37th matchday in the 3rd league: Karlsruher SC welcomed the guest from Rostock in the Wildparkstadion. A game that should go down in club history. Because on that day KSC was able to secure promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga. A crucial change in the starting line-up: Dennis Kempe moved into the starting line-up for Kai Schwertfeger. The game started anything but according to plan. The guests from Rostock took a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute - the big promotion celebration in their own stadium seemed to be over. But then came the 74th minute: After an unsuccessful corner, the second cross landed around eight meters in front of the goal directly on the foot of Dennis Kempe. He nailed the ball unstoppably into the top right corner. The Wildparkstadion exploded - the KSC was back in the 2nd Bundesliga.
That was almost twelve years ago now. Since then, Baden has experienced ups and downs – including the dramatic relegation against Hamburger SV, in which they narrowly failed to gain promotion to the Bundesliga. And the bitter relegation back to the 3rd league in 2017.
But since being promoted again in 2019, the KSC has been firmly part of the 2nd Bundesliga. Karlsruhe got off to a strong start in the current season: after the first nine matchdays, KSC was undefeated and was now second in the table. The Baden team also travel to Darmstadt for the upcoming game (07.03/6.30pm) with a lot of self-confidence. The main reason for this is the two most recent successes against 1. FC Magdeburg and 1. FC Köln. After 24 match days, the KSC is in ninth place – six points behind the direct promotion places.
| Top Scorers |
Top Assists |
| Marvin Wanitzek – 9 Goals | Marvin Wanitzek – 10 Assists |
| Fabian Schleusener – 6 Goals | Fabian Schleusener – 5 Assists |
| Leon Jensen – 4 Goals | Luca Pfeiffer – 3 Assists |
| Andrin Hunziker – 2 Goals | Dzenis Burnic – 2 Assists |
Pep Guardiola once explained that it hardly makes sense to stay at a club for longer than three years. Either you have to replace the coach or replace the entire team. With this statement he alluded to his “biggest mistake”: the fourth year at FC Barcelona. Christian Eichner is now in his fifth season as head coach at KSC – and shows no signs of wanting to leave the club. One of the reasons for this is the constant change within the squad. “That’s one of the factors why I don’t wear out as quickly here as I might elsewhere,” explained Eichner. The Sinsheimer is not afraid of wear and tear anyway. On the contrary: he loves working with a different team every season. “I want to keep reinventing myself. There are small building blocks that may not seem so big to the outside world.”
“Back then, I slid into the head coaching job more or less out of nowhere, if you will,” Christian Eichner once told Sport1. The former professional footballer and mathematician has been working as a coach at Karlsruher SC since 2016. He began his career as an assistant coach for the U17s before working his way up to assistant coach for the professionals. From there, he initially went back to the U17s on an interim basis, this time as head coach, before the now 42-year-old suddenly found himself on the sidelines of the professional team in 2017 and took over the team for a week. Three years later, this scenario was repeated – and again it was Eichner who stepped in. In 2020, the former left-back finally took on permanent responsibility as head coach, which he still holds today.
Hardly anyone can fool Karlsruher SC in front of the goal. KSC has scored 44 goals so far this season. Together with SV Elversberg, the Baden team is in third place in the statistics of teams with the most goals in the 2nd Bundesliga. Only Hamburger SV (51) and 1. FC Magdeburg (52) scored more. Looking at Karlsruher SC’s 15 hits on the post or crossbar, there could have been significantly more goals…
“At the moment I see the centre of my life here,” said Marvin Wanitzek in an interview with SWR. The 31-year-old feels right at home in Karlsruhe – saying goodbye is currently not an option for him. Above all, the proximity to his family and his best friend, who lives right next door, make life in the city particularly worth living for the Bruchsaler. This is far beyond his big dream of the Bundesliga. Would Wanitzek have what it takes to play permanently in the first division? For sure. But the offensive player prefers to remain loyal to the KSC so far.
Wanitzek feels at home in Karlsruhe not only in the city, but also on the pitch. With an impressive 22 scorer points in 27 competitive games, he leads his team with impressive performances. He not only impresses in terms of sport, but also with his role as captain. After previously being co-captain alongside Jérôme Gondorf, he was officially named the new captain shortly before the start of the season. “I was extremely pleased that the captain’s armband was made official again a week before the start of the league – being able to lead the team of my hometown club onto the field means a lot to me,” said Wanitzek. These words alone show how much he identifies with the KSC.
He has been wearing the KSC jersey since 2017 – and during this time Wanitzek has also immortalised himself in history: with 66 goals, the number ten is now fifth on the club’s all-time top scorers list. He enjoys the highest reputation within the team. “He is an absolute guiding light for the team – on and off the pitch. “An extremely important player and a real anchor,” said teammate Leon Jensen, praising his captain.
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.