Two wins from their first two matches: The Lilies haven't had such a successful start to the 2. Bundesliga in decades. With a third consecutive win, they could make a historic start to the season. The Darmstadt team has never started a 2. Bundesliga season with three wins in their history. To achieve this, the Lilies plan to give it their all on the pitch on Sunday (August 24th, 1:30pm) against Hertha BSC. You can read about other interesting statistics for Matchday 3 in our Top Facts.
After a commanding 4-1 opening victory against VfL Bochum and a 1-0 away win against 1. FC Nürnberg, the Lilies collected a whopping six points out of six in the second division. But that’s not the only remarkable thing. The two victories enabled the Lilies to achieve something special: For the first time since the 1987/88 season, the South Hesse team has started a second division season with two wins from two matches. This weekend’s match against Hertha could turn a special start into a historic one: The Lilies have never achieved three wins at the start of a second division season.
If Hertha had had a motto over the past seven months, it would have been: „If Reese doesn’t score, Hertha doesn’t win.“ The last time the Old Lady celebrated a victory without a goal from the striker was in January of this year – in a 2-1 away win in Paderborn, when Derry Scherhant and Michael Cuisance scored. Since then, Fabian Reese has always scored when Hertha Berlin emerged victorious. In the first two matches of this season, Reese has not been involved in a goal, meaning the Blue-Whites have yet to register three points. But in the duel against the Lilies, Reese will likely be highly motivated to change that.
The Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor is still an impregnable fortress for Hertha in the 2nd Bundesliga: The capital club has played in Darmstadt seven times in the German lower house, losing five times and sharing the points twice. Darmstadt should be warned, however, because the Berliners certainly know how to win at Böllenfalltor: Examples like the 2-0 cup defeat at home to Hertha in 2018 and the 2-0 home defeat in the Bundesliga in 2017 should serve as a warning to the South Hesse club that points aren’t necessarily a given on Sunday (August 24th).
Of course, season statistics after the second matchday are only partially meaningful due to the very limited sample size, but they can still reveal certain trends… And Darmstadt’s attacking power was a standout in the first two matchdays: With five goals after two games, only Arminia Bielefeld (seven) scored more. The South Hesse side are particularly fast-paced after winning the ball: six counter-attack shots and three counter-attack goals are both league-best figures this season.
The blue and white club colours of Hertha BSC are nothing new to Leitl—after all, he already wore them during his playing career, albeit with the blue and white Lilies. From 2004 to 2007, the former midfielder played for SV Darmstadt 98 in the Regionalliga Süd. In a total of 93 appearances for the 98ers, he scored 14 goals and provided three assists.
Jean-Paul Boëtius, a former Hertha player, plays for the Lilies. The Dutchman began his career at Feyenoord Rotterdam before moving to the Bundesliga via loans to Genk and Basel – first to Mainz 05, and later to Hertha BSC in the 2022/23 season. He made 21 Bundesliga appearances for the capital club. His resume includes 143 Bundesliga appearances, scoring twelve goals and providing 20 assists. Since joining SV 98, Boëtius has already made 13 second-division appearances, providing two assists.
Fabian Holland also once wore a Hertha jersey. The Berlin native progressed through all of the „Old Lady’s“ youth teams and made 25 competitive appearances for the first team before moving to Darmstadt.
Another former Hertha player in the current SV 98 squad is Lilies newcomer Marco Richter. The 27-year-old played for the capital club between 2021 and 2023. In 66 appearances – almost 60 of which were in the Bundesliga – he scored 14 goals and provided seven assists.
| Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals | |
| Home | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 15:16 |
| Away | 11 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 8:17 |
| Total | 24 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 23:33 |
After 13 unbeaten second-division matches, SV Darmstadt 98 suffered their first defeat this Friday evening. Three unfortunate minutes just before halftime, during which Patric Pfeiffer was sent off and Vincent Vermeij scored twice, paved the way for Dresden's victory. After the match, the focus was primarily on the differing assessments of two very similar incidents by the refereeing team – incidents which both coaches subsequently evaluated identically.
For the first time since October, Darmstadt 98 finished a league match without any points: SV 98 lost 3-1 (2-0) to SG Dynamo Dresden. After a controversial red card against Patric Pfeiffer (42nd minute), the home side scored two goals in first-half stoppage time to secure the victory.
Under the floodlights at the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadium. On Friday evening (February 27th/6:30pm), Darmstadt 98 will play away against Dynamo Dresden. Florian Kohfeldt has made three changes to his starting eleven. Raoul Petretta makes his first start, replacing Fabian Holland. Luca Marseiler starts in place of the suspended Marco Richter, and Hiroki Akiyama replaces Fraser Hornby, who is sidelined with a thigh injury. Fabian Nürnberger, Matthias Bader, and Bartosz Bialek remain unavailable due to injury.
A floodlit match at the Rudolf-Haribig-Stadion is always something special. Darmstadt 98 are aiming to take three points back to southern Hesse this Friday evening (February 27th). Kick-off is at 6:30pm. All the important information about the 24th matchday of the 2. Bundesliga is clearly summarised for you in our "Matchday Guide".
Darmstadt 98 aim to extend their unbeaten run to 14 games in Friday evening's match against Dynamo Dresden. While Darmstadt's potent attack has resulted in a respectable goal tally, they are wary at the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion. The Saxons have been on an upward trend since the winter break and will have a vociferous home crowd behind them. We've compiled all the facts and figures surrounding this clash in this report. Here you'll find the key facts for tomorrow's match.
Darmstadt and Dresden are 598 kilometres apart. On Friday evening (February 27th, 6:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98 will travel to the Saxon capital for the 24th matchday of the 2nd Bundesliga. The next away game will take place under the floodlights at the historic Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion. You can find all relevant fan information here.
Before SV Darmstadt 98 plays under floodlights in Dresden on Friday evening (27.02/18.30), Florian Kohfeldt spoke at the press conference about the strengths of Dynamo Dresden and the special atmosphere in the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion.
Raoul Petretta joined SV Darmstadt 98 in the winter and already feels very much at home. He talks about his arrival and his goals. Besides their sporting focus, the Lilies are also committed to sustainability: On March 15, 2026, over 3,500 trees will be planted as part of the fifth "In the Sign of the Lily" tree-planting campaign. In our "Lilies Across the Board" section, we provide you with the most important news from SV Darmstadt 98 every week.
Numerous Dynamo Dresden fans flock to the stadium on home match days. But one day, they came for a single reason: What should their stadium be called in the future? Tens of thousands of supporters gathered in front of the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion, ready to cast their votes. In cooperation with regional partners, Dynamo Dresden's management took the unusual step of letting the club's supporters decide for themselves.
WirLilien – Together for nature conservation! Together with our partner Krombacher, we will once again plant more than 3,500 trees on Sunday (March 15th) – under the banner of the Lily. You can still register for the event at short notice.
On Friday (February 27th, 7:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team begins the second phase of their Hessenliga season. With 23 points after 20 matchdays, the Lilies are currently in 14th place. Following intensive weeks of winter training, the team aims to start the upcoming challenges with renewed energy and secure crucial points.
A fast-paced, thrilling exchange between SV Darmstadt 98 and Fortuna Düsseldorf reached its ecstatic climax in the 88th minute. Thanks to Matej Maglica's header, Darmstadt secured a 2-1 victory in a wild battle that resembled a 12-round boxing match, with both sides neglecting their defences and constantly searching for the next hook or punch. A day later, sv98.de looks back on what was probably the most exciting home game of the season so far for the South Hessian side.