After the narrow defeat against 1. FC Magdeburg, SV Darmstadt 98 faces the current third-place team. The Lilies will meet Karlsruher SC away on Friday evening (October 4th/6:30pm). In order to be well prepared for the game in the Wildpark Stadium, we have put together all the important facts and figures for you here.
These two players score and assist as they please! Marvin Wanitzek and Budu Zivzivadze. Together they lead the current scorer rankings in the 2nd Bundesliga with eight goals each and also form the top duo in the German lower house of football. The Georgian striker is also at the top of the scorers list with his six goals, while Wanitzek is the second best assist provider in the league with his four assists.
… but also Isac Lidberg. His record: 5 games in the 2nd Bundesliga, 5 goals in the 2nd Bundesliga. The Swedish attacker has recently been extremely dangerous in scoring. He was responsible for four of Darmstadt’s last five goals. It’s also worth noting that the 26-year-old doesn’t need much warm-up time: Lidberg only needed 15 shots on goal to score his five goals this season. This means that every third shot from No. 7 is currently hitting the net.
The Lilies are up against the next top team in the league. Four teams are still unbeaten in the current season – in addition to Düsseldorf, Magdeburg and Paderborn, Karlsruher SC is also one of them. Head coach Christian Eichner’s team has collected four wins and three draws to date. Especially in the Wildpark Stadium at home, the KSC has not lost any points. The balance here: 3 home games, 3 home wins.
The fastest player in the 2nd Bundesliga comes from Darmstadt and is called Luca Marseiler. The SV 98 midfielder was clocked at a speed of 36.37 km/h last weekend – no one in the second division has ever been that fast this season. Overall, he is in third place in the German top leagues behind Sirlord Conteh (1. FC Heidenheim) and Nathan Ngoumou (Borussia Mönchengladbach).
Residues? So far, the KSC has not had any problems. Christian Eichner’s team has already managed to catch up four times this season – twice they turned it into a win, twice they at least got a draw. With eight points behind, KSC is, together with 1. FC Magdeburg, the best team in the league in this category. Most recently, the men from Baden were behind 0:3 and 2:4 in Cologne. In the end they fought for a spectacular 4:4 and took a point from Cologne.
Some players will see their former club again on Friday evening. On the Karlsruher SC side, four players have a past with SV Darmstadt 98. The memories of Luca Pfeiffer, who was on loan to the Lilies last season, are very fresh. In total, the striker made 57 appearances and 18 goals for SV 98; he was under contract at the Bölle in the 2023/24 and previously 2021/22 seasons. Nicolai Rapp, on the other hand, was active for the Lilies from January 2020 to summer 2021. The Heidelberg native played in 45 competitive games for the Darmstadt team on loan. Marcel Franke, who played at Böllenfalltor in the 2018/19 season, will also meet his former club. With the Lily on his chest, he made a total of 27 appearances. And some people might also know Robin Bormuth from their youth. The central defender played for SV 98 from U17 to U19 before moving to Fortuna Düsseldorf.
The Lilies also have a triple KSC past on offer. Both newcomers, Philipp Förster and Marco Thiede, once played in the Wildparkstadion. Unlike Förster, who was active for the KSC in the U17, Thiede played for the Baden professionals for seven years. The right-back played in 202 competitive games for KSC. Unfortunately, the injured Matthias Bader cannot take part on Friday evening. Because it would have been a reunion for him too. Bader went through all of Karlsruher SC’s youth teams and became a professional there. KSC has 50 competitive games in his CV.
| Games | Wins | Draws | Defeats | Goals | |
| Home | 16 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 20:27 |
| Away | 15 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 11:37 |
| Overall | 31 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 31:64 |
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.
Lilies at the Wildpark! SV Darmstadt 98 will be playing away against Karlsruher SC this coming Sunday (May 3rd/1:30pm) for the 32nd matchday of the 2. Bundesliga. Will Darmstadt's positive record from recent encounters continue? Will Florian Kohfeldt and Isac Lidberg extend their scoring streak against KSC? And will Fabian Schleusener finally stop scoring against SV 98? We've compiled all the facts and figures for you.
SV Darmstadt 98 will be playing away against Karlsruher SC on Sunday (May 3rd/1:30pm) at the Wildpark Stadium for the 32nd matchday. To ensure you are well prepared for your trip to KSC, here is a summary of all the important information for your visit to the stadium.
To ensure a smooth and convenient journey to Karlsruhe this weekend, SV 98 is offering a special train service that will transport Lilies fans directly from Darmstadt to Karlsruhe and back. Additionally, SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team will host SV Hummetroth at their home academy this Wednesday evening (April 29th). For more news and updates, check out our usual "Lilien Across the Board" – all the latest news about the club, gathered here for you.
At the end of the current season, the partnership between SV Darmstadt 98 and Software AG, which has grown over many years, will end due to a strategic realignment of the software company.
The DFB sports court has suspended Patric Pfeiffer for one match following his sending-off against SV Elversberg.
Four goals, three points, and a well-deserved victory in the Hessenliga! At home against VfB 1905 Marburg last Saturday (April 25th), SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team finally celebrated a win after a long wait. Thanks to their confidence, assertiveness in one-on-one situations, and numerous scoring opportunities, the U21s convincingly beat the Marburg team 4-0.
As Florian Kohfeldt approached the team's dressing room at halftime, the Darmstadt head coach heard exactly one sentence: "It's not finished." Fraser Hornby had uttered it, setting the tone for his teammates and himself. What followed was a remarkable second half from Darmstadt 98 and a point against SV Elversberg, a point that, while likely insufficient for their promotion hopes in southern Hesse, nonetheless filled the Darmstadt fans with pride.
For every home goal scored by the Lilies, SV Darmstadt 98 fans will be doubly rewarded in the 2025/26 season. In addition to the joy and excitement, the Lilies' supporters will also receive 98 litres of Krombacher Pils for every home goal scored by Darmstadt at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor.