Off to the north! But this time, SV Darmstadt 98's DFB Cup kickoff won't be in Hamburg against Teutonia Ottensen like last year. No, the Lilies will face VfB Lübeck in the first round. Kick-off is next Saturday (August 16th) at 6:00pm at the Lohmühle Stadium. There's still time to take a closer look at SV 98's cup opponent. Who is the head coach? How many times has VFB Lübeck actually made it to the DFB Cup? And how has VfB Lübeck started the current season?
VfB Lübeck has been playing in the Regionalliga Nord for two years now. Three matchdays have been completed in the current season, but the Lohmühle team doesn’t seem to have fully settled into the league routine yet. After a successful start with a 2-0 home win against Bremer SV, a 3-1 defeat at SV Meppen followed. On the third matchday, they suffered a decisive 4-0 home defeat against VfB Oldenburg. This means Lübeck has three points so far.
Antonio Verinac is the name of the centre forward for VfB Lübeck. If anyone scores for the team from Schleswig-Holstein, it’s probably him. The 20-year-old has already found the net twice in his three Regionalliga matches so far. The striker, who is over 1.90 meters tall, played the full 90 minutes in all three games.
Verinac has been under contract with VfB Lübeck since this summer and is expected to continue his goal-scoring streak for the northern German club. However, the far north is no unfamiliar territory for the German-Croatian. Trained at FC St. Pauli, Werder Bremen, and VfB Lübeck, Verinac began his career in men’s football at Lok Leipzig. After spells at SSV Jeddeloh II and the U21 team of 1. FC Köln, he enjoyed a remarkable season with ETSV Hamburg in the Hamburg Oberliga, scoring 25 goals in 29 matches. This talent didn’t go unnoticed for long. This summer, he finally returned to Lohmühle, where he intends to continue his scoring streak.
Name: Guerino Capretti
Head coach of VfB Lübeck
Side note: In April of this year, Capretti and his assistant coach Pierre Becken extended their contracts with VfB Lübeck for another two years, until at least the summer of 2027. The head coach himself said: „I’m looking forward to continuing our collaboration. The first step has been taken, and I’ve realised what this club is capable of. That’s one of the reasons why I’m extremely confident about continuing my career at VfB Lübeck.“
VfB Lübeck looks back on a long football tradition and numerous regional successes. The club has played a total of 39 DFB-Pokal matches to date. The first match took place in the 1954/55 season, when they achieved a 2-1 away victory against Spandauer SV in front of 20,000 spectators.
VfB has won the Schleswig-Holstein State Cup seven times – in 2025, 2023, 2022, 2019, 2016, 2015, and 2012. The most recent victory dates back to May 24, 2025, when Lübeck beat Kaltenkirchen 2-1 in the final, thus securing their place in the DFB-Pokal again.
The northern German club’s most successful DFB-Pokal season, however, dates back some time: In the 2003/04 season – then still a second-division side – VfB marched all the way to the semifinals. There, the dream of reaching the final in Berlin ended in extra time with a 3-2 defeat against Werder Bremen, the eventual cup winners.
After 13 unbeaten second-division matches, SV Darmstadt 98 suffered their first defeat this Friday evening. Three unfortunate minutes just before halftime, during which Patric Pfeiffer was sent off and Vincent Vermeij scored twice, paved the way for Dresden's victory. After the match, the focus was primarily on the differing assessments of two very similar incidents by the refereeing team – incidents which both coaches subsequently evaluated identically.
For the first time since October, Darmstadt 98 finished a league match without any points: SV 98 lost 3-1 (2-0) to SG Dynamo Dresden. After a controversial red card against Patric Pfeiffer (42nd minute), the home side scored two goals in first-half stoppage time to secure the victory.
Under the floodlights at the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadium. On Friday evening (February 27th/6:30pm), Darmstadt 98 will play away against Dynamo Dresden. Florian Kohfeldt has made three changes to his starting eleven. Raoul Petretta makes his first start, replacing Fabian Holland. Luca Marseiler starts in place of the suspended Marco Richter, and Hiroki Akiyama replaces Fraser Hornby, who is sidelined with a thigh injury. Fabian Nürnberger, Matthias Bader, and Bartosz Bialek remain unavailable due to injury.
A floodlit match at the Rudolf-Haribig-Stadion is always something special. Darmstadt 98 are aiming to take three points back to southern Hesse this Friday evening (February 27th). Kick-off is at 6:30pm. All the important information about the 24th matchday of the 2. Bundesliga is clearly summarised for you in our "Matchday Guide".
Darmstadt 98 aim to extend their unbeaten run to 14 games in Friday evening's match against Dynamo Dresden. While Darmstadt's potent attack has resulted in a respectable goal tally, they are wary at the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion. The Saxons have been on an upward trend since the winter break and will have a vociferous home crowd behind them. We've compiled all the facts and figures surrounding this clash in this report. Here you'll find the key facts for tomorrow's match.
Darmstadt and Dresden are 598 kilometres apart. On Friday evening (February 27th, 6:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98 will travel to the Saxon capital for the 24th matchday of the 2nd Bundesliga. The next away game will take place under the floodlights at the historic Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion. You can find all relevant fan information here.
Before SV Darmstadt 98 plays under floodlights in Dresden on Friday evening (27.02/18.30), Florian Kohfeldt spoke at the press conference about the strengths of Dynamo Dresden and the special atmosphere in the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion.
Raoul Petretta joined SV Darmstadt 98 in the winter and already feels very much at home. He talks about his arrival and his goals. Besides their sporting focus, the Lilies are also committed to sustainability: On March 15, 2026, over 3,500 trees will be planted as part of the fifth "In the Sign of the Lily" tree-planting campaign. In our "Lilies Across the Board" section, we provide you with the most important news from SV Darmstadt 98 every week.
Numerous Dynamo Dresden fans flock to the stadium on home match days. But one day, they came for a single reason: What should their stadium be called in the future? Tens of thousands of supporters gathered in front of the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion, ready to cast their votes. In cooperation with regional partners, Dynamo Dresden's management took the unusual step of letting the club's supporters decide for themselves.
WirLilien – Together for nature conservation! Together with our partner Krombacher, we will once again plant more than 3,500 trees on Sunday (March 15th) – under the banner of the Lily. You can still register for the event at short notice.
On Friday (February 27th, 7:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team begins the second phase of their Hessenliga season. With 23 points after 20 matchdays, the Lilies are currently in 14th place. Following intensive weeks of winter training, the team aims to start the upcoming challenges with renewed energy and secure crucial points.
A fast-paced, thrilling exchange between SV Darmstadt 98 and Fortuna Düsseldorf reached its ecstatic climax in the 88th minute. Thanks to Matej Maglica's header, Darmstadt secured a 2-1 victory in a wild battle that resembled a 12-round boxing match, with both sides neglecting their defences and constantly searching for the next hook or punch. A day later, sv98.de looks back on what was probably the most exciting home game of the season so far for the South Hessian side.