Facts & Figures: The top facts about the Bielefeld game

It sounds unusual: The days are getting shorter, the sky is turning grayer, the rain is increasing. It’s autumn – and we’re almost in November. But for SV Darmstadt 98, this has historically meant one thing above all: stealing points from their opponents. The Lilies haven’t lost any of their last eleven second-division matches in November. With nine wins and two draws, SV 98 has an absolute favourite month. Their last November defeat was five years ago against Erzgebirge Aue (a 3-0 loss).

Darmstadt 98 have conceded just seven goals in the current second division season, and goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen has only been beaten twice in the last five matches. The Lilies‘ number one has kept a clean sheet in five games, a feat unmatched by any other team. The South Hessians also boast the second-best defence in the league overall, having already recorded more clean sheets at this early stage of the season than in the entire previous campaign. This is further underscored by the individual statistics of their defenders. Matej Maglica and Aleksandar Vukotić are among the strongest tacklers in the second division, each winning 71 percent of their duels. Furthermore, Marcel Schuhen has saved 79 percent of the shots on his goal – ranking third among first-choice goalkeepers in the second division.

Darmstadt’s much-praised defence will need to be especially vigilant this Saturday evening. Arminia Bielefeld is the only team in the 2. Bundesliga to have scored in every single one of their matches. They have beaten opposing goalkeepers 19 times – a tally surpassed only by Elversberg (22). The last time DSC fans failed to celebrate a goal was in early February of this year – back when they were still in the 3. Liga against SV Sandhausen.

Both teams have their strengths at set pieces. Darmstadt are experts at defending, while Arminia Bielefeld are more dangerous from dead-ball situations than any other team. Arminia have already scored seven goals from set pieces. Kniat’s team has found the net twice each from corners and free kicks, and three times from penalties. However, against Darmstadt, Bielefeld expects a solid defence in their core strength. Darmstadt are the only second-division team that has yet to concede a goal from a set piece this season.

When it comes to fair play, SV 98 is the place to be. While the blue-and-white clad team committed an average number of fouls, none of them were particularly reckless. Referees showed the fewest yellow cards (13) to Kohfeldt’s players. In contrast, Arminia Bielefeld’s players received the second-highest number of red cards after Braunschweig, with two. However, they are the ones who have been fouled the most – 147 fouls have been recorded against them so far.

A look back: It’s the 2013/14 season – and SV Darmstadt 98, then in the third division, is facing second-division side Arminia Bielefeld in the relegation play-offs. The first leg at the Bölle stadium ended in a 3-1 defeat, and the frustration was immense. But the second leg couldn’t have been more dramatic. After 90 minutes, the scoreboard showed the same score as just a few days earlier. The game went into extra time. Then came the 110th minute – a moment of panic: Bielefeld scored to make it 2-3. The clock was ticking. And every Darmstadt supporter grew increasingly nervous. But then: Just two minutes into stoppage time, the ball fell to Elton da Costa, who didn’t hesitate and fired a shot from 20 metres. The deflected ball nestled into the bottom right corner. Now there was no stopping them. SVD was back in the second division!