What an away trip that was last year! SV Darmstadt 98 achieved a decisive 5-1 victory in Franconia against SpVgg Greuther Fürth. While the Lilies had plenty to celebrate, then-interim Fürth coach Leonhard Haas had a less-than-successful debut. But now, a different man is coaching the Cloverleafs: Jan Siewert. With him, Fürth hopes to return to the former successes surrounding the Fürth flat pass. We'll give you a detailed introduction to the Lilies' upcoming opponent.
| Top Scorers |
Top Assists |
| Noel Futkeu – 9 Goals | Felix Klaus – 5 Assists |
| Julian Green – 7 Goals | Dennis Srbeny – 4 Assists |
| Branimir Hrgota – 6 Goals | Branimir Hrgota – 3 Assists |
| Dennis Srbeny – 4 Goals | Roberto Massimo – 3 Assists |
| Roberto Massimo – 3 Goals | Jomaine Consbruch – 3 Assists |
What is your purpose of existence? Don’t worry, this section won’t devolve into a philosophy seminar—even if it sounds like it at first. Rather, it’s a central question in the life of Jan Siewert, the current head coach of SpVgg Greuther Fürth. The „purpose of existence“—or ZDE for short—comes from one of his favourite books, „The Café on the Edge of the World“ by John Strelecky, and describes the answer to the big question of why we are in this world and what we want to achieve. For Siewert, there are many answers.
One of these many answers is music: „I listen to everything, from hip-hop to pop to rock. The songs just have to have a lot of energy,“ says Siewert, describing his taste in music—just like his idea of high-energy football. Another of his passions is „Dippekuchen“—his favourite dish, a hearty potato dish from the Eifel region that was once considered „poor man’s food,“ but today represents home and identity for Siewert. In his free time, the coach also likes to be inspired by series such as Ted Lasso – a series in which an unconventional coach convinces people with humanity, humour and optimism.
Luca Itter, a defender in Fürth, describes his coach as someone who has „fire in his arse.“ And perhaps this fire is actually geologically determined – after all, Jan Siewert was born in Mayen in the Volcanic Eifel region. Fortunately for the residents, the volcanoes in the Eifel region have not shown any activity for thousands of years. This is behaviour that Siewert would not tolerate in his players. Because his highest principle is – and he emphasises this regularly – activity, especially on the football field.
Siewert’s coaching career is as multifaceted as his interests. After stints as assistant coach for the German national team’s youth teams and as head coach at Rot-Weiss Essen, the English club Huddersfield Town, and FSV Mainz 05, he took over as coach of the Kleeblätter this season.
And who knows – perhaps Fürth is exactly the place where Siewert’s personal „purpose of existence“ in football will be further fulfilled.
Greuther Fürth is more successful than almost any other team in the 2. Bundesliga at drawing fouls through skillful dribbling. In terms of penalties awarded, the Cloverleaf share second place with SC Paderborn – each team has been awarded six penalties so far. Fürth have suffered four fouls, and two penalties were awarded for handballs by the opposition. Back to the overall statistics: Only Fortuna Düsseldorf (8) has been awarded more penalties. Fürth also ranks fifth in terms of free kicks awarded.
Felix Klaus couldn’t hold it any longer – he simply ran. Straight to the fans, to the approximately 2,000 Fürth supporters who were allowed to witness his big moment. But the then 19-year-old didn’t get far. As soon as the ball hit the net and the cheers erupted, his teammates grabbed him and, in a frenzy of joy, threw him to the ground.
„That was actually a straight red,“ Klaus grinned after the game – with a wink, of course. And he certainly had reason to smile: With his first Bundesliga goal, the youngster wrote a small piece of club history and became the first goalscorer for what was then the 52nd club ever to play in Germany’s top division.
„This is an incredible feeling for me,“ said Klaus, who was unexpectedly thrown in at the deep end by then-Kleeblatt coach Mike Büskens in the 2012 Bundesliga opener against FC Bayern.
That all happened 13 years ago, and a lot has changed since then. One thing, however, seems to have stayed the same: Felix Klaus, who played for Fürth’s youth and senior teams from 2007 to 2013, has been donning the green and white jersey again since January 2025. „It’s coming home for me. I had great discussions with the management and now I want to help ensure we have a good second half of the season,“ said Felix Klaus on the sidelines of his contract signing with the Franconian club.
The now 32-year-old still demonstrates why he was once capped three times for the German U21 national team: Since joining Greuther Fürth, he has started all eight matches and collected five assists. If he can maintain this level of performance throughout the second half of the season, his goal of a successful second half of the season with Fürth could very well come true.
Autographs, photos, and personal encounters with the Lilies: You'll have the opportunity to do so on Thursday (May 7th) from 5pm to 6pm. As part of an autograph session presented by Merck, Patric Pfeiffer, Kai Klefisch, and Fynn Lakenmacher will be at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. You'll also receive a ten percent discount in the fan shop during this time.
Darmstadt's 2-1 defeat at Karlsruher SC also ended any remaining theoretical hopes the South Hessian club had of finishing the season in the top three. The loss at the Wildpark stadium served somewhat as a symbol for the past few weeks, during which SV 98 had only managed one point from five matches since the international break in March. Following the game on Sunday afternoon, the Darmstadt players addressed the assembled media representatives with mixed feelings.
Three points! SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team secured a victory in the Lotto Hessenliga on Saturday afternoon (May 2nd). In their match against Hünfelder SV, the young Lilies overcame an early deficit to clinch a convincing 3-1 win. This result puts the U21 team currently outside the relegation zone. "Our trend is clearly upward," said a delighted U21 coach Sebastian Schmitt.
The successful collaboration between the Hessian Disabled and Rehabilitation Sports Association (HBRS) and SV Darmstadt 98 will continue long-term: Both partners have extended their existing agreement to promote inclusive sports indefinitely. This sends a clear signal for the sustainable development of inclusion and disability sports in Hesse.
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.