Roda Kerkrade. Trabzonspor. Club Brugge. Valencia. Tenerife. And then in the final against the heavy favorites Inter Milan. No problem for FC Schalke 04's Eurofighters. On May 21, 1997, the Royal Blues won the UEFA Cup. The greatest success in the club's history. The opponents from back then? Of international class. The opponents today are Braunschweig, Nuremberg, Magdeburg, Cologne, Karlsruhe and now on the 6th matchday of the 2nd Bundesliga the team of SV Darmstadt 98. Everyday life in the second division in 2024.
And both teams have already felt the tough business of the 2nd league in the current season. While the Lilies have two points in their account so far and haven’t won yet, Schalke have only managed one win and also got a draw. S04’s 5-1 win against Eintracht Braunschweig dates back to matchday 1. This was followed by a 1:3 at 1. FC Nürnberg and a 2:2 in Magdeburg. They go into the duel with the Lilies after two defeats against Cologne (1:3) and Karlsruhe (0:2). Who will win the clash in the Veltins Arena? Can SV Darmstadt 98 score a three-pointer for the first time? Or will the Royal Blues get their second win of the season? We take a closer look at SV 98’s opponents. FC Schalke 04 in the opponent check.
| Top Signings | Departures |
| Moussa Sylla (Attacker, Pau FC) | Assan Ouedraogo (Leipzig) |
| Emil Højlund (Attacker, FC Kopenhagen) | Keke Topp (Werder Bremen) |
| Ron-Thorben Hoffmann (Goalkeeper, Eintracht Braunschweig) | Marius Müller (VfL Wolfsburg) |
| Felipe Sanchez (Defender, Gimnasia) | Thomas Ouwejan (NEC Nijmegen) |
| Christopher Antwi-Adjei (Attacker, VfL Bochum) | Simon Terrodde (Retired) |
Devotion. First as a player on the pitch, then later as a coach on the sidelines. Plus the belief in the results of hard work: These are two key characteristics of Karel Geraerts, the head coach of FC Schalke 04. The 42-year-old Belgian has not been in the coaching business for very long. It was only in 2019 that he started as an assistant coach at the Belgian first division club Union Saint-Gilloise, later in the 2022/23 season he was on the sidelines as head coach and immediately won the title of “Coach of the Year” in Belgium. His impressive record at Saint-Gilloise: 35 wins in 57 competitive games including 116 goals scored and a points average of 2.04. With Union he finished his first season as head coach in third place, reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League and the semi-finals of the Belgian Cup.
Then the change to the Ruhr area. Gelsenkirchen. Schalke. He has been in the saddle with the Royal Blues since October 2023. “I am proud to be part of this big club,” said Geraerts at his introductory press conference: “When I was young, I saw Schalke as a big team. I remember moments with Belgian players like Marc Wilmots.” Roda Kerkrade. Trabzonspor. Club Brugge. Valencia. Tenerife. And then in the final against the heavy favorites Inter Milan? So memories of Eurofighter moments…
The showpiece of FC Schalke 04? This is a royal blue duo: Kenan Karaman and Moussa Sylla. The two offensive players together scored seven of Schalke’s nine goals this season. While Sylla has three goals, Karaman is currently the S04’s most successful goalscorer in the current season – four goals and one assist. In any case, the 30-year-old is a danger spot for the Royal Blues. With 16 scorer points across seasons, Karaman is the player with the most goals in the 2nd Bundesliga in the 2024 calendar year.
… Moussa Sylla. A new face at FC Schalke 04. The 24-year-old winger has been strengthening the Gelsenkirchen team since this summer and has immediately demonstrated his skills on the pitch. But what is inside this boy who can already boast four goals in the current season?
Sylla first learned to play football in his French hometown of Étampes, south of Paris. This was followed by stints in the youth ranks at Brétigny and AS Monaco, for the last club he later celebrated his first division debut in Ligue 1. But his real heyday began when he moved to FC Utrecht in the Netherlands in the summer of 2020. There the dynamic attacker found his ideal role on the wing and scored nine goals in 61 competitive games and prepared four more goals.
However, Sylla was unable to assert himself at SM Caen, his next stop, and was instead initially loaned out to Pau FC and moved there permanently to the French second division team in the 2023/24 season. And his goal threat? He was impressive at Pau: 16 goals and seven assists in 37 competitive games and showed the Pau vita of the technically adept dribbler, who knows how to impress with his explosive acceleration. Is he, the new addition on the wing, the Royal Blues‘ new trump card?
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.