The Lilies have already played six times at home against 1. FC Köln. But SV Darmstadt 98 has never won one of these duels in the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. So it's high time to end the series with a home win! On Friday evening (10.18/6:30pm) both teams will duel at the Bölle. Before the ball rolls, we have put together all the facts and figures for you.
With 20 goals, the Domstadt team has the best offense in the league so far. They also fired the most shots on the opponent’s goal (175). But the people of Darmstadt don’t have to hide when it comes to attack efforts either. In the four games so far under head coach Florian Kohfeldt, SV 98 has scored ten times. During this period, the Lilies even scored one more goal than the offensive league leader from “Effzeh”. Isac Lidberg, who is in second place on the second division top scorer list with six goals, certainly has a big contribution to this. The Swedish attacker is also the most effective player in the 2nd Bundesliga – he significantly exceeds his xGoals value of 2.7 with his six goals this season.
Aleksandar Vukotic does a really good job with the Lilies. He leads the league, particularly in the core business of his duties as a central defender: no other player in the 2nd Bundesliga won as many duels as the Serb. In total, the defender made 114 tackles and won 73 percent of the duels. Most recently, the 29-year-old even rewarded himself on the offensive – with a goal and an assist in the 3-3 draw in Karlsruhe.
The Lilien defense is secure – at least at corners. SV Darmstadt 98 has not yet conceded a goal from corners this season. But with 1. FC Köln, real corner kick experts come into play: “Effzeh” (58) won the most corners in the league, ahead of Darmstadt (56). In addition, Köln’s three goals from corners are the best in the 2nd Bundesliga.
Denis Huseinbasic could probably say “He’s coming home”. Köln’s number eight once played for SV Darmstadt 98 at the young age of 10. It is a special encounter for the midfielder from Erbach, for which the 23-year-old bought 13 tickets. “My whole family and my girlfriend are in the stadium,” Huseinbasic revealed in the club’s own interview with Cologne.
There are a few more players in the ranks of the Lilies, who will face their former club on Friday. However, Matthias Bader cannot take part due to a torn cruciate ligament. He is one of three Darmstadt residents who have a past at 1. FC Köln. Before moving to Bölle in winter 2020, “Matze” played for the cathedral town team for one and a half years. Marcel Schuhen is also an ex-Cologne native. The number one of SV 98 went through the youth department of „Effzeh“ from 2006 to 2012 and then played in 63 competitive games for the second team in the men’s division until 2015. Assistant coach Martin Heck also expects to see each familiar faces. Starting in 2007 as a youth coach, he spent 15 years at 1. FC Köln before moving to Osnabrück to play men’s football alongside Tobias Schweinsteiger and finally to the Lilies as assistant coach to Florian Kohfeldt.
| Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals | |
| Home | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3:15 |
| Away | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 9:19 |
| Total | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 12:34 |
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.
