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?
A bitter end in Karlsruhe: After 90 entertaining minutes in which both teams sought salvation in attack, Darmstadt suffered a narrow defeat. The final score was 2-1 after a late goal from the home side, following Isac Lidberg's earlier equaliser. After the match, the players were particularly frustrated with the missed opportunities in the first half.
The away form continues to be poor: SV 98 suffered a 2-1 (0-0) defeat against Karlsruher SC. Lidberg scored the equaliser for the team from southern Hesse in the 70th minute.
Darmstadt 98 visit Karlsruher SC on matchday 32 (May 3rd, 1:30 PM). Florian Kohfeldt has made five changes to his starting lineup. Killian Corredor replaces the injured Fraser Hornby, Aleksandar Vukotic comes in for the suspended Patric Pfeiffer, and Fabian Holland starts in place of Matej Maglica, who is sidelined with an ankle injury. Merveille Papela and Niklas Schmidt also join the team, replacing Sergio Lopez and Yosuke Furukawa. In addition to Hornby, Pfeiffer, and Maglica, Darmstadt will also be without the injured Matthias Bader, Fabian Nürnberger, and Luca Marseiler.
Finally, the weekend is here, finally Sunday! On Sunday afternoon (May 3rd, 1:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98 will face Karlsruher SC away. What do the two coaches have to say about the match, who will be refereeing, and where can you watch it if you're not at the stadium? All the important information about the Lilies' 32nd matchday is compiled for you here in "Matchday Guide".
Continuity in sporting management: SV Darmstadt 98 has extended Paul Fernie's contract early and for the long term. As part of the contract extension, the current sporting director will move into the club's management board and will now serve as managing director of sport.
Our head coach spoke at the press conference before the away game against Karlsruher SC (May 3rd/1:30pm) about the mental freshness of his team, the course of action for the remaining games and his coaching colleague, whose commitment to KSC will end after six years this season.
Left hook, 'One hundred and eightyyyyyyy', and hand over the baton. Doesn't sound like football – and that's true. KSC is often associated with professional football, but with the sheer number of titles the club has won, it's worth looking beyond the pitch. Titles from Baden-Württemberg to Rome.
In a rescheduled Lotto Hessenliga match, SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team hosted SV Hummetroth at their youth academy on Wednesday evening (April 29th) but unfortunately came away empty-handed. Despite a spirited performance and playing with one man less, the score after 90 minutes was 3-1 in favour of Hummetroth.
Lilies at the Wildpark! SV Darmstadt 98 will be playing away against Karlsruher SC this coming Sunday (May 3rd/1:30pm) for the 32nd matchday of the 2. Bundesliga. Will Darmstadt's positive record from recent encounters continue? Will Florian Kohfeldt and Isac Lidberg extend their scoring streak against KSC? And will Fabian Schleusener finally stop scoring against SV 98? We've compiled all the facts and figures for you.
SV Darmstadt 98 will be playing away against Karlsruher SC on Sunday (May 3rd/1:30pm) at the Wildpark Stadium for the 32nd matchday. To ensure you are well prepared for your trip to KSC, here is a summary of all the important information for your visit to the stadium.
To ensure a smooth and convenient journey to Karlsruhe this weekend, SV 98 is offering a special train service that will transport Lilies fans directly from Darmstadt to Karlsruhe and back. Additionally, SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team will host SV Hummetroth at their home academy this Wednesday evening (April 29th). For more news and updates, check out our usual "Lilien Across the Board" – all the latest news about the club, gathered here for you.
