Numbers & Facts: The top facts about the Nürnberg game

What an intense duel it was in the first match of the second half of the season against VfL Bochum! The hosts led at times, then Darmstadt. In the end, however, it was a 3-3 draw, which meant that Florian Kohfeldt’s team has one more point and is now level on points with second-placed SV Elversberg. The draw also meant that SV Darmstadt 98 remained unbeaten once again – for eight matches now, a quarter of a year. The Lilies have only suffered two defeats, while all other teams have at least twice as many games without a point. Furthermore, the 98ers remain undefeated at the Merck Stadion am Böllenfalltor this season. In the second division, they have recorded seven wins and three draws from ten matches. Miroslav Klose’s team has collected seven points from eight away games.

Piet Scobel or Lucky Luke? In any case, he’s faster than his own shadow. In the first half of the season, he only managed ten minutes of playing time, spread across four matches. But for the first game of the second half of the season against SV Elversberg, he was given a starting spot. He made a convincing start, putting the ball on target twelve times – a season record. He converted two of those chances, both with his head. That’s as many headed goals as FC Nürnberg managed in the entire first half of the season. In total, nine of his shots were headers – a feat not even an entire team has achieved in a single match. He must have picked up that strength from his coach, Miroslav Klose…

But SV 98’s attacking player is also on a roll: Marco Richter racked up six scorer points in the last five matches of the first half of the season, bringing his total to eight after 17 matchdays. In the first game of the new year, he provided another scorer point with his impressive assist for Fraser Hornby, who scored the opening goal. Richter, however, needs to be careful with his yellow card accumulation. He currently has four bookings, and another would result in a suspension.

SV Darmstadt 98 has impressed in many areas this season. Their attacking players are causing a real stir in the opposition’s half. The Lilies have scored a total of 32 goals, second only to SV Elversberg with 33. At the same time, their defence is also performing well. The team, led by captain Marcel Schuhen, has conceded only 20 goals, a tally only three teams have allowed their opponents fewer. Furthermore, the South Hessian side’s set pieces have proven dangerous. They have scored 23 goals from open play and nine from dead-ball situations. Bielefeld leads the league in this statistic with 10 goals.

Darmstadt’s strength from free kicks has also been evident. Marco Richter’s spectacular goal against Karlsruhe comes to mind, when he curled the ball into the top right corner with the perfect blend of finesse and power. In total, Darmstadt have scored from four free kicks.

The necessary defensive discipline is also apparent in Darmstadt’s defence. They haven’t conceded a single goal from a corner. Nürnberg, however, also excels in this statistic. FCN goalkeeper Jan Reichert has only been beaten once from an opposing corner.

Teams‘ approaches differ in all phases of a game and in all areas of the pitch. This also applies to when and how challenges are contested. The club has clearly developed its own strategy. In total, Klose’s team has already contested 3,993 challenges in the current second division season. That’s the second-highest number in the league. However, success in these challenges is also crucial. And here, too, the Franconian side boasts a strong record. Despite the high number of duels, they win 51 percent, the third-best figure in the league.

The two teams have faced each other 34 times in total. The statistics speak for themselves, showing a near-perfect balance. Each team has played 17 matches at home and 17 away. Both 1. FC Nürnberg and SV Darmstadt have recorded twelve wins each, along with ten draws. The goal difference also underscores the close nature of the rivalry. Here, Darmstadt holds a razor-thin lead of just one goal. They have scored 55 goals against Nürnberg and conceded 54.

This evenness in head-to-head encounters is also evident in the last three meetings. In the first leg, the team from southern Hesse won 1-0 at the Max-Morlock-Stadion, before losing 1-0 on the same pitch, and before that, drawing 1-1 at the Merck-Stadion.

Nuremberg currently sit eighth in the table, nine points behind third-placed Darmstadt. However, the Club will be missing two key players for the upcoming clash between the two teams. Berkay Yilmaz will be suspended due to yellow card accumulation, as will head coach Miroslav Klose, who received a red card for excessive dissent in the last match.