How excited are the fans for the last game of the year? What makes SC Paderborn so strong? And what about SV Darmstadt 98's focus? Florian Kohfeldt answered these and other questions on Thursday (December 18th) ahead of the Lilies' match in East Westphalia (December 19th/6:30pm). We've compiled the most important statements from our head coach's press conference for you.
Personnel update: All players are available.
We’re really looking forward to Paderborn. Not because we’re looking at the league table, but because I’ve noticed since Sunday’s final whistle against Münster that the team is incredibly eager to play this game. It will be a challenging match against a very good team. We’re going to Paderborn with the feeling that we’ll get our chances. We have a full squad to choose from. We’ve also been training well. I would even say that we trained exceptionally well today, especially in our final training session. We’re looking forward to a top-class match against one of the league’s top teams. We want to deliver another excellent performance and, ideally, take all three points home.
Paderborn had the longest winning streak this season, winning eight games in a row at one point. They have a lot of self-confidence – especially at home. Their style of play is characterised by a mix of a possession-based approach and a lot of long, deep balls with frequent switches of play. This makes them very difficult to press. They have excellent defensive organization and are very compact. They also have many young players with high individual quality. Paderborn has a home game on Friday and gained a lot of confidence in Karlsruhe. They’ll have high ambitions. I think it will be a pretty exciting match.
I haven’t given any thought to Christmas or the winter break because my focus is solely on Paderborn. Therefore, I won’t be drawing any conclusions about the first half of the season yet. We’re only concentrating on what’s coming up, and that’s the game on Friday in Paderborn. What’s characterised us in the first half of the season since day one is that we’ve focused only on the games and have been fully present in 99 percent of cases. We have great respect for Paderborn, but we’re full of energy that we want to show on Friday.
With Fraser, we could have taken a big risk against Münster. However, we decided to give him a normal week of training. He had a good week and is in my considerations for the starting eleven. Whether he’ll be ready for 90 minutes, I don’t know. The fact that Fraser and Fabian Nürnberger are back is very important overall. Nevertheless, we’ve shown in recent weeks that we can find other solutions. The fundamental DNA of our team is the high and aggressive pressing, which we’ve implemented for a very high percentage of playing time this season. Having both of them back expands our options.
Not many games were truly in doubt in recent weeks; we just didn’t have a comfortable lead in them. If there’s one thing we need to discuss in recent weeks, it’s our efficiency. Just one goal against Münster and only three against Karlsruhe were insufficient considering the chances we created. That’s why the games looked closer in the end than they actually were. Overall, though, we’ve developed a certain composure, allowing us to see out close games calmly and without panicking.
Darmstadt 98 lost to Hannover 96 while playing with ten men and must continue to wait for their first win of this second division season. Read our analysis to find out what positives remain and why Darmstadt 98 had factored in setbacks on their chosen path.
Around the time of the home game against Hannover 96 on Sunday (August 30th), the Jonathan Heimes Square was officially inaugurated. Before kickoff, club president Markus Pfitzner and Martin Heimes, father of Jonathan Heimes, who died of cancer about ten years ago, gave speeches highlighting "Johnny's" importance and his commitment to people with cancer.
The Lilien Team Marathon is not just about athletic performance and the shared experience around the Böllenfalltor stadium – but also about making a difference together.
The SV Darmstadt 98 U21 team drew 2-2 (0-1) against SV Unter-Flockenbach. After a heated home game, the young Lilies had to settle for a frustrating, but ultimately deserved, draw. In this extremely balanced league, Patrick Kurt's team continues to grow week by week, gaining valuable experience.
An emotional match with many controversial moments unfolded on Sunday afternoon at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. Ultimately, Darmstadt suffered their first home defeat of the young season. We've compiled the post-match reactions for you.
Tried everything, but to no avail: SV 98 came up short in their home game against Hannover 96. The final score was 1-0 (0-0) to the visitors, whilst the Lilies had to play with ten men after Vukotic was sent off in the 20th minute.
Home game against Hannover! On matchday 3, Darmstadt 98 will host the ambitious Lower Saxons at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. Florian Kohfeldt has made three changes to his starting lineup compared to the victory in Jena. Hiroki Akiyama replaces the suspended Kai Klefisch, while Nicolas Verkooijen (making his first start) and Yosuke Furukawa start in place of Carlo Sickinger and Manolo Merx.
Weekend, Lilies fever! On Sunday (August 30th/1:30pm), the Lilies have their third matchday on the schedule. Hannover 96, the club from the Lower Saxon capital, will be visiting the Bölle. What do the two head coaches have to say before kickoff? Who will be refereeing the match? And where can you watch the game? As usual, we've compiled all the important information about the match against Hannover in our "Matchday Guide"
One day before their home game against Hannover 96, Darmstadt 98 have announced another new signing. William Mikelbrencis will now wear the SV 98 jersey. The 22-year-old Frenchman was under contract with Hamburger SV until June 30th.
In the press conference before the second home game of the still young season, our head coach spoke about, among other things, our team's attacking play and the past week. As usual, you can find the most important statements before the match against Hannover 96 (August 30th/1:30pm) here for you.
A second-division team on the Berlin Mount Olympus: Hannover 96 achieved something unique in 1992. On May 23, the Lower Saxony club defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach in the DFB Cup final, securing another major title in the club's history 38 years after their German championship win in 1954. Hannover became the first and, to this day, only "true" second-division team to win the DFB Cup, causing one of the biggest upsets in the competition's history.
