It was just over eleven years ago that SV Darmstadt 98 experienced a special football afternoon in Münster on April 5, 2014: The Lilies secured a crucial 2-0 away win, thus collecting three vital points in the battle for promotion to the second division. One scene in particular stands out in the memory, one that Lilies fans can't get enough of: Sandro Sirigu snatched the ball deep in their own half, danced his way across almost the entire pitch in an impressive solo run, and crowned this run in the 83rd minute with a fine lob over the Münster keeper – making it 2-0 and deciding the game. On Saturday afternoon (April 26, 1pm), the Lilies will travel to Münster again for Matchday 31 of the 2. Bundesliga. And we've summarised the top facts about the game for you.
SV Darmstadt 98 enters their next match with a lot of confidence and a great chance: Darmstadt has picked up seven points from their last three matches. If Darmstadt manages to remain unbeaten in their fourth consecutive game, they will definitely stay in the league. However, the Lilies will certainly not be playing for a draw. „Our goal this season is to achieve at least 40 points,“ said Andreas Müller in a media briefing. And to do that, they definitely need two more points.
The Münster Eagles are the kings of the skies, having won by far the most header duels this season. This helps not only defensively, but also offensively: The Münster team has scored a third of their goals with their heads – ten in total. Only Paderborn, Schalke, and Hamburg have scored more often with their heads. This will show which team will have the upper hand in the air next Saturday, as SV 98 has only conceded one header goal this season.
In addition to their aerial prowess, Preußen Münster has excelled in another defensive discipline this season: With only 40 goals conceded, the Eagles boast the sixth-best defense in the 2. Bundesliga. However, Darmstadt will present a real test for Münster’s defensive bulwarks: The Lilies have found the back of the net 51 times this season. Only three teams have scored more goals – Hamburg (65), Magdeburg (58), and Elversberg (55).
Just 30 seconds into the last home game against Hannover, the ball found its first net thanks to Fraser Hornby – after a wonderful assist from Killian Corredor. The Lilies are hoping for a similar early start against Preußen Münster: In their last four matches, the Prussians have conceded a goal within the first 15 minutes. And in all four matches, the Eagles were unable to recover from an early deficit and ended up winless.
It should already be known that Darmstadt are very strong on the counterattack this season. Only HSV (9) has scored more counterattack goals than the Lilies (7). However, Münster is very careful with the ball. Only four times has a turnover resulted in a goal for the opponent – a league-best. Here, the Lilies must switch quickly and make good use of their counterattacking strength.
Only Münster’s reserve goalkeeper Morten Behrens once donned the blue and white jersey of the Lilies. From 2021 to 2024, Behrens played in Darmstadt, with a loan spell at Waldhof Mannheim in the 2022/23 season. Behrens made a total of four appearances for the Lilies in the 2nd Bundesliga.
Aleksandar Vukotic (9), Matej Maglica (4), Fabian Nürnberger (4), Fraser Hornby (4), and Killian Corredor (4) have yellow cards. A further yellow card for any of these players would result in a suspension. Merveille Papela is absent due to a yellow card suspension.
| Games | Wins | Draws | Defeats | Goals | |
| Home | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 11:5 |
| Away | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4:6 |
| Total | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 15:11 |
Fabio Torsiello will also play for Alemannia Aachen next season. SV 98 is loaning the 21-year-old attacking player to the third-division club for another season. Aachen also has an option to sign him permanently.
SV 98 has secured an offensive boost. Noah Weißhaupt will wear the Lilies' jersey in the future. The 24-year-old is transferring from SC Freiburg to Darmstadt.
For organisational reasons, SV 98 is postponing the first team training session of its summer preparation to June 28th. The session was originally scheduled for June 27th at the SV Winterkasten grounds in the Odenwald region.
Darmstadt 98 will play their final pre-season friendly against English Championship side Portsmouth FC. The match will take place on August 1st at 2pm at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor.
The season is currently suspended, and the start of the new second division season is still some time away. Nevertheless, attention is already turning to the upcoming season: Starting Friday (June 12th) at 12 noon, club members without a current season ticket can purchase their season ticket for the 2026/27 season. Tickets will be available both online and at the ticket office at the stadium.
With the sales of Fraser Hornby and Isac Lidberg, SV 98 has generated considerable transfer revenue. We spoke with President Markus Pfitzner about the right moment for such transfers and the balancing act between financial stability and sporting ambition.
This coming weekend (June 13th & 14th), the veterans team will be playing two matches. We'll give you all the details. We also celebrated two birthdays this week and have several events coming up. At the same time, we're keeping an eye on how our partner club, San Antonio FC, is doing. We've compiled all this and more for you in this edition of Lilies Across the Board.
SV Darmstadt 98 is looking for enthusiastic Lilies fans for the new FuFa volunteer team. As a volunteer, you'll support fans and the club around match days and be right in the thick of things in and around the stadium. You can find all the information here.
Browse, sell, and do good at the same time: On Sunday, July 12th, SV Darmstadt 98 is hosting its first Lilies flea market in the forecourt of the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. With a focus on family, sustainability, and social cohesion, the event aims to give well-preserved items a second life.
Isac Lidberg is moving to the Bundesliga. SV 98 and Borussia Mönchengladbach have agreed on a transfer for the Swedish striker.
The pairings for the first round of the DFB Cup have been drawn: SV Darmstadt 98 will face FC Carl Zeiss Jena away from home. The draw took place on Saturday evening (June 6th) at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. Under the supervision of DFB Vice President Peter Frymuth, Referee of the Year 2026, Deniz Aytekin, who acted as the draw's host live on ARD, drew the match between Darmstadt and Jena.
From the warm opening ceremony to the awards ceremony: The German Football ID Championship in Darmstadt offered exciting games, many wonderful encounters and a well-deserved German champion in the Hesse selection, which also included players from the SV 98 ID team.