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?
Attention Lilien fans: During SV Darmstadt 98’s training camp in Bad Wörishofen (Allgäu region)—taking place from July 19th to July 26th, 2026—there will once again be an opportunity to meet the team, chat with the players, and, of course, get autographs and photos. The fan meet-up is scheduled for Saturday, July 25th, following the friendly match against SG Sonnenhof Großaspach. Kick-off for the match is at 12pm.
SV 98 remains active in the transfer market. The "Lilies" have signed Christopher Lannert from Arminia Bielefeld.
Friendly matches, fundraising campaigns, and plenty of photos—that’s what the week looked like for SV 98 and the club’s community. Between their 5–1 victory over FC Homburg and the upcoming friendly in Walldorf this Friday (July 17), the „Lilies“ showed their best side for the cameras. In addition, the SV 98 legends team will face an Odenwald select squad on Sunday (July 19th). You can also win great prizes in competitions taking place in Erbach and at the pop-up store in downtown Darmstadt. Lilies Across the Board brings you all the latest news from life at SV 98.
The Bundesliga finalised the match schedules for matchdays three through six on Wednesday (July 15th): Darmstadt's home game against Hannover 96 on matchday three will take place on Sunday. This will be followed by their away game against 1. FC Kaiserslautern on Saturday at 1pm. The home game against Arminia Bielefeld on Friday evening and the away game in Wolfsburg, also on Friday evening, have also been confirmed.
The Lilies can welcome another new arrival at the Böllenfalltor: Florian Kleinhansl will now wear the SV 98 jersey. The 25-year-old joins on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract with 1. FC Kaiserslautern on June 30th.
Third test, third clear victory. SV 98 won the match against FC 08 Homburg 5-1 (3-0).
SV Darmstadt 98 and the fusion energy company Focused Energy are entering into an official partnership. The aim of the collaboration is to more closely link top-level football and high technology from the Darmstadt region and to jointly generate momentum for innovation and future societal issues.
Killian Corredor will be playing in his home country again in the future. SV 98 has reached an agreement with FC Nantes on the transfer of the Frenchman.
On Tuesday (July 14, 6pm), SV Darmstadt 98 hosts Regionalliga side FC Homburg and asks fans to take note of the following information.
A home game against KSV! SV Darmstadt 98 hosts Holstein Kiel for the opening matchday of the 2. Bundesliga season this Saturday (August 8 at 1pm). Here’s how you can be there: the member pre-sale for the new season's first home game begins this coming Wednesday (July 15) at 12pm —available online and at the ticket shop at the Merck-Stadion, as usual. You can find all further details in this announcement.
For every home goal scored by the "Lilies," SV Darmstadt 98 fans were doubly rewarded during the recent 2025/26 second-division season. Beyond the joy and excitement, supporters received 98 litres of Krombacher Pils for every goal Darmstadt scored at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor.
In recent days, various media outlets have published reports and graphics regarding the distribution of TV revenue for the 2026/27 season. Some of these reports included not only specific figures but also a comparison to the previous season. This comparison indicates a supposed revenue increase of €1.4 million for SV 98 compared to the 2025/26 season.