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 |
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.