The top match of the 2nd Bundesliga is something special. When FC Schalke 04 travels to southern Hesse to face SV Darmstadt 98, the league leaders and second-placed team will clash on Saturday evening (March 21st/8:30pm). Offensively strong Darmstadt against defensively solid Schalke. All the important facts and figures about Saturday evening's duel are compiled for you here in the Top Facts.
For the second time this second-division season, the top two teams are facing off. This was the case on matchday 14, when FC Schalke 04 battled SC Paderborn and overtook SCP at the top of the table. However, it’s not just the top two teams in the league that are facing off, but also the best offence and the best defence. When SV Darmstadt 98 fans go to the stadium, they usually have something to cheer about: the ball has found the back of the net 48 times against the Lilies‘ opponents. On the other hand, Schalke regularly shut down their goal. Conceding only 23 goals is the best record in the league – which is also due to the fact that they have allowed the fewest shots on goal overall (246).
The two teams have already met twice this season, back in October. Schalke won the league match with a narrow 1-0 victory, inflicting one of Darmstadt’s only three defeats this season. Moussa Sylla, who scored the winning goal that day, has been more of a reserve player since the second half of the season, but could see more playing time due to Edin Dzeko’s suspension.
However, Darmstadt responded just a few days later in the DFB Cup round of 16. Playing at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor, they dominated from the outset and advanced to the next round with a resounding 4-0 victory.
Saturday evening, Böllenfalltor. These two words surely make the heart of every Darmstadt 98 supporter swell with excitement. It’s already the fifth match of the season to kick off at the Merck Stadium at 8:30pm. Darmstadt have remained undefeated throughout. But it’s not just at this special time that they shine in front of their home crowd. Their last defeat on their own turf was on May 3, 2025, against HSV. This season, they’ve conceded only nine goals in their 13 home games so far and kept seven clean sheets. In the last five matches at the Bölle, Marcel Schuhen has only had to pick the ball out of his net once – in the game against Fortuna Düsseldorf.
One area where Darmstadt 98 often excels is set pieces. Their 15 goals from set pieces are an impressive tally. Only Paderborn and Bielefeld have scored more, with 16 goals each. Schalke 04 also seems to thrive in this statistic, having scored almost a third (38 percent) of their goals from set pieces.
Isac Lidberg, Darmstadt’s top scorer, now has 13 goals in the current second-division season and leads the scoring charts alongside Benjamin Källman (Hannover 96) and Marvin Wanitzek (Karlsruher SC). During the 1-0 defeat against Miron Muslic’s team, fans were eagerly anticipating a striker duel between Isac Lidberg and Moussa Sylla. However, this didn’t materialise due to the Swede’s injury last October.
Now, ahead of the return leg, many football fans were not only looking forward to the clash between the two teams, but also to a potential encounter between Edin Dzeko in Schalke’s attack and Isac Lidberg in the Darmstadt forward line. However, Dzeko’s red card suspension will prevent this as well. Nevertheless, Kenan Karaman, with eleven goals, is also near the top of the scoring charts, sitting in fifth place, and has a significant impact on Schalke’s attacking play.
Five of Kohfeldt’s players will go into Saturday evening’s top match with four yellow cards. Luca Marseiler, Fraser Hornby, Isac Lidberg, Merveille Papela, and Aleksandar Vukotic are at risk of suspension if they receive another yellow card.
For the visitors, Ron Schallenberg, Soufiane El-Faouzi, and Mertcan Ayhan will travel to Darmstadt with four yellow cards each.
|
Games |
Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals | |
|
Home |
12 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 19:21 |
|
Away |
10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 17:27 |
|
Overall |
22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 36:48 |
A thrilling match on Saturday evening ended in a draw: FC Schalke 04 and Darmstadt 98 played to a stalemate, each securing a point on matchday 27. The game was overshadowed by a potentially serious injury to Luca Marseiler. Following the match, both sides expressed their best wishes for the winger's recovery. The coaches' analysis of the game was similar: a fair draw. Here are the post-match reactions.
No winner on Saturday evening: The top match between Darmstadt and league leaders Schalke 04 ended 1-1 (1-1). Lidberg scored for the home side in first-half stoppage time. In a thrilling match, Darmstadt secured their 50th point of the season and remain firmly in contention at the top end of the table.
A top match at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor! On matchday 27, Darmstadt 98 host FC Schalke 04. Just in time for this clash, Fraser Hornby returns to the SV 98 starting lineup, replacing Niklas Schmidt. Fabian Nürnberger also starts in place of Fabian Holland. Killian Corredor is also available for SV 98 again, but the Frenchman will initially be on the bench.
Saturday evening. Floodlights. Top match. Darmstadt 98 hosts FC Schalke 04 for the 27th matchday of the 2. Bundesliga. Kick-off is at 8:30pm on Saturday (March 21st). What do both head coaches have to say before the game? Who will referee the match? And who will be the commentator? As usual, we've compiled all the important information about the game against the Royal Blues for you in our "Matchday Guide".
A floodlit match at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. How excited are the players for Saturday evening's clash? What strengths of the opponent should Darmstadt be particularly wary of? And what is their own game plan? Ahead of SV Darmstadt 98's home game against FC Schalke 04 (March 21st/8:30pm), Florian Kohfeldt answered these and other questions at the press conference on Friday (March 20th). We've summarised the most important statements from the Darmstadt coach for you.
On Saturday evening (21.03/20.30), SV Darmstadt 98 will host FC Schalke 04 and asks you to take note of the following information.
It's widely known that Pep Guardiola introduced tiki-taka football to the Bundesliga during his time at Bayern Munich. Many top clubs adopted this captivating short-passing style of play, which had been developed over many years by numerous coaches in Barcelona. However, Guardiola wasn't quite the first in Germany to bring this style of play to the league. Over 90 years ago, it was the team from Gelsenkirchen that laid the foundations for tiki-taka in Germany – albeit under a different name.
The journalists asked the questions, Florian Kohfeldt provided the answers: The head coach of SV 98 was the protagonist of a media session on Tuesday (March 17). We'll report on it. Also, the most unique jersey in the club's history is now available exclusively for members in the online fan shop. In our weekly column "Lilies Across the Board," we'll bring you all the information on these and other topics.
Probably the most personalised Darmstadt 98 jersey in the club's history! SV Darmstadt 98 will wear an exclusive members' jersey against SV Elversberg on matchday 31. The special feature: Every member who purchases the jersey has their personal membership number printed on it.
More than 8,600 kilometres as the crow flies separate San Antonio and Darmstadt. Landry Walker embarked on the long journey from Texas to southern Hesse on March 8th. The 16-year-old midfielder was trained at San Antonio FC, the partner club of SV Darmstadt 98, and has been immersed in the world of the Lilies (Darmstadt's nickname) over the past few days. We look back at the visit of the American U17 international.
Our premium partner ENTEGA is once again providing unique stadium experiences this season. For every home game, you can win two VIP fan seats in the main stand and also gain access to the ENTEGA VIP lounge. The application deadline for the match against Schalke 04 is Thursday (March 19th) at 12 noon.
