“A competitive game between two teams that are at the bottom of the table,” is the definition. Basement battle. This is exactly what will happen next Saturday (April 20th/3:30pm) when SV Darmstadt 98 visits 1. FC Köln. The seventeenth place in the table welcomes the bottom of the Bundesliga. After the 29th matchday, the Billy Goats are four points behind in 16th place, while SVD is even twelve points behind Mainz, who are in the relegation zone. Who will win the competition game in the Bundesliga basement? We take a closer look at the opponents of the lilies from the Rhineland.
In the 1997/98 season, 1. FC Köln was relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time. Since their introduction in 1963, the Billy Goats have played in the top German league without interruption; in total, the Cologne team had been top-flight for 49 years in a row. Neither Peter Neururer nor Lorenz-Günther Köstner managed to save FC from relegation for the first time this season. Since then, FC Köln can honestly be described as a yo-yo team, they have been relegated five more times and the Rhinelanders have been able to enjoy promotion to the German football upper house six times. Köln have spent a total of nine seasons in the 2nd Bundesliga, and are now threatening to enter their tenth season. After 29 matchdays, coach Timo Schultz’s team finds itself in 17th place, four points behind the relegation place and five points behind the saving 15th place. The offensive in particular is causing a lot of worry for the fans: with 23 goals of their own, Cologne has the worst attack in the league. But that’s not all. The previous top scorer, Davie Selke (6 goals), will be out until the end of the season due to a broken foot. “In every challenge there is always an opportunity,” is a quote from Cologne managing director Christian Keller. Because there hasn’t been any positive news outside of the football field recently. The International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed the transfer ban imposed by FIFA in December 2023. Cologne was not allowed to register any new players during the winter transfer period, and the ban still applies to the coming summer period. “We have always said that we have always taken the transfer ban scenario into account and will plan our squad accordingly until the end of the now fixed ban,” said Keller and, looking positively forward, followed up with the same quote: “The following applies: There is a challenge in every game always a chance.“
„I would also have liked to have been a national player. Unfortunately, East Frisia was never an independent state. So there was no chance for me,“ said Timo Schultz with a smile in November 2020, at the time as head coach of FC St. Pauli. Schultz played four Bundesliga games for exactly this club in the 2010/11 season. The now 46-year-old was with the club from Hamburg for a total of 17 years, from 2005 to 2012 as a player and since 2011 also as a coach. But it wasn’t always clear to him that it would definitely work out as a coach. Schultz studied on the advice of his mother: first in Bremen, then in Hamburg, he completed a teaching degree in the areas of sports and history. “I used to always write professional football or sports teacher (as a career aspiration) in those friend books that you always get in kindergarten and stuff like that. And now I have finally become a football teacher. “It’s basically a mixture of both,” said the Lower Saxony native to the fan portal “MillernTon”. After a short stint at FC Basel 2023, Schultz finally took over 1. FC Köln on January 4th of this year. In his first 13 games, the former midfielder gained twelve points with Cologne. His team has achieved the two previous victories at home against Frankfurt (2:0) and Bochum (2:1).
| Top Scorers | Assists |
| Davie Selke, 6 Goals | Florian Kainz, 5 Assists |
| Faride Alidou, 4 Goals | Denis Huseinbasic, 4 Assists |
| Florian Kainz, 3 Goals | Benno Schmitz, 2 Assists |
| Luca Waldschmidt, 3 Goals | Eric Martel, 2 Assists |
| Jan Thielmann, 2 Goals | Dejan Ljubicic, 2 Assists |
The Köln team is characterised by their play on the wings. FC have already hit 381 crosses in games, which is by far the highest number in the league (Augsburg 313 crosses). Köln was already one of the top teams in this statistic last season, and not much has changed in this offensive style even after the coaching change from Baumgart to Schultz in the winter. When it comes to running time, FC is also in the top third of the league. With 3,434.7 kilometers, the Effzeh are in seventh place in the league-wide comparison. At the end of last season, Cologne was in first place in these statistics.
“The European Championships are a huge goal for me, a dream. Also because I wasn’t there at the last two European Championships. Those were the two biggest disappointments in my career,” said Cologne captain Florian Kainz in an interview with the Kölner Rundschau in July 2023. About nine months later it is clear that Austria, the team of coach Ralf Rangnick, has qualified for the European Championships in Germany will face France, Poland and the Netherlands in the group stage. “For me it is extremely important that Austria makes it to Germany and that I am there. If I then played with the national team in the Köln stadium, the dream would have come true perfectly,” says the 31-year-old confidently. However, it remains to be seen whether the midfielder will make it into the European Championship squad this time; he was once again not in the Austrian squad in the last international round of games.
International games at club level are currently unthinkable for Kainz; for him and his Köln team this season it is solely about staying in the league. Last summer, Kainz was given the honor of taking over the captaincy. After left-back Jonas Hector’s career ended, it was generally clear that Kainz would be given more responsibility. That hasn’t changed despite the change of coach; the Austrian is just as captain under Timo Schultz as he was before under Steffan Baumgart.
