“A competitive game between two teams that are at the bottom of the table,” is the definition. Basement battle. This is exactly what will happen next Saturday (April 20th/3:30pm) when SV Darmstadt 98 visits 1. FC Köln. The seventeenth place in the table welcomes the bottom of the Bundesliga. After the 29th matchday, the Billy Goats are four points behind in 16th place, while SVD is even twelve points behind Mainz, who are in the relegation zone. Who will win the competition game in the Bundesliga basement? We take a closer look at the opponents of the lilies from the Rhineland.
In the 1997/98 season, 1. FC Köln was relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time. Since their introduction in 1963, the Billy Goats have played in the top German league without interruption; in total, the Cologne team had been top-flight for 49 years in a row. Neither Peter Neururer nor Lorenz-Günther Köstner managed to save FC from relegation for the first time this season. Since then, FC Köln can honestly be described as a yo-yo team, they have been relegated five more times and the Rhinelanders have been able to enjoy promotion to the German football upper house six times. Köln have spent a total of nine seasons in the 2nd Bundesliga, and are now threatening to enter their tenth season. After 29 matchdays, coach Timo Schultz’s team finds itself in 17th place, four points behind the relegation place and five points behind the saving 15th place. The offensive in particular is causing a lot of worry for the fans: with 23 goals of their own, Cologne has the worst attack in the league. But that’s not all. The previous top scorer, Davie Selke (6 goals), will be out until the end of the season due to a broken foot. “In every challenge there is always an opportunity,” is a quote from Cologne managing director Christian Keller. Because there hasn’t been any positive news outside of the football field recently. The International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed the transfer ban imposed by FIFA in December 2023. Cologne was not allowed to register any new players during the winter transfer period, and the ban still applies to the coming summer period. “We have always said that we have always taken the transfer ban scenario into account and will plan our squad accordingly until the end of the now fixed ban,” said Keller and, looking positively forward, followed up with the same quote: “The following applies: There is a challenge in every game always a chance.“
„I would also have liked to have been a national player. Unfortunately, East Frisia was never an independent state. So there was no chance for me,“ said Timo Schultz with a smile in November 2020, at the time as head coach of FC St. Pauli. Schultz played four Bundesliga games for exactly this club in the 2010/11 season. The now 46-year-old was with the club from Hamburg for a total of 17 years, from 2005 to 2012 as a player and since 2011 also as a coach. But it wasn’t always clear to him that it would definitely work out as a coach. Schultz studied on the advice of his mother: first in Bremen, then in Hamburg, he completed a teaching degree in the areas of sports and history. “I used to always write professional football or sports teacher (as a career aspiration) in those friend books that you always get in kindergarten and stuff like that. And now I have finally become a football teacher. “It’s basically a mixture of both,” said the Lower Saxony native to the fan portal “MillernTon”. After a short stint at FC Basel 2023, Schultz finally took over 1. FC Köln on January 4th of this year. In his first 13 games, the former midfielder gained twelve points with Cologne. His team has achieved the two previous victories at home against Frankfurt (2:0) and Bochum (2:1).
| Top Scorers | Assists |
| Davie Selke, 6 Goals | Florian Kainz, 5 Assists |
| Faride Alidou, 4 Goals | Denis Huseinbasic, 4 Assists |
| Florian Kainz, 3 Goals | Benno Schmitz, 2 Assists |
| Luca Waldschmidt, 3 Goals | Eric Martel, 2 Assists |
| Jan Thielmann, 2 Goals | Dejan Ljubicic, 2 Assists |
The Köln team is characterised by their play on the wings. FC have already hit 381 crosses in games, which is by far the highest number in the league (Augsburg 313 crosses). Köln was already one of the top teams in this statistic last season, and not much has changed in this offensive style even after the coaching change from Baumgart to Schultz in the winter. When it comes to running time, FC is also in the top third of the league. With 3,434.7 kilometers, the Effzeh are in seventh place in the league-wide comparison. At the end of last season, Cologne was in first place in these statistics.
“The European Championships are a huge goal for me, a dream. Also because I wasn’t there at the last two European Championships. Those were the two biggest disappointments in my career,” said Cologne captain Florian Kainz in an interview with the Kölner Rundschau in July 2023. About nine months later it is clear that Austria, the team of coach Ralf Rangnick, has qualified for the European Championships in Germany will face France, Poland and the Netherlands in the group stage. “For me it is extremely important that Austria makes it to Germany and that I am there. If I then played with the national team in the Köln stadium, the dream would have come true perfectly,” says the 31-year-old confidently. However, it remains to be seen whether the midfielder will make it into the European Championship squad this time; he was once again not in the Austrian squad in the last international round of games.
International games at club level are currently unthinkable for Kainz; for him and his Köln team this season it is solely about staying in the league. Last summer, Kainz was given the honor of taking over the captaincy. After left-back Jonas Hector’s career ended, it was generally clear that Kainz would be given more responsibility. That hasn’t changed despite the change of coach; the Austrian is just as captain under Timo Schultz as he was before under Steffan Baumgart.
The 31-year-old has now played 156 competitive games for FC; Kainz has not appeared more often for any other club. The Graz native came to the local club Sturm Graz at the age of eight, for whom he made his Bundesliga debut in 2010. In 2014 he moved to Austrian rivals Rapid Vienna for two seasons, particularly attracting attention in the second season with seven goals and 19 assists. After two and a half years at Werder Bremen, Kainz came to the Rhine in the winter of 2019. Overall, the midfielder feels comfortable in Germany, as he confirmed in an interview with the Kölner Express. “I have been in Germany since 2016, which is a long time. But I also have to say that I feel very comfortable here. I am very happy here in Köln. However, I have to give up a lot. For example, I only see my nieces every six months. Then sometimes you have the feeling that you are missing something,” says Kainz. This season the Austrian has three goals and four assists in an overall weak Köln offensive. But he will be particularly remembered for his brace on matchday 8, when FC defeated rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1 at home in the derby. By the way, those were also the last two goals, and since then Kainz has only been able to register himself on the scoresheet with assists.
On Tuesday evening (October 13th), the SilberLilien took part in SV Darmstadt 98’s Stolperstein tour for the first time. Along the approximately six-kilometre route, the participants made several stops to learn more about the fates of Jewish club members who were persecuted and driven out during the Holocaust.
From new grassroots sports offerings and a look back at the club's history to birthdays and the latest updates from the media briefing—there is plenty to report from SV Darmstadt 98 again this week. In "Lilien Across the Board," we round up the news, insights, and stories from life at the club.
Tickets for the home match against 1. FC Heidenheim on November 22nd are available for purchase now.
SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team proved their mettle at home against KSV Hessen Kassel II in the Hessenliga on Sunday (Oct. 11th). After a convincing 90-minute performance, the Young Lilies secured another three points, finishing with a decisive 4–0 victory that lifts them to sixth place in the standings.
The Lilies overturned an early deficit to celebrate a 3–1 home victory against Energie Cottbus—a win that boosts confidence and confirms the progress being made. Read our analysis to find out why there is still work to be done and what positives SV 98 takes away from the match.
This season, too, Lilien fans will be doubly rewarded for every home goal scored by SV Darmstadt 98. In addition to the joy and excitement of the goals, the team's supporters will receive 98 litres of Krombacher Pils for every home goal scored by Darmstadt at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor.
After the international break, Darmstadt 98 returned to the Bölle with a home win! Against Energie Cottbus, SV Darmstadt 98 put on a spirited performance in front of their home crowd and rewarded themselves with three points after an intense match. We've compiled the post-match reactions for you here:
Despite falling behind, Darmstadt secured their second consecutive home win! Darmstadt defeated Energie Cottbus 3-1 (1-1). The home side equalised after conceding an early goal in the four-minute period through Weißhaupt before halftime. Vukotic headed his team into the lead in the second half, before Lührs sealed the victory with the third goal. This home win brings Darmstadt's season total to seven points.
Homegame at Böllenfalltor (10/10, 1pm): Florian Kohfeldt has made two changes to his starting XI compared to the away match in Wolfsburg three weeks ago. Richter and Mikelbrencis come into the starting lineup for Sickinger (calf issues) and Lannert (illness).
On Saturday afternoon (October 10th, 1pm), SV 98 hosts Energie Cottbus at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor for Matchday 7. What do the two head coaches have to say ahead of kick-off? Who is officiating the match, and where can you follow the action live? As always, we have compiled all the key information regarding the game against Cottbus in our "Matchday Guide" feature.
Tickets for the league match in Nürnberg (Nov. 7th) and the cup match in Elversberg (Oct. 27th) are available for purchase now.
For the upcoming home match on Saturday (October 10th, 2026, at 1pm), SV 98 asks you to take note of the following information. Since the start of the season, we have been offering dedicated entrances for women at the west side of the stadium. Additionally, there is a "Bölle Bande" family entrance with easier access at the Karl-Hess-Platz entrance. Please also take note of the information provided by HEAG regarding the autumn break.