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?
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.