The 31-year-old has now played 156 competitive games for FC; Kainz has not appeared more often for any other club. The Graz native came to the local club Sturm Graz at the age of eight, for whom he made his Bundesliga debut in 2010. In 2014 he moved to Austrian rivals Rapid Vienna for two seasons, particularly attracting attention in the second season with seven goals and 19 assists. After two and a half years at Werder Bremen, Kainz came to the Rhine in the winter of 2019. Overall, the midfielder feels comfortable in Germany, as he confirmed in an interview with the Kölner Express. “I have been in Germany since 2016, which is a long time. But I also have to say that I feel very comfortable here. I am very happy here in Köln. However, I have to give up a lot. For example, I only see my nieces every six months. Then sometimes you have the feeling that you are missing something,” says Kainz. This season the Austrian has three goals and four assists in an overall weak Köln offensive. But he will be particularly remembered for his brace on matchday 8, when FC defeated rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1 at home in the derby. By the way, those were also the last two goals, and since then Kainz has only been able to register himself on the scoresheet with assists.
Paul Fernie is now officially a lily. The new sports director of SV Darmstadt 98 started work this week. His official presentation took place on Tuesday (April 16th) at a press conference together with club president Rüdiger Fritsch in the Merck Stadium at the Böllenfalltor. We have put together the most important statements from both protagonists for you.
The fears have been confirmed: Fabian Holland suffered a torn cruciate ligament and medial ligament in the home game against SC Freiburg (April 14). The 33-year-old sustained the injury in a duel in the second half. The Lilies team captain will be out for months and will also miss large parts of next season. The further procedure and timing of the operation will be decided in the coming days.
Done and done. Tried everything and tried everything. And in the end we were left empty-handed. It is an introduction to our follow-up report, as we could have chosen him for so many games in the 2023/24 Bundesliga season. In the first half of the season, for example, after the games against Frankfurt, Leipzig, Bochum, Cologne, Heidenheim and Wolfsburg, in the second half of the season then against Union or Stuttgart: duels in which the Lilies were close to something countable. But after the final whistle - due to the quality of the opponent and also our own inability - we were left empty-handed. The game against SC Freiburg fits seamlessly into this list. A reflection of the season.
Autograph cards, signatures on jerseys and scarves or selfies: The 98ers will fulfill your wishes on Wednesday (April 17th). Lilien professionals Marvin Mehlem, Christoph Klarer and Fabian Schnellhardt will be guests at an autograph session from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the REWE Center Darmstadt on Leydhecker Straße.
Off to Signal Iduna Park! On the 34th matchday, SV Darmstadt 98 visits Borussia Dortmund. The away game at BVB will kick off on May 18th at 3:30pm. Here's how you can be there: We're starting member pre-sales for this game next Wednesday (April 17th/12pm) – both online and in the ticket shop at Merck Stadium. You will find all further information in this message.
Our partner Krombacher is offering a special trip to the last away game. On the morning of May 18, 2024, the Krombacher Fan Tour will travel from Darmstadt to Krombach for a brewery tour including tasting and from there to the Signal Iduna Park, where SV Darmstadt 98 will be guests at Borussia Dortmund on matchday 34. You can find all information about the Krombacher Fan Tour in this message.
No points in the home game against SC Freiburg – 0:1, that's the final result. SV Darmstadt 98 tried a lot during the 90 minutes against the team from Breisgau, but the South Hesse team lacked the necessary penetration, especially in attack. How do the two head coaches assess the game? What do the Darmstadt protagonists say? We have put together all the voices for the game for you.
We tried a lot, but in the end we suffered another defeat: The Lilies lost 0-1 (0-1) against SC Freiburg.
Side by side into the future, through sporting ups and downs: HAIX, the globally recognised specialist for functional shoes and clothing from Bavaria, will remain the main and jersey partner of SV Darmstadt 98 until June 30, 2026. The extension of the partnership that has existed since July 2023 The Lilies and HAIX officially announced in advance of the Bundesliga home game against SC Freiburg (April 14th). It applies regardless of future league affiliation.
Torsten Lieberknecht changed his starting lineup to a total of six positions compared to the away defeat in Mainz. Clemens Riedel is back in the starting eleven for the first time since breaking his ankle, and Maglica, Gjasula, Karic, Kempe and Seydel also start against SC Freiburg. Alexander Brunst is missing from the squad with muscular problems.
After more than four weeks, the lilies return to the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. After Torsten Lieberknecht's team was recently challenged away from home twice, the Europa League participant from SC Freiburg is now coming to southern Hesse. On Sunday (April 14/3:30pm) the SVD finally wants to celebrate another victory. For the Breisgauers, however, it's about staying in touch with the European places. But before the ball rolls, we will provide you with all the information about the duel between the Lilies and the SCF.
