On Wednesday (October 29th/8:45pm), SV Darmstadt 98 will host FC Schalke 04. We have summarised the most important information from the pre-match press conference for you.
Personnel update: Fabian Nürnberger is still out. All other players are fit to play.
For me, games have no hierarchy or priority. Therefore, Isac’s absence from the league clash against Schalke wasn’t a precautionary measure. He didn’t get on the bus on Thursday because he simply wasn’t feeling well after the intense training. He then took a two-day break and trained individually. Now he’s feeling better. As of now, I expect him to be in the starting lineup on Wednesday. As for Kai, I decided to spare him the trip to Schalke because the three games combined would have been too much for him. However, Kai is an option for Wednesday—even for the starting lineup.
Paul Will was an absolutely positive presence in the Schalke game. He brought a lot of energy, especially in combination with Mey Papela. He also contributed football-wise. Nevertheless, he was out for 14 months, but he handled those 30 minutes very well. Therefore, a start in the starting lineup is certainly unlikely, but a similar or even longer appearance is possible.
Bartosz did his job defensively at Schalke. However, we couldn’t get him involved offensively. It seems difficult to judge him based on that. He still enjoys a very high standing with me and will certainly be someone who gets playing time tomorrow.
Generally, a home game at the Bölle stadium generates a great deal of anticipation. Wednesday’s game is a special one. It’s the first time in a while that the Lilies have played a cup home game – and at 8:45pm, it’s against a truly historic club. Two historic German clubs will be meeting in a 50-50 match. The league game already showed that. So, there are all the ingredients for a great cup night.
Additionally, the cup has enormous significance for me. I’m absolutely in love with this competition. We’ve had some really great cup games with the Lilies. We’re all highly motivated, incredibly excited, and want to put on a great cup fight with our fans—and that’s perhaps the difference from Friday—with lots of energy and deliver a really great cup battle, and then leave the game with a positive result. The cup is simply a great competition. And we want to advance.
Schalke will play very aggressively and actively here against us as well. In this respect, they’re not much different between home and away games. We, on the other hand, have to be more determined with the ball. We have to have more confidence in attacking the spaces we want to attack. We had a few breakthroughs against Schalke. But then we have to have the courage to push forward and dominate the game ourselves. We didn’t manage that with the ball against Schalke. But that’s our goal, no matter where we play.
Like Schalke, we watched the game closely. I didn’t think we were bad defensively. Schalke only had two chances in the game – one from a set piece and one from our goal kick. Almost nothing happened from open play. It’s still obvious that we didn’t create enough chances for our standards. Perhaps that had something to do with Isac’s absence, but not exclusively. It’s more to do with the way we attack. And we need to work on that. That’s our main focus for Wednesday’s game, without changing anything else.
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.