In the world of football, a yo-yo team is a team that oscillates between two leagues – too good for one league, but not quite at the level of the next higher one. The result is usually many promotions and many relegations. But SV Elversberg is currently redefining the term. For several years now, the yo-yo has been taking SVE almost exclusively upwards.
At the beginning of this decade, the team from Saarland was still playing in the Regionalliga Südwest (fourth tier), until their championship win there in 2021 paved the way for promotion to the third division. However, the 3. Liga proved to be just a brief stopover. In their very first season back, SV Elversberg also won the title there and immediately moved on to the next level. Currently, Elversberg’s yo-yoing has taken them to the second-highest German league – and they’ve been there for three seasons now. However, the trend in recent years has shown that they could still be promoted to the next division.
With a third-place finish last season, Elversberg qualified for the relegation play-offs, but their progress stalled against Heidenheim, and SVE remained in the 2. Bundesliga. Elversberg currently finds itself in another relegation play-off spot, but only five points ahead of fifth-placed SV Darmstadt 98. We’ll take a closer look at Darmstadt’s opponent.
Identical to their final matchday of the previous season, Elversberg sits in third place with 55 points, currently occupying the relegation playoff spot. They have secured seven out of a possible 15 points in their last five matches. The game at the Bölle stadium marks the Saarland team’s third encounter in the second half of the season against a top-five opponent. Having only managed a single point against Hannover and Schalke, they will undoubtedly be even more eager for a win under the floodlights on Saturday.
| Opposition | Result | Points |
| Karlsruher SC (H) | 3:0 | 3 |
| FC Schalke 04 (H) | 1:2 | 0 |
| Hannover 96 (A) | 1:1 | 1 |
| Arminia Bielefeld (H) | 3:1 | 3 |
| SpVgg Greuther Fürth (A) | 0:2 | 0 |
| Top Scorer | Top Assists |
| Lukas Petkov – 10 Goals | Tom Zimmerschied – 7 Assists |
| Bambase Conte – 3 Goals | Lasse Günther – 6 Assists |
| David Mokwa – 3 Goals | Lukas Petkov – 5 Assists |
| Frederik Schmahl – 3 Goals | Bambase Conte – 5 Assists |
| Luca Schnellbacher – 3 Goals | Luca Schnellbacher – 3 Assists |
Vincent Wagner
Head coach of SV ElversbergWhen thinking about Elversberg’s football in recent years and this season, their offensive power and playing ability immediately come to mind. However, what might sometimes be overlooked is Elversberg’s strength off the ball. Virtually no other club in the league boasts the best tackle success rate in the competition (51 percent). But that’s not all: with the fewest fouls, „ELV“ is also the fairest team in the league – a testament to their skill, discipline, and mastery of challenges.
They signed him in the dead of winter, but he’s since warmed up. Still under contract with HSV, Immanuel Pherai is currently on loan at SV Elversberg – and he’s performing well, proving to be a real asset to the team. To get more playing time, the Dutchman moved to Saarland at the beginning of February. And he’s certainly getting that playing time now.
Pherai is a key playmaker in attacking midfield, and therefore also responsible for goals. In the past, however, this hasn’t always been the case. With a brace against Karlsruhe recently, he not only got on the scoresheet but also ended his personal goal drought. Before that, he hadn’t scored since January 2024! That spell is now broken. In his last three games, he’s been directly involved in three goals. His contributions have also led to some impressive statistics: in the German second division, he now has 14 goals, 14 assists – and (fun fact) 14 yellow cards.
With HSV, he’s already proven he knows how to achieve promotion. Whether his experience will also benefit his teammates in the Elversberg jersey will be revealed at the end of the season. On Saturday evening (April 25th), he travels with SVE to the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. And he has a special motivation: Pherai will be celebrating his 25th birthday under the floodlights. However, he won’t be getting any gifts in this top match…
A new match under the floodlights awaits! On Saturday evening (April 25th, 8:30pm), Darmstadt 98 play against SV Elversberg. What are the coaches' opinions before the game? Who will referee, broadcast, and commentate the match? And what kind of weather can Darmstadt fans expect at the stadium? All the information is compiled for you in "Matchday Guide."
