After the 1-0 defeat in the league, will they be able to take revenge in the DFB Cup? The perfect opportunity to do better in another competition presents itself on Wednesday (October 29th, 8:45pm). With renewed courage, full commitment, and the support of their fans, SVD wants to show what they're capable of in their home game against Schalke 04 at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. We've compiled the most important facts and figures for the cup match for you.
What a special evening at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. Second division Darmstadt 98 hosts Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach. It was in the fall of 2022 when the South Hesse side last played at home in the DFB-Pokal. In that encounter, the Lilies put the Bundesliga side under pressure early on, played with focus going forward, and rewarded themselves with a goal in the first half through Phillip Tietz. Gladbach, however, increased the pressure in the second half and managed to equalise at one point. But the Lilies were undeterred. And in the closing stages, they showed both morale and determination in front of the opposing goal. Aaron Seydel sent the Böllenfalltor into a frenzy with his decisive goal, making it 2-1. With this victory, SV Darmstadt 98 deservedly advanced to the round of 16 of the DFB-Pokal. Feel free to repeat that tomorrow, guys!
Only five players in the current SV 98 squad have ever played in a home cup game at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. Marcel Schuhen, Fabian Holland, Patric Pfeiffer, and Matthias Bader were in the starting lineup against Borussia Mönchengladbach. Alexander Brunst also watched the home win against the Foals from the bench.
SV Darmstadt 98 has had a successful start to the 2025/26 DFB-Pokal season. Last August, the Lilies won 2-1 at VfB Lübeck and comfortably advanced to the second round. Darmstadt controlled the game and took a 1-0 lead through Matej Maglica (34′). After the break, the Regionalliga side came out of the locker room with a more courageous performance – but the Lilies kept their composure and scored the decisive goal through Fraser Hornby (73′). Although Lübeck pulled one back in stoppage time, they were unable to threaten the Lilies again.
Schalke 04 cleared their first hurdle in the DFB Cup in Saxony. The Royal Blues won 1-0 at 1. FC Lokomotiv Leipzig. Despite the seemingly clear division of roles between the regional league and second division teams, the favourites from Gelsenkirchen struggled over the entire 90 minutes: The hosts defended fiercely, rarely missed any clear chances, and thus fought their way into extra time. It was only then that Schalke finally managed to score the decisive goal in the 107th minute through Bryan Lasme in what was, from the Royal Blues‘ perspective, a difficult cup match.
FC Schalke 04 looks back on a rich history in the DFB-Pokal (German Cup). The Royal Blues have won the coveted trophy five times – in 1937, 1972, 2001, 2002, and 2011. Schalke have reached the final a further seven times. Especially in the 2000s, Schalke was regularly among the title contenders in the competition. Their last major cup victory dates back to 2011, when Schalke, under coach Ralf Rangnick, triumphed with a decisive 5-0 victory against MSV Duisburg at Berlin’s Olympiastadion. Since the 2011/12 season, however, the Gelsenkirchen club has failed to reach the semifinals.
FC Schalke 04 has already visited the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor twice for a cup match. In December 2001, the two teams met in the round of 16 of the competition. The Lilies, then playing in the Regionalliga, forced the eventual cup winners into extra time. It took 117 minutes for Ebbe Sand to score the decisive goal to make it 1-0. The next meeting was in September 2013, when Schalke visited Bölle in the second round: While Hanno Behrens was able to cancel out Jefferson Farfan’s opening goal for Schalke, Benedikt Höwedes and Max Meyer sealed the victory in the second half – 1-3, the final score from Darmstadt’s perspective. This Wednesday, FC Schalke 04 will be visiting the Merck Stadium for the third time in the DFB Cup. And as the saying goes, all good things come in threes!
No one can beat us here! SV Darmstadt 98 is still unbeaten at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor this season – with three home wins and two draws. The reason for this is not only the close cooperation between fans and team, but also SV 98’s strong defence. The South Hesse side has only conceded two goals this season, making them the best home defense in the competition. The Lilies have been undefeated at Böllenfalltor since the beginning of May. A streak that can hopefully continue on Wednesday evening in the DFB Cup!
Schalke 04 has shown a striking predilection this season: Schalke scores most goals in the first 30 minutes of a match. Eight goals have already been scored in this period – a league best. Particularly striking is the opening phase, from minutes 1 to 15, in which Schalke regularly poses early threats and has already scored five goals – this rate is also unmatched by any other second-division team. The Lilies should therefore be on guard, especially at the start of the match. After all, in their most recent clash, the only goal of the game was scored in the ninth minute. Incidentally, SV 98’s predilection is the period from the restart to the 75th minute – nine goals in this phase after the break is a league best.
| Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals | |
| Home | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:4 |
| Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 |
| Overall | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:4 |
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.
