On Saturday (May 3rd/1pm), the Lilies aim to extend their impressive run of four consecutive home wins. At the same time, the clash against Hamburger SV is also about ending another run: No home team has celebrated a victory in a competitive match between Darmstadt and Hamburg in 44 years – time to change that. At a sold-out Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor, SV Darmstadt 98, with passionate support from the stands, will aim to take three points against the Hamburg club. Here are the key facts and figures for the clash.
Under Florian Kohfeldt, the Lilies are performing better at home than they have in a long time: They currently have four consecutive home wins – and SV Darmstadt 98 is unbeaten in four matches. But that’s far from over. The Lilies are looking to build on their winning streak, especially at home. They even have a chance this season to repeat a streak they last achieved in 2021. Back then, SV 98 managed six consecutive home wins. A win against HSV, followed by a final win against Jahn Regensburg – and that streak would be broken.
When Darmstadt 98 and Hamburg SV meet, the home team is often at a disadvantage. While SV 98 are unbeaten in eight matches at the Volksparkstadion (five away wins, three draws), Hamburg seem to feel almost a bit too comfortable in Darmstadt. The Hanseatic club has never lost away from home at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. The last home win in a meeting between the two teams came 44 years ago in 1981.
The last eleven second-division duels between SVD and HSV have been a busy one: A whopping 38 goals were scored – an average of 3.45 goals per game. But that wasn’t enough: The referees also awarded five penalties and showed a red card four times in these matches. Overall, the two teams met in 21 competitive matches, with HSV scoring a goal in each. But the Lilies also failed to score in only three of the 21 competitive matches.
Darmstadt and Hamburg, the two teams with the strongest counterattacks in the 2nd Bundesliga, will face off. While Darmstadt has already scored seven counterattack goals this season, Hamburg has taken advantage of their opponents‘ offensive play a whopping nine times.
144 won aerial duels. Aleksandar Vukotic wins the most aerial duels in the league. This strength, along with that of his teammates in the defensive unit, will certainly be put to the test on Saturday. The Red Shorts, the former corner-kick champions of the 2. Bundesliga, are coming to the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. The Hanseatic League has scored eight times from corners – a league best. Darmstadt, on the other hand, scored three times following corners.
When it comes to crosses, both teams seem to choose different strategies to achieve success. SV 98 attempts to use fewer, but high-quality crosses. On average, every 26th cross from the South Hesse side results in a goal – the best rate in the 2. Bundesliga. The Hanseatic League, on the other hand, has the third-most crosses in the 2. Bundesliga with 366 – and they’re no less successful: 14 times, the Hamburg team has scored from open-play crosses – another top stat in the 2. Bundesliga.
One Hamburg player should still be a familiar face to most of the Lilies: goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes returns to the Böllenfalltor on Saturday. Heuer Fernandes played a total of 72 competitive matches for the Lilies from 2016 to 2019, keeping a clean sheet in 17 of those matches.
In the duel against Hamburger SV, two Lilies will face their former youth club: Alexander Brunst and Fabian Nürnberger both have their football roots at HSV. Reserve keeper Brunst came through the Hanseaten’s youth systems from 2008 to 2014. During this time, he made a total of 55 appearances for the U17 and U19 teams, as well as 25 games for the HSV reserve team. Fabian Nürnberger also wore the Rothosen jersey in his youth career. In 2015, he moved to the U17 team of FC Eintracht Norderstedt – and from there embarked on his further path to professional football.
Aleksandar Vukotic (9), Matej Maglica (4), Fabian Nürnberger (4), Killian Corredor (4), Fraser Hornby (4), Sergio Lopez (4), Andreas Müller (4), and Kai Klefisch (4) have already been booked. A further yellow card for any of the players would result in a suspension.
| Games | Wins | Draws | Defeats | Goals | |
| Home | 10 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 9:20 |
| Away | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 19:22 |
| Overall | 21 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 28:42 |
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.
