Ahead of the next floodlit match at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor, Florian Kohfeldt talks about his international players, Greuther Fürth's development, and the recent international break. On Saturday (November 22nd, 8:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98 hosts SpVgg Greuther Fürth. We've summarised the most important information from the pre-match press conference for you.
Personnel update: Matej Maglica is doubtful due to the thigh injury sustained in the Hannover match. Fabian Nürnberger has returned to team training and is a candidate for the squad.
We focused a lot on football training during the first week because we decided against playing a friendly match. Last week, we had a particularly strong session on Thursday, which really shows the team’s spirit. They’re training at their limit, regardless of whether there’s a game at the weekend or not. The players then had the weekend off. The coaching staff also had time off, but they used it to prepare for the winter training camp, running plans, and so on. This week we’ve been working very hard. The first two days were very physical, and today we’re starting our tactical preparations for Fürth.
Fabian Nürnberger is a strong contender for the squad and has been training superbly. He hasn’t had any setbacks in his rehab. I wouldn’t rule out him being a starter, but Fabian Holland has been doing very well in recent weeks.
Matej Maglica remains doubtful. We’ll try him out in tomorrow’s final training session and then decide. It will either be against Fürth or Elversberg, but it won’t be long before he’s available.
Isac Lidberg played the full 90 minutes for Sweden for the first time and is slowly establishing himself in the starting lineup, despite the abundance of top strikers Sweden has. He’s doing very well, and we can confirm that after the initial examinations. Therefore, he will start against Fürth.
Djanga won’t arrive until tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, there’s no other way. Consequently, he’s very unlikely to be available for the match, as he’ll only arrive about 24 hours before kickoff. That’s the issue with international players from overseas. But we’re not complaining; other clubs have the same situation.
I can only speak positively about his development. Hiro was technically sound on the ball and extremely intelligent on the pitch from day one. He integrated into the team at breakneck speed, despite not having the opportunity to communicate naturally through language. He’s a very open and inquisitive guy. He’s increasingly managing to combine the physical attributes you need in Germany with his technical skills. That’s an extraordinary development. He’s matured into an absolute regular starter in a very short time.
We’re really looking forward to it. Playing on a Saturday night is something special. It’s the only match in German professional football that takes place at that time. Whether that has anything to do with its increased prestige, I don’t know. We get on the bus with great excitement on Saturday nights and drive to the Böllenfalltor stadium. We think it’s great, we love the atmosphere. With Schalke in the cup and then Karlsruhe in two weeks, it’s our fourth consecutive home game on a Saturday night. You can get used to it, it’s fun.
This is a team that started the season playing with a clear system. They delivered some incredibly spectacular performances. Towards the end of this initial phase, they couldn’t maintain that consistency and suffered some heavy defeats. Then they changed their system. In recent matches, they’ve been playing with a back three and are now achieving significantly better results. They won very late against Münster, but deservedly so.
They have a style of play that defends aggressively and quickly engages in man-to-man challenges. Offensively, they also possess a lot of individual quality. They often attack with direct, quick runs in behind. With Futkeu, Hrgota, and Klaus, they have at least three players who can decide a game on their own. Therefore, they are difficult to assess. However, their performance is clearly trending upwards.
I expect us to have more possession, but I have great respect for their individual quality. I believe Thomas Kleine has drawn the right conclusions from the recent matches. We are very wary and have great respect for them.
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.
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.