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.
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.
