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 |
Darmstadt 98 lost to Hannover 96 while playing with ten men and must continue to wait for their first win of this second division season. Read our analysis to find out what positives remain and why Darmstadt 98 had factored in setbacks on their chosen path.
Around the time of the home game against Hannover 96 on Sunday (August 30th), the Jonathan Heimes Square was officially inaugurated. Before kickoff, club president Markus Pfitzner and Martin Heimes, father of Jonathan Heimes, who died of cancer about ten years ago, gave speeches highlighting "Johnny's" importance and his commitment to people with cancer.
The Lilien Team Marathon is not just about athletic performance and the shared experience around the Böllenfalltor stadium – but also about making a difference together.
The SV Darmstadt 98 U21 team drew 2-2 (0-1) against SV Unter-Flockenbach. After a heated home game, the young Lilies had to settle for a frustrating, but ultimately deserved, draw. In this extremely balanced league, Patrick Kurt's team continues to grow week by week, gaining valuable experience.
An emotional match with many controversial moments unfolded on Sunday afternoon at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. Ultimately, Darmstadt suffered their first home defeat of the young season. We've compiled the post-match reactions for you.
Tried everything, but to no avail: SV 98 came up short in their home game against Hannover 96. The final score was 1-0 (0-0) to the visitors, whilst the Lilies had to play with ten men after Vukotic was sent off in the 20th minute.
Home game against Hannover! On matchday 3, Darmstadt 98 will host the ambitious Lower Saxons at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. Florian Kohfeldt has made three changes to his starting lineup compared to the victory in Jena. Hiroki Akiyama replaces the suspended Kai Klefisch, while Nicolas Verkooijen (making his first start) and Yosuke Furukawa start in place of Carlo Sickinger and Manolo Merx.
Weekend, Lilies fever! On Sunday (August 30th/1:30pm), the Lilies have their third matchday on the schedule. Hannover 96, the club from the Lower Saxon capital, will be visiting the Bölle. What do the two head coaches have to say before kickoff? Who will be refereeing the match? And where can you watch the game? As usual, we've compiled all the important information about the match against Hannover in our "Matchday Guide"
One day before their home game against Hannover 96, Darmstadt 98 have announced another new signing. William Mikelbrencis will now wear the SV 98 jersey. The 22-year-old Frenchman was under contract with Hamburger SV until June 30th.
In the press conference before the second home game of the still young season, our head coach spoke about, among other things, our team's attacking play and the past week. As usual, you can find the most important statements before the match against Hannover 96 (August 30th/1:30pm) here for you.
A second-division team on the Berlin Mount Olympus: Hannover 96 achieved something unique in 1992. On May 23, the Lower Saxony club defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach in the DFB Cup final, securing another major title in the club's history 38 years after their German championship win in 1954. Hannover became the first and, to this day, only "true" second-division team to win the DFB Cup, causing one of the biggest upsets in the competition's history.
