SV Darmstadt 98 travels to Kaiserslautern at the Fritz-Walter-Stadion on Sunday. What does head coach Florian Kohfeldt say about the atmosphere at the Betze? What makes the stadium so special? And how does he assess their opponents overall? We've summarised the key points from Friday's press conference (August 29th) for you.
Personnel Update: Paul Will and Matthias Bader are still out. All other players are available for selection.
I don’t think the last few games mean anything for Sunday’s game, because an away game at the Betze is always something special. Kaiserslautern plays differently at home than away. You can see that in the fact that they’ve picked up 17 of their last 18 points at home across the season. Lautern’s home game against Schalke was super energetic—they fully exploited the power of the Betzenberg. Nevertheless, with three wins and a draw, we’re coming out of a phase where we can say that we have confidence in what we’re doing—including the processes we’ve been able to play since last season. The fact that Sergio is fully fit again also gives us more options at right-back. We’re looking forward to the away game.
The Betzenberg is one of the most atmospheric stadiums in Germany. It creates an atmosphere that is unique, particularly due to the design of the stands, and isn’t often found. The journey there is also very special – first up the hill, then in the glass elevator through the VIP area to the changing rooms. These are all things you don’t find in other stadiums. Furthermore, the changing rooms are very close together. These aspects make the stadium unique – but in all directions: This stadium can also exert a lot of pressure, even for the home team. On good days, it’s a huge advantage for the team, but it’s also a crowd that quickly demands a lot of energy from the pitch.
I think one of the reasons some Lilien coaches become Lautern coaches is so they can win at the Betzenberg – because Darmstadt have never won there before (laughs). To be honest, I don’t know why Darmstadt have never won there. This stadium is certainly impressive and an advantage. That’s why I’m glad that many of our players saw the stadium in May. We’re no longer an inexperienced team when it comes to playing in such atmospheric stadiums – it was different last year because of the many new signings from the 3rd division and abroad. In terms of atmosphere, the 2nd division is unique, and you need to gain a bit of experience in stadiums like these. But we gained that last season. So playing at the Betze will be something special – but nothing intimidating.
Lautern presents two different faces at home and away. At home, they play very offensively, try to establish man-marking early on, and leave no space between them so that the opponent can’t get going. They have only signed top players across the board, including Mahir Emreli, Ivan Prtajin, and Fabian Kunze. They also brought in Paul Joly, a player who has 26 Ligue 1 appearances to their name – that shows what they’re capable of. Therefore, it will be a challenge to defend their individual quality. At the same time, it’s crucial that we avoid the stress they try to create. Then they will certainly open up opportunities for us to work with counterattacks.
I believe the sale of Clemens Riedel is a success story for Darmstadt 98. The club developed a player over six years, accompanied him through various phases, and molded him into a very important player who learned a lot about leadership, team management, and football. I think this story has produced only winners. Clemens has a great challenge ahead of him with Espanyol in La Liga – just to be the focus of a club there is an honour. I am convinced that this experience abroad will help him develop not only as a footballer, but also as a person. And he certainly didn’t choose the worst city in Barcelona. Of course, it’s also a financial issue for the club: It’s important to financially reward a player who has been able to develop here for his performances. Kudos to Paul Fernie and his squad planning – this departure was already factored in back in May. Even though I would have liked to continue working with him, we were prepared and feel well positioned despite his move. All the best to Clemens! I believe that stepping out of his comfort zone and into a city where he’s no longer „our Clemens“ but „Mr. Riedel“ will be beneficial to his development.
We’ll use the international break to give the boys a little respite. Jean-Paul Boëtius and Fabian Nürnberger are away with the national team, while the others will train in football-specific athletics. We’ll combine this with a few days off, so we can then get back to normal preparation for Braunschweig.
After 13 unbeaten second-division matches, SV Darmstadt 98 suffered their first defeat this Friday evening. Three unfortunate minutes just before halftime, during which Patric Pfeiffer was sent off and Vincent Vermeij scored twice, paved the way for Dresden's victory. After the match, the focus was primarily on the differing assessments of two very similar incidents by the refereeing team – incidents which both coaches subsequently evaluated identically.
For the first time since October, Darmstadt 98 finished a league match without any points: SV 98 lost 3-1 (2-0) to SG Dynamo Dresden. After a controversial red card against Patric Pfeiffer (42nd minute), the home side scored two goals in first-half stoppage time to secure the victory.
Under the floodlights at the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadium. On Friday evening (February 27th/6:30pm), Darmstadt 98 will play away against Dynamo Dresden. Florian Kohfeldt has made three changes to his starting eleven. Raoul Petretta makes his first start, replacing Fabian Holland. Luca Marseiler starts in place of the suspended Marco Richter, and Hiroki Akiyama replaces Fraser Hornby, who is sidelined with a thigh injury. Fabian Nürnberger, Matthias Bader, and Bartosz Bialek remain unavailable due to injury.
A floodlit match at the Rudolf-Haribig-Stadion is always something special. Darmstadt 98 are aiming to take three points back to southern Hesse this Friday evening (February 27th). Kick-off is at 6:30pm. All the important information about the 24th matchday of the 2. Bundesliga is clearly summarised for you in our "Matchday Guide".
Darmstadt 98 aim to extend their unbeaten run to 14 games in Friday evening's match against Dynamo Dresden. While Darmstadt's potent attack has resulted in a respectable goal tally, they are wary at the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion. The Saxons have been on an upward trend since the winter break and will have a vociferous home crowd behind them. We've compiled all the facts and figures surrounding this clash in this report. Here you'll find the key facts for tomorrow's match.
Darmstadt and Dresden are 598 kilometres apart. On Friday evening (February 27th, 6:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98 will travel to the Saxon capital for the 24th matchday of the 2nd Bundesliga. The next away game will take place under the floodlights at the historic Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion. You can find all relevant fan information here.
Before SV Darmstadt 98 plays under floodlights in Dresden on Friday evening (27.02/18.30), Florian Kohfeldt spoke at the press conference about the strengths of Dynamo Dresden and the special atmosphere in the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion.
Raoul Petretta joined SV Darmstadt 98 in the winter and already feels very much at home. He talks about his arrival and his goals. Besides their sporting focus, the Lilies are also committed to sustainability: On March 15, 2026, over 3,500 trees will be planted as part of the fifth "In the Sign of the Lily" tree-planting campaign. In our "Lilies Across the Board" section, we provide you with the most important news from SV Darmstadt 98 every week.
Numerous Dynamo Dresden fans flock to the stadium on home match days. But one day, they came for a single reason: What should their stadium be called in the future? Tens of thousands of supporters gathered in front of the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion, ready to cast their votes. In cooperation with regional partners, Dynamo Dresden's management took the unusual step of letting the club's supporters decide for themselves.
WirLilien – Together for nature conservation! Together with our partner Krombacher, we will once again plant more than 3,500 trees on Sunday (March 15th) – under the banner of the Lily. You can still register for the event at short notice.
On Friday (February 27th, 7:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team begins the second phase of their Hessenliga season. With 23 points after 20 matchdays, the Lilies are currently in 14th place. Following intensive weeks of winter training, the team aims to start the upcoming challenges with renewed energy and secure crucial points.
A fast-paced, thrilling exchange between SV Darmstadt 98 and Fortuna Düsseldorf reached its ecstatic climax in the 88th minute. Thanks to Matej Maglica's header, Darmstadt secured a 2-1 victory in a wild battle that resembled a 12-round boxing match, with both sides neglecting their defences and constantly searching for the next hook or punch. A day later, sv98.de looks back on what was probably the most exciting home game of the season so far for the South Hessian side.