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.
Darmstadt 98 lost to Hannover 96 while playing with ten men and must continue to wait for their first win of this second division season. Read our analysis to find out what positives remain and why Darmstadt 98 had factored in setbacks on their chosen path.
Around the time of the home game against Hannover 96 on Sunday (August 30th), the Jonathan Heimes Square was officially inaugurated. Before kickoff, club president Markus Pfitzner and Martin Heimes, father of Jonathan Heimes, who died of cancer about ten years ago, gave speeches highlighting "Johnny's" importance and his commitment to people with cancer.
The Lilien Team Marathon is not just about athletic performance and the shared experience around the Böllenfalltor stadium – but also about making a difference together.
The SV Darmstadt 98 U21 team drew 2-2 (0-1) against SV Unter-Flockenbach. After a heated home game, the young Lilies had to settle for a frustrating, but ultimately deserved, draw. In this extremely balanced league, Patrick Kurt's team continues to grow week by week, gaining valuable experience.
An emotional match with many controversial moments unfolded on Sunday afternoon at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. Ultimately, Darmstadt suffered their first home defeat of the young season. We've compiled the post-match reactions for you.
Tried everything, but to no avail: SV 98 came up short in their home game against Hannover 96. The final score was 1-0 (0-0) to the visitors, whilst the Lilies had to play with ten men after Vukotic was sent off in the 20th minute.
Home game against Hannover! On matchday 3, Darmstadt 98 will host the ambitious Lower Saxons at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. Florian Kohfeldt has made three changes to his starting lineup compared to the victory in Jena. Hiroki Akiyama replaces the suspended Kai Klefisch, while Nicolas Verkooijen (making his first start) and Yosuke Furukawa start in place of Carlo Sickinger and Manolo Merx.
Weekend, Lilies fever! On Sunday (August 30th/1:30pm), the Lilies have their third matchday on the schedule. Hannover 96, the club from the Lower Saxon capital, will be visiting the Bölle. What do the two head coaches have to say before kickoff? Who will be refereeing the match? And where can you watch the game? As usual, we've compiled all the important information about the match against Hannover in our "Matchday Guide"
One day before their home game against Hannover 96, Darmstadt 98 have announced another new signing. William Mikelbrencis will now wear the SV 98 jersey. The 22-year-old Frenchman was under contract with Hamburger SV until June 30th.
In the press conference before the second home game of the still young season, our head coach spoke about, among other things, our team's attacking play and the past week. As usual, you can find the most important statements before the match against Hannover 96 (August 30th/1:30pm) here for you.
A second-division team on the Berlin Mount Olympus: Hannover 96 achieved something unique in 1992. On May 23, the Lower Saxony club defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach in the DFB Cup final, securing another major title in the club's history 38 years after their German championship win in 1954. Hannover became the first and, to this day, only "true" second-division team to win the DFB Cup, causing one of the biggest upsets in the competition's history.
