After the international break, the Lilies are looking to pick up where they left off: SV Darmstadt 98 are unbeaten in four matches – three wins, one draw. A streak that Darmstadt intends to extend. On Matchday 9, SVD hosts 1. FC Magdeburg at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. Kickoff on Sunday (October 19th) is at 1:30pm. We've compiled the most important facts and figures for the match for you.
Böllenfalltor Fortress. The Lilies are unbeaten at home for 169 days, a good six months without a loss at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. Their last defeat came on May 3, 2025, against HSV (0-4). Otherwise, the Darmstadt team has won an impressive eight of their last ten home games.
SV 98 still has a score to settle against 1. FC Magdeburg: Last season, Darmstadt led both matches, but finished without a point either home or away (1-2 in Darmstadt, 1-4 in Magdeburg). Florian Kohfeldt also wants to improve his record against FCM on Sunday: The head coach has lost all four of his matches against the team from Saxony-Anhalt so far—twice with Darmstadt, twice with Werder Bremen’s U23s.
Magdeburg have increasingly relied on long balls this season: With a total of 351 long passes, they rank third in the statistics – only SCP (354) and KSC (354) have played more long-range passes. Darmstadt follows closely behind with 336 long passes, ranking fifth.
He’s in really good form. Isac Lidberg has scored in each of his last five league matches and leads the 2. Bundesliga’s top scorer list with a total of eight goals from his first eight games. Only second-division record goalscorer Simon Terodde has managed such a haul after eight matchdays in 2021. Lidberg is also extremely effective—in fact, he’s currently the 2. Bundesliga’s most effective player. The Swede has scored twice as many goals as his xGoals would suggest. In one statistic, Lidberg is even ahead of Harry Kane: He is the only player in German professional football to have scored more than half of his team’s goals this season—eight out of 14.
Magdeburg have been one of the league’s most active teams when it comes to shots from outside the penalty area. With a total of 51 long-range attempts, they rank first in this statistic. Furthermore, their 125 shots on goal total is the third-best in the 2. Bundesliga – only Paderborn (128) and Elversberg (129) have more. However, one glaring shortcoming has emerged so far: despite the numerous chances they have created, the team has so far failed to convert these efforts into goals. No other second-division team has managed fewer goals this season than just seven.
The upcoming clash between 1. FC Magdeburg and SV Darmstadt 98 will see a reunion with Barış Atik. The FCM attacker once wore the Lilien jersey in the second half of the 2017/18 season and made five appearances in the 2. Bundesliga for SV 98. From Darmstadt, he briefly returned to Hoffenheim and then moved on to Dynamo Dresden. In January 2021, Atik finally transferred to FCM, where he quickly established himself as a key player.
Alexander Brunst and Patric Pfeiffer will also be reunited with their former clubs. The latter was on loan from FC Augsburg to 1. FC Magdeburg in the second half of the 2024/25 season. Pfeiffer made eight competitive appearances in Magdeburg. Brunst, on the other hand, played in Magdeburg from 2017 to 2020. There he made his debut in the DFB-Pokal against Borussia Dortmund on October 24, 2017. He made a total of 37 competitive appearances for FCM, contributing to the 2017/18 3. Bundesliga championship. After a spell in Denmark with Vejle BK, Brunst returned to Germany in the summer of 2022 and joined SV Darmstadt 98. Since then, he has played as a goalkeeper for the Lilies.
| Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals | |
| Home | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5:3 |
| Away | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7:6 |
| Overall | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 12:9 |
Autographs, photos, and personal encounters with the Lilies: You'll have the opportunity to do so on Thursday (May 7th) from 5pm to 6pm. As part of an autograph session presented by Merck, Patric Pfeiffer, Kai Klefisch, and Fynn Lakenmacher will be at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. You'll also receive a ten percent discount in the fan shop during this time.
Darmstadt's 2-1 defeat at Karlsruher SC also ended any remaining theoretical hopes the South Hessian club had of finishing the season in the top three. The loss at the Wildpark stadium served somewhat as a symbol for the past few weeks, during which SV 98 had only managed one point from five matches since the international break in March. Following the game on Sunday afternoon, the Darmstadt players addressed the assembled media representatives with mixed feelings.
Three points! SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team secured a victory in the Lotto Hessenliga on Saturday afternoon (May 2nd). In their match against Hünfelder SV, the young Lilies overcame an early deficit to clinch a convincing 3-1 win. This result puts the U21 team currently outside the relegation zone. "Our trend is clearly upward," said a delighted U21 coach Sebastian Schmitt.
The successful collaboration between the Hessian Disabled and Rehabilitation Sports Association (HBRS) and SV Darmstadt 98 will continue long-term: Both partners have extended their existing agreement to promote inclusive sports indefinitely. This sends a clear signal for the sustainable development of inclusion and disability sports in Hesse.
A bitter end in Karlsruhe: After 90 entertaining minutes in which both teams sought salvation in attack, Darmstadt suffered a narrow defeat. The final score was 2-1 after a late goal from the home side, following Isac Lidberg's earlier equaliser. After the match, the players were particularly frustrated with the missed opportunities in the first half.
The away form continues to be poor: SV 98 suffered a 2-1 (0-0) defeat against Karlsruher SC. Lidberg scored the equaliser for the team from southern Hesse in the 70th minute.
Darmstadt 98 visit Karlsruher SC on matchday 32 (May 3rd, 1:30 PM). Florian Kohfeldt has made five changes to his starting lineup. Killian Corredor replaces the injured Fraser Hornby, Aleksandar Vukotic comes in for the suspended Patric Pfeiffer, and Fabian Holland starts in place of Matej Maglica, who is sidelined with an ankle injury. Merveille Papela and Niklas Schmidt also join the team, replacing Sergio Lopez and Yosuke Furukawa. In addition to Hornby, Pfeiffer, and Maglica, Darmstadt will also be without the injured Matthias Bader, Fabian Nürnberger, and Luca Marseiler.
Finally, the weekend is here, finally Sunday! On Sunday afternoon (May 3rd, 1:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98 will face Karlsruher SC away. What do the two coaches have to say about the match, who will be refereeing, and where can you watch it if you're not at the stadium? All the important information about the Lilies' 32nd matchday is compiled for you here in "Matchday Guide".
Continuity in sporting management: SV Darmstadt 98 has extended Paul Fernie's contract early and for the long term. As part of the contract extension, the current sporting director will move into the club's management board and will now serve as managing director of sport.
Our head coach spoke at the press conference before the away game against Karlsruher SC (May 3rd/1:30pm) about the mental freshness of his team, the course of action for the remaining games and his coaching colleague, whose commitment to KSC will end after six years this season.
Left hook, 'One hundred and eightyyyyyyy', and hand over the baton. Doesn't sound like football – and that's true. KSC is often associated with professional football, but with the sheer number of titles the club has won, it's worth looking beyond the pitch. Titles from Baden-Württemberg to Rome.
In a rescheduled Lotto Hessenliga match, SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team hosted SV Hummetroth at their youth academy on Wednesday evening (April 29th) but unfortunately came away empty-handed. Despite a spirited performance and playing with one man less, the score after 90 minutes was 3-1 in favour of Hummetroth.