What gives hope for the first Lilien victory in this second division season? What memories does SV Darmstadt 98 have of the encounters with FCN? And what makes 1. FC Nürnberg currently strong? You can find the answers to these and other questions in our Top Facts. Before the ball rolls at the Böllenfalltor in the Merck Stadium next Sunday (August 25th/1:30pm), we will provide you with the most important facts and figures about the game.
0-2 against Fortuna Düsseldorf, 1-3 against SC Paderborn. The Lilies started the new 2024/25 season with two defeats. For only the fourth time after 1976, 1991 and 2021, SV 98 is left without a point after two match days. Now for the big but! The Darmstadt team has always scored points in the third second division game of a season at the latest. So there are good signs for the duel with 1. FC Nürnberg!?
Long-running favorite. Passing machine. Fair man. This all applies to Clemens Riedel. The Lily with the number 38 has been used in all of SV 98’s competitive games so far and hasn’t missed a minute. The defender also played the most passes of all Lilies in the 2nd Bundesliga – 104 in total. His pass rate of 88.48 percent is also impressive. Only Kai Klefisch is better in this statistic, he has a pass rate of 90.36 percent. But that’s not all, Riedel has so far managed without a foul in the second division.
… the Lilies are looking forward to the 2024/25 second division season and especially to the two clashes with FCN. SV Darmstadt 98 won both the first and second leg – and without conceding a goal. The South Hesse team won 2-0 in the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor in September 2022, and the Lilies also won 1-0 in Nuremberg in March 2023. A 2-0 win in the home game? That seems to be SV 98’s favorite result against the club anyway. In the last two duels at the Böllenfalltor, the Darmstadt team won against the Franconians with exactly this result.
This is 1. FC Nürnberg in the current season. The club scored a total of five second division goals on the first two matchdays – only Schalke (6) has more. No other team was more efficient. Nürnberg only needed an average of five shots on goal to score. Particularly interesting: All five goals were scored by five different goalscorers. Only FCN can boast such variability in the current season. If you add the DFB Cup, the Nuremberg team even scored six goals from six different players. In addition, the Franconian midfield is particularly dangerous – four of the five league goals were scored by midfielders.
1. FC Nürnberg has three of them in its squad. The Darmstadt memories of Julian Justvan, whom the Franconians only signed this week, are very fresh. The attacking midfielder was loaned from TSG Hoffenheim to SV 98 for six months in the second half of the season and played 14 competitive games for the 98s – two goals, two assists. Benjamin Goller was once also active on loan for six months at Böllenfalltor from July 2021 to January 2022. The 25-year-old made twelve appearances – two goals, one assist. Meanwhile, Christian Mathenia played the most games in the Lilies jersey. The goalkeeper played between the posts for SVD in a total of 71 games from 2014 to 2016.
This is Fabian Nürnberger. The 25-year-old wore the Franconian jersey from 2018 to 2023 – first in the second team, then for the professional team. For the latter, Nuremberg played a total of 108 competitive games, in which he scored nine goals and six assists. Tobias Kempe also has a past with the club. The veteran was active for FCN in the 2016/17 season and played 28 games, including four goals and four assists.
| Games | Wins | Draws | Defeats | Goals | |
| Home | 17 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 30:25 |
| Away | 16 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 24:29 |
| Overall | 33 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 54:54 |
The second consecutive away game, and the last of the season, is upon us. Once again on a Sunday (May 10th, 1:30pm), Darmstadt will be playing away – this time against SC Preußen Münster. Everything you need to know for your final away trip of the season to the LVM-Preußenstadion, about three and a half hours away, can be found here in the usual fan information section.
There's a lot going on at the Bölle. The 98th Darmstadt baby of 2026, along with their family, visited the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor, and they weren't the only ones. Where else the Bölle gang has ended up, and many more news items about the club, can be found here in our "Lilies Across the Board" section, as every Wednesday.
SV Darmstadt 98 informed all season ticket holders about the season ticket procedure for the 2026/27 season on Wednesday (May 6th) and would also like to share this letter on the club's own website.
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.