good team.
Magdeburg is a sports city, so the people there are very enthusiastic. I’m looking forward to Magdeburg – a great stadium and great fans. It gets very loud. Magdeburg is already one of the most atmospheric away games of the year. Such an atmosphere inspires me. I hope that I can pass on my excitement to my players.
Magdeburg is the favourite. We are coming from a phase that was not so exciting in terms of results. We are also missing players in central midfield and central defence who have been very instrumental so far this season. Nevertheless, I say that we – similar to Magdeburg – have a style of play that is not so typical for this 2nd league. This means we are always in a position to pose big problems for our opponents. We want to show that again in Magdeburg – regardless of whether we are the favourites or not. We want to score points in Magdeburg – threefold. Overall, Magdeburg remains a clear favourite for promotion for me. Because they have consolidated their game idea over several years. They know how to deal with phases during the season when things don’t go well. That’s why we’re facing a very solid team on Sunday.
The win against Schalke was very good. Already in Braunschweig people were encouragingly committed to Schalke. The team and the stadium showed it together last Sunday. The support away from home has also been outstanding throughout the season. I’m looking forward to the away game in Magdeburg with our fans.
Unfortunately, I only saw Matze for two days of training, but of course I saw him play before that. He has shown time and again over the years that he is one of the top third of right-backs in the second division when he is fit. We felt the contract extension was a good sign so he could continue to focus on his full recovery. We look forward to when he can fulfill his sporting role again. In addition, with the last two extensions of Marcel Schuhen and now Matthias Bader, we have shown that we all want structure and identification to be very important. We want to continue to maintain the connection to the city and the club in the team. Matze is an important building block for this.
SV Darmstadt 98 informed all season ticket holders about the season ticket procedure for the 2026/27 season on Wednesday (May 6th) and would also like to share this letter on the club's own website.
Autographs, photos, and personal encounters with the Lilies: You'll have the opportunity to do so on Thursday (May 7th) from 5pm to 6pm. As part of an autograph session presented by Merck, Patric Pfeiffer, Kai Klefisch, and Fynn Lakenmacher will be at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. You'll also receive a ten percent discount in the fan shop during this time.
Darmstadt's 2-1 defeat at Karlsruher SC also ended any remaining theoretical hopes the South Hessian club had of finishing the season in the top three. The loss at the Wildpark stadium served somewhat as a symbol for the past few weeks, during which SV 98 had only managed one point from five matches since the international break in March. Following the game on Sunday afternoon, the Darmstadt players addressed the assembled media representatives with mixed feelings.
Three points! SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team secured a victory in the Lotto Hessenliga on Saturday afternoon (May 2nd). In their match against Hünfelder SV, the young Lilies overcame an early deficit to clinch a convincing 3-1 win. This result puts the U21 team currently outside the relegation zone. "Our trend is clearly upward," said a delighted U21 coach Sebastian Schmitt.
The successful collaboration between the Hessian Disabled and Rehabilitation Sports Association (HBRS) and SV Darmstadt 98 will continue long-term: Both partners have extended their existing agreement to promote inclusive sports indefinitely. This sends a clear signal for the sustainable development of inclusion and disability sports in Hesse.
A bitter end in Karlsruhe: After 90 entertaining minutes in which both teams sought salvation in attack, Darmstadt suffered a narrow defeat. The final score was 2-1 after a late goal from the home side, following Isac Lidberg's earlier equaliser. After the match, the players were particularly frustrated with the missed opportunities in the first half.
The away form continues to be poor: SV 98 suffered a 2-1 (0-0) defeat against Karlsruher SC. Lidberg scored the equaliser for the team from southern Hesse in the 70th minute.
Darmstadt 98 visit Karlsruher SC on matchday 32 (May 3rd, 1:30 PM). Florian Kohfeldt has made five changes to his starting lineup. Killian Corredor replaces the injured Fraser Hornby, Aleksandar Vukotic comes in for the suspended Patric Pfeiffer, and Fabian Holland starts in place of Matej Maglica, who is sidelined with an ankle injury. Merveille Papela and Niklas Schmidt also join the team, replacing Sergio Lopez and Yosuke Furukawa. In addition to Hornby, Pfeiffer, and Maglica, Darmstadt will also be without the injured Matthias Bader, Fabian Nürnberger, and Luca Marseiler.
Finally, the weekend is here, finally Sunday! On Sunday afternoon (May 3rd, 1:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98 will face Karlsruher SC away. What do the two coaches have to say about the match, who will be refereeing, and where can you watch it if you're not at the stadium? All the important information about the Lilies' 32nd matchday is compiled for you here in "Matchday Guide".
Continuity in sporting management: SV Darmstadt 98 has extended Paul Fernie's contract early and for the long term. As part of the contract extension, the current sporting director will move into the club's management board and will now serve as managing director of sport.
Our head coach spoke at the press conference before the away game against Karlsruher SC (May 3rd/1:30pm) about the mental freshness of his team, the course of action for the remaining games and his coaching colleague, whose commitment to KSC will end after six years this season.
Left hook, 'One hundred and eightyyyyyyy', and hand over the baton. Doesn't sound like football – and that's true. KSC is often associated with professional football, but with the sheer number of titles the club has won, it's worth looking beyond the pitch. Titles from Baden-Württemberg to Rome.