Ahead of Friday's away game against VfL Wolfsburg (September 18th, 6:30pm), Florian Kohfeldt spoke about the upcoming opponent, his own approach, and the past week of training. We've summarised the most important points for you.
Player Update: In addition to the three long-term injured players Luca Marseiler, Fabian Nürnberger and Merveille Papela, Hiroki Akiyama (thigh problems) will not be available tomorrow.
They’ve assembled a squad comprised of several exceptional players, all of whom they’ve acquired from second-division teams. Furthermore, they’ve retained a few players who were recently playing at Champions League level. For example, Maximilian Arnold, who is undoubtedly a leader and an absolute quality player.
With Tobias Strobl, they’ve brought in a new coach who places great emphasis on possession. This was already evident with his team in Verl. There, they circulated the ball extensively and employed a very aggressive, high-pressing style. It’s clear that this is the approach they intend to implement in Wolfsburg as well. This is also reflected in the fact that they have the most shots on goal in the league. They are very active going forward, but they also occasionally give away opportunities during transitions.
Of course, they possess by far the highest individual quality in this league, in every position. And yet, it’s still a single game. We’ve already seen a few vulnerabilities where we say: Okay, they’re definitely vulnerable there. They certainly have the pressure on in this game. They have eight points after five games and they need a home win, as they haven’t won at home in a long time. These are all factors that naturally play a role.
But VfL Wolfsburg are the clear favourites. For this game and for the entire league.
We want to win this game with incredible discipline. That’s extremely important tomorrow. We’ll also need a certain physicality and aggression in the challenges. And we have to be prepared and have the courage to accept that our game might not always be pretty, but it will be effective. That is to say, everyone knows the style of play we generally want to achieve. It’s not as if we’ve consistently implemented it on the pitch so far this season. But tomorrow is certainly one of those games where you have to deviate somewhat from your original plan, at least in part, to keep your chances of getting a result alive.
Especially the key players, Marcel Schuhen, Patric Pfeiffer, and Raoul Petretta, made sure that the energy level stayed high and that we trained as if Friday night hadn’t happened – in the best possible way. No one let up. And I didn’t have to demand it; it came from the team itself. And that’s a very good sign. Victories help with that. But this season, it’s often been our issue that we trained much better than we played on the weekends. And you only gain that confidence through wins, points, and positive experiences.
So, of course, I hope that will give us a bit more confidence on Friday night. But ultimately, the truth is: that’s a platitude. What happened last week doesn’t matter on Friday night at 6:30pm, neither for Wolfsburg nor for us. It’s a new game, and it will have its own story.
I believe Lance will become a game-changer for us. And that’s the clear goal I have for him: to get him there. When I talk about development, everyone knows that, in my view, development isn’t always linear. But his status and what we want from him haven’t changed. And he had a good substitution against Bielefeld. In the long run, he should continue to be someone who’s in the starting eleven and who has key moments for us.
This is the period in which the Champions League increasingly becomes his personal stage. Cristiano Ronaldo dominates Europe's premier club competition like almost no other player before him: goals galore, records, memorable nights, and with Real Madrid, a team that shapes European football during these years. Especially in the knockout stages, Ronaldo always seems to be there when it matters most. But let's start from the beginning:
The next floodlit match is coming up: On Friday evening, we'll be playing away at VfL Wolfsburg (September 18th, 6:30pm) for Matchday 6 of the 2. Bundesliga. As usual, you can find all the important information about traveling to the stadium and visiting the ground in the fan information.
On Friday (September 18th), Darmstadt 98 will be playing away against VfL Wolfsburg. Before the match, it's worth taking a look at some facts and figures: Noah Weißhaupt is currently one of the most fouled players in the 2. Bundesliga, VfL Wolfsburg boasts the most valuable squad in the league's history, and there have also been some memorable encounters between the two clubs in the past.
Three home games, three chances to get tickets: On Wednesday, September 16th, at 12 noon, the members' presale for Darmstadt 98's October home games begins. The presale covers the matches against Energie Cottbus (October 10th), FC St. Pauli (October 23rd), and 1. FC Magdeburg (October 31st). Each member can purchase up to four tickets per game.
Construction of the new functional building at the Merck youth performance center of SV Darmstadt 98 is complete. With the two-story modular building, the club is improving the infrastructure for its youth players, coaches, and staff at Kastanienallee.
SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team lost their home game against FC Turabdin-Babylon 3-2 despite leading 1-0 at the break. After a comfortable 2-0 lead, the Lilies were reduced to ten men following a red card and ultimately let the game slip away.
Good news for everyone who wants to participate in the Lilien Team Marathon – presented by CRAFT DA: The registration deadline has been extended to September 20, 2026. The second edition of the running event, organised by SV Darmstadt 98, will take place on Sunday, September 27, 2026. At the Lilien Team Marathon, running enthusiasts and beginners alike can complete a marathon or half-marathon distance together with friends, colleagues, or family.
This season, Darmstadt 98 fans will once again be doubly rewarded for every home goal scored by their team. In addition to the joy and excitement of celebrating each goal, supporters will also receive 98 litres of Krombacher Pilsner for every goal scored at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor.
SV 98 finally secured their long-awaited victory on Friday evening. While the team from southern Hesse didn't exactly put on a dazzling display of football against Arminia Bielefeld, their pragmatic approach and strong mentality earned them three points. It was a success whose foundation had been laid in the preceding days.
The long-awaited three points are finally here! In a hard-fought but also disjointed match on Friday evening, Darmstadt showed character and didn't let setbacks get them down, even if not everything went perfectly during the 90 minutes. We've compiled the post-match reactions for you here:
A crucial home win for Darmstadt! SV Darmstadt 98 defeated Arminia Bielefeld 2-1 (1-0). Lee (3') gave the home side an early lead, and after the visitors from East Westphalia equalised, Smit (86') sealed the victory with a penalty.
Darmstadt host Arminia Bielefeld. Florian Kohfeldt has made three changes to his starting lineup compared to the defeat in Kaiserslautern. Carlo Sickinger starts in place of Hiroki Akiyama, who is out with a thigh injury. Returning player Marco Richter replaces Lars Kehl in the starting eleven, and Hojae Lee starts instead of Lance Duijvestijn.