What are Florian Kohfeldt's thoughts on Saturday evening's match (April 25th/8:30pm) against SV Elversberg? Where does he see the strengths of their upcoming opponent? And how does his team plan to get back on track after three consecutive defeats? The Darmstadt head coach answered these and other questions at the press conference on Friday (April 24th) in the catacombs of the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. We've summarised Kohfeldt's key statements from the press conference for you.
On Saturday evening (April 26th/8:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98 will host the team from SV 07 Elversberg and asks you to take note of the following information.
Saturday evening at the Böllenfalltor, the seventh edition! This time, SV Darmstadt 98 hosts SV Elversberg at the Merck Stadium. Both teams are strong offensively and convincing defensively. But where do the differences lie? And in which statistics do both the team from southern Hesse and the Saarlanders lead the pack? We've compiled all the facts and figures for this match right here for you.
The news that Fabian Holland will no longer play for Darmstadt at the end of this season affected everyone at the club. We take a look at it. Also exciting this week: The U17s host Eintracht Frankfurt's youth team in Pfungstadt today, Wednesday (April 22nd/5pm) for the Hessian derby in the Hesse Cup; the Darmstadt first team will wear members' jerseys against SV Elversberg next Saturday (April 25th/8:30pm); and the Darmstadt VIP box has been temporarily converted into a yoga camp. "Darmstadt Across the Board" on Wednesday is available here.
The end of an era. Fabian Holland's twelfth season in the Lilies' jersey will be his last with SV 98. The 35-year-old's contract, which expires at the end of the season, will not be renewed. The club informed Holland of this decision in a confidential meeting. Both club and player agree to focus entirely on achieving the best possible end to the season until the final match and that any plans for a farewell celebration will depend on how the rest of the season unfolds.
Extremely bitter. The SV Darmstadt 98 U21 team unfortunately came away empty-handed last Saturday (April 18th) visiting KSV Baunatal: The young Lilies conceded the decisive goal late in stoppage time, resulting in a 1-0 final score. Darmstadt had managed to hold their own against the fourth-placed team in the Hessenliga for almost the entire match. "A very bitter defeat after a really good performance," explained U21 coach Sebastian Schmitt to sv98.de.
Attention is already turning to the away match against SC Preußen Münster. On matchday 33, SV Darmstadt 98 will visit the Preußenstadion on Sunday (May 10th, 1:30pm). Advance ticket sales for club members begin next Wednesday (April 22nd) at 12:00pm. All ticket information can be found in this announcement.
Our premium partner ENTEGA is once again providing unique stadium experiences this season. For every home game, you can win two VIP fan seats in the main stand and also gain access to the ENTEGA VIP lounge. The application deadline for the match against Elversberg is Thursday (April 23rd) at 12 noon.
Returning to southern Hesse empty-handed, SV Darmstadt 98 suffered a 3-2 away defeat against Greuther Fürth. Particularly bitter: the Lilies twice took the lead in Franconia but ultimately succumbed. How do the two head coaches assess the 90 minutes? What do captain Marcel Schuhen and Kai Klefisch have to say about the loss? We've compiled all the post-match reactions for you.
No points in Franconia. After conceding two late goals, Darmstadt 98 lost 3-2 (1-1) to SpVgg Greuther Fürth.
Away game in Franconia. On matchday 30 (April 19th/1:30pm), Darmstadt 98 will visit SpVgg Greuther Fürth. Florian Kohfeldt has made three changes to his starting eleven compared to last week. Isac Lidberg and Kai Klefisch return to the team after serving their suspensions, and Marco Richter also moves into the starting lineup. Matthias Bader will miss the match with a minor shoulder problem.