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.
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.
