2. Bundesliga Preview: SV Darmstadt 98 vs. Holstein Kiel | OneFootball

Last season’s fifth-placed team Darmstadt will kick off their 2. Bundesliga campaign at home against Holstein Kiel. Tim Walter saved Kiel from relegation after replacing Marcel Rapp in February 2026.

The former HSV coach will now start his first full season with a game against Florian Kohfeldt’s Darmstadt. The hosts are among the favorites for a Bundesliga promotion after Wolfsburg and Hannover.

Darmstadt picked up four points in head-to-head games against Kiel last season. Second-half goals from Isac Lidberg and Niklas Schmidt sealed a 2-0 win for Darmstadt at Bollenfalltor in March. The Swedish striker joined Borussia Mönchengladbach in the summer.

Lidberg netted a hat-trick when Darmstadt started last season with a 4-1 victory over Bochum, while Kiel’s first game back in 2. Bundesliga ended in a 2-1 defeat against Paderborn after Filip Bilbija’s 99th-minute strike.

Team News

Luca Marseiler, Fabian Nurnberger and Merveille Papela are absent with injuries from Darmstadt. Kiel’s former captain Steven Skrzybski and defender Lasse Rosenboom are also unavailable.

Predicted Lineups

Darmstadt: Schuhen ©; Lannert, Pfeiffer, Vukotic, Kleinhansl; Klefisch, Akiyama; Weißhaupt, El Kadiri; Duijvestijn; Lakenmacher

Kiel: Weiner; Sekine, Nekic, Zec, Tolkin; Meffