Manuel Neuer, Mesut Özil, Julian Draxler, Leroy Sané – and many other well-known footballers. They all come from the famous club of FC Schalke 04. The club always succeeds in promoting young talents who make it to the top of professional football. Schalke have already celebrated four German championships and two cup victories with their U19s. Although there have been no major successes recently, two talents, Taylan Bulut and Max Grüger, have once again made it into the professional squad.
Looking into the present. The FC Schalke 04 professional team’s form curve is pointing upwards. In December, Schalke celebrated impressive victories against two of the league’s current top teams – against SC Paderborn (4-2) and SV Elversberg (4-1). In any case, head coach Kees van Wonderen’s team remained unbeaten in December and January. After the winter break there were two wins, one draw and two defeats. The Royal Blues are currently in eleventh place in the 2nd Bundesliga. We’ll take a closer look at the Lilies‘ upcoming opponent in our opponent check.
| Top Scorers |
Top Assists |
| Moussa Sylla – 13 Goals | Tobias Mohr – 6 Assists |
| Kenan Karaman – 11 Goals | Paul Seguin – 3 Assists |
| Tobias Mohr – 3 Goals | Derry Murkin – 3 Assists |
| Janik Bachmann – 3 Goals | Mehmet Aydin – 3 Assists |
| Ron Schallenberg – 2 Goals | Kenan Karaman – 2 Assists |
“I’m not Harry Potter,” said Kees van Wonderen when he was introduced on club TV. What did he mean by that? “We can’t do magic, we can’t make what we want to see in the end possible in a short time. But we are going into the process and want to take a step every day.“ Although the Dutchman started his term at the Royal Blues with two defeats, the process he described at the beginning has become more and more visible, especially in the last few months. FC Schalke 04 remained unbeaten in December and January, and the team recently celebrated a 2-1 win over Karlsruher SC.
The 56-year-old knows from his own experience as a player and coach how to stabilise a team and celebrate success. As an active professional, the former Feyenoord Rotterdam right-back won the Dutch championship, the Supercup and also the UEFA Cup.
Such great triumphs have not yet been achieved on the sidelines. However, in 2018 he coached the Dutch U17 national team to the European Championships as head coach and then became Ronald Koeman’s assistant with the senior national team. Things were also consistently positive for van Wonderen in club football. With the Go Ahead Eagles Deventer he achieved promotion to the Eredivisie before coaching SC Heerenveen from 2022 to 2024 and keeping the team consistently in mid-table. He expects his team at Schalke “to do everything they can to get better every day.”
Darmstadt seems to suit Schalke – unfortunately. The two teams have already met ten times in the Merck Stadium at the Böllenfalltor: the guests from Gelsenkirchen left the pitch as winners six times. The last duel in April 2022 will also have fond memories for the Royal Blues: Schalke secured the three points with a 5-2 win over SV Darmstadt 98. Marius Bülter shone with a hat-trick, while Simon Terodde for S04 and Phillip Tietz for SV 98 scored twice. Based on this record, Schalke should travel to Bölle on Sunday (23.02/1.30pm) with a lot of confidence.
The first time in the professional squad. The first time at VELTINS Arena. The first time FC Schalke 04. But only as a guest. In December 2013, the young Kenan Karaman was in the DFB Cup round of 16 for the first time in the professional squad of TSG Hoffenheim under coach Markus Gisdol. Even though he didn’t play a minute, just warming up on the Schalke Arena pitch must have impressed the German-Turkish football newcomer. At that time he left the stadium with a 3-1 win in his pocket.
Today – over a decade later – the VELTINS Arena is his sporting home. Karaman has been wearing the royal blue jersey since 2022 – and is leading the way this season. He has only missed one competitive game so far due to a yellow card suspension. And last season he impressed with 29 appearances and 13 goals. But that wasn’t enough for him: “I always want to be better and get better! This season I would like to lead the way again with goals and assists and give the team a good feeling,” said Schalke’s number 19 to the Bild newspaper.
And the 30-year-old has confirmed this statement so far. The attacker has already scored eleven goals and prepared two more in 21 second division games this season. The following applies to him: whether on the training pitch, in the dressing room or in the mixed zone. The 31-time Turkish international puts himself at the service of the team everywhere. Coach van Wonderen is also more than convinced by his captain: “Kenan is a real leader. He has the quality to decide games.”
SV Darmstadt 98 invites all its members to come to the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor on November 1st, 2026, starting at 11:30am. Together, we aim to once again create the largest team photo in our club’s history—with the professional players in the front and the entire Lilies family behind them.
On Sunday (Oct 18th), SV Darmstadt 98 will visit Karlsruher SC. The side from Baden differs from the Lilies in several key respects. Furthermore, the match will see SV 98 cross paths with a former player once again. Find out here about other connections between the two clubs, as well as some particularly interesting statistics ahead of the encounter.
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.