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 |
On Sunday (Oct 18th), SV Darmstadt 98 will visit Karlsruher SC. The side from Baden differs from the Lilies in several key respects. Furthermore, the match will see SV 98 cross paths with a former player once again. Find out here about other connections between the two clubs, as well as some particularly interesting statistics ahead of the encounter.
On Tuesday evening (October 13th), the SilberLilien took part in SV Darmstadt 98’s Stolperstein tour for the first time. Along the approximately six-kilometre route, the participants made several stops to learn more about the fates of Jewish club members who were persecuted and driven out during the Holocaust.
From new grassroots sports offerings and a look back at the club's history to birthdays and the latest updates from the media briefing—there is plenty to report from SV Darmstadt 98 again this week. In "Lilien Across the Board," we round up the news, insights, and stories from life at the club.
Tickets for the home match against 1. FC Heidenheim on November 22nd are available for purchase now.
SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team proved their mettle at home against KSV Hessen Kassel II in the Hessenliga on Sunday (Oct. 11th). After a convincing 90-minute performance, the Young Lilies secured another three points, finishing with a decisive 4–0 victory that lifts them to sixth place in the standings.
The Lilies overturned an early deficit to celebrate a 3–1 home victory against Energie Cottbus—a win that boosts confidence and confirms the progress being made. Read our analysis to find out why there is still work to be done and what positives SV 98 takes away from the match.
This season, too, Lilien fans will be doubly rewarded for every home goal scored by SV Darmstadt 98. In addition to the joy and excitement of the goals, the team's supporters will receive 98 litres of Krombacher Pils for every home goal scored by Darmstadt at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor.
After the international break, Darmstadt 98 returned to the Bölle with a home win! Against Energie Cottbus, SV Darmstadt 98 put on a spirited performance in front of their home crowd and rewarded themselves with three points after an intense match. We've compiled the post-match reactions for you here:
Despite falling behind, Darmstadt secured their second consecutive home win! Darmstadt defeated Energie Cottbus 3-1 (1-1). The home side equalised after conceding an early goal in the four-minute period through Weißhaupt before halftime. Vukotic headed his team into the lead in the second half, before Lührs sealed the victory with the third goal. This home win brings Darmstadt's season total to seven points.
Homegame at Böllenfalltor (10/10, 1pm): Florian Kohfeldt has made two changes to his starting XI compared to the away match in Wolfsburg three weeks ago. Richter and Mikelbrencis come into the starting lineup for Sickinger (calf issues) and Lannert (illness).
On Saturday afternoon (October 10th, 1pm), SV 98 hosts Energie Cottbus at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor for Matchday 7. What do the two head coaches have to say ahead of kick-off? Who is officiating the match, and where can you follow the action live? As always, we have compiled all the key information regarding the game against Cottbus in our "Matchday Guide" feature.
