On Friday (October 24th/6:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98 will travel to FC Schalke 04. We have summarised the most important information from the pre-match press conference for you.
Personnel update: Fabian Nürnberger remains out. Sergio Lopez is suspended. All other players are available.
So far, I’ve only been thinking about tomorrow’s away game, but not about Wednesday’s DFB-Pokal match. An away game at Schalke is currently one of the toughest matches you can face in the second division. We’ve dealt with that. We’re not looking ahead to Wednesday yet.
Miron Muslic has managed to get the team to believe pretty unconditionally in what they’re playing. That’s remarkable. But I also see a lot of parallels between the two clubs. Last season was certainly not the easiest for either of them. But both have a clear game plan this year – not the same one, but a clear one. And you can see that clearly at Schalke. They are incredibly energetic and defend strongly going forward. The strikers also work incredibly hard. It’s no coincidence that they have the best defence in the league. They have conceded one goal less than us. With the ball, they are a team whose game is built on a lot of depth, garnished with top quality, especially in attack. The strikers are sought out quickly, and this also involves lots of crosses.
Miron has done an excellent job of bringing calm and sporting success to the club. I think Frank Baumann also plays a role in that. It’s always a collaboration between manager and coach – and it seems to be working extremely well. Similar to how it works between Paul Fernie and me here in Darmstadt, from what I’ve seen. That’s always the basis for success. We played against each other twice in Belgium. I really appreciate his approach. He’s very pleasant to talk to, but a brutal competitor in a game. I’m delighted to see him and found the exchange very pleasant. So we’ll talk, give each other a hug, and give our all in the game to ensure our team wins.
I don’t have a favourite opponent. I’m surprised myself when I read the record, because it’s quite unusual. But that doesn’t matter for tomorrow’s game. I like playing at Schalke. It’s a great arena and a fantastic club with a lot of emotion. But it’s always a tough match because the energy this arena can generate is a factor in games. So my personal record doesn’t matter at all for tomorrow’s match.
Last season’s matches don’t give us any positive momentum for tomorrow. It would be the biggest mistake to think that. Schalke this season really has nothing to do with Schalke last season. The games from last season no longer have any relevance for us.
Matze Bader will be in the squad and handled the match against Magdeburg well. We can vary between a back three and a back four, and we see it as our strength that we’re not tied to one system. We do have a few options. Defensive strength will also be an important aspect against Schalke, and it will be very decisive there.
We’re traveling to the second-placed team in the table. After nine matchdays, it’s fair to look at the table. We’re fourth, three points behind. Schalke are obviously strong opponents. But we also have something to play for. I didn’t want to give the impression that we’re going there as complete underdogs. For me, it’s a 50-50 game. Of course, on good days we have a playful element to our game. I hope we can rediscover that after the Magdeburg game. We’re also very intense without the ball and win possession a lot – we showed that against Magdeburg too. But we need to play them more cleanly. I think set pieces will be a big issue. Both teams are very good at set pieces. I think you could say this will be an absolute top game in the second division on Friday evening.
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.