The first competitive game in 2025 is coming up! Before SV Darmstadt 98's away game at Fortuna Düsseldorf (January 17th/6:30pm), the press conference with Florian Kohfeldt took place on Wednesday (January 15th). In this, the Lilien's head coach answered questions about the upcoming opponent, the approach and focal points in the training camp and also discussed the goals for the second half of the season. We have summarised the most important statements for you.
Personnel Update: Paul Will, Matthias Bader, Christoph Zimmermann and Fabian Holland as well as Isac Lidberg are not there. However, things are looking positive for Isac. According to Kohfeldt, the Lilies are optimistic that he will be able to get back into team training “in the next 2-4 weeks”.
In terms of their self-image and their individual potential, Fortuna Düsseldorf is a team that wants to play for promotion. And they have the opportunity to do so. They brought in players who played at a Bundesliga level. They also have exciting boys from abroad in their squad and a good mix of experienced and young players. All of this combined with a coach who has gained experience in the 2nd league over many years. A lot of things fit together for them. They are strong in switching and in their compactness against the ball. They also defend the spaces extremely forward, which makes it difficult for the opponent to find playful solutions. Overall, they play very controlled and mature.
We showed that we are capable of finding our solutions against any team in the league. We have a lot planned. I therefore expect a very interesting game on Friday evening. In addition to our footballing skills, we need a good feel for the moments of the game. Balancing the risks against Fortuna Düsseldorf is a crucial factor in being successful against them. We have to pay a lot of attention.
There are different variants. Fynn Lakenmacher is in the middle of a positive development. He was able to make a huge impact as a substitute in the first half of the season. He would be the variant with a lot of physicality on the last line. We could also move Killian Corredor forward to play as a second striker and then bring in Luca Marseiler – or Merveille Papela, who trained extremely well in the training camp. He is one of our best pressing players. Oscar Vilhelmsson is also an option. He trained fully again on Tuesday. It was a great shame that after a good start to the training camp, he missed three days and also the test match due to illness. Given his player profile, he would be the most natural answer to the loss of Isac.
Aleksandar Vukotic, Clemens Riedel and Matej Maglica are three central defenders who can play at a high level in the league. We feel very comfortable with them in terms of quality. Nevertheless, Christoph Zimmermann is missing a fourth central defender. But when I get on the bus on Thursday and see Clemens, Vuko and Matej, I feel very relaxed and know that we are well staffed in this position.
From day one we want to go into every game to win. This is the attitude you should have as a coach and athlete. We want to develop stability. Stable development means that you have an answer to many facets of football. We managed to be successful against playing and active teams. However, we rarely managed to find answers to win these games against teams like Regensburg, Münster, Ulm or Braunschweig. We addressed these topics in the training camp. Overall, we want to get more than 24 points in the second half of the season. That is ambitious.
We have outstanding team chemistry – but that doesn’t just mean peace, joy and pancakes. Opinions are expressed and there is a good competitive mentality among each other. Tactically, set pieces were a big focus in the training camp. We want to become more dangerous in this area, there is still more possible. We continued to work on finding the trigger in the final third in order to become even more dangerous to score here with clearer patterns. Deep defence was also an issue and developing a feeling of security there. There were also individual discussions and analysis. We were able to work on all areas.
My goal is to develop young players, I think that’s what I’ve stood for in my career so far. But the young players have to have a basic level in order to be able to give them the next platform. This next platform would be to provide the gaming experience to the young players. So far in training they have not offered to give them several games in a row. That’s why we have to promote their further development in training – in the hope that they reach the necessary level. But it’s also about developing players overall. We see a lot of personal development in the pool of 20 to 30 year olds – the best examples include Kai Klefisch, Luca Marseiler, Killian Corredor, Sergio Lopez, Andreas Müller and Aleksandar Vukotic.
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.
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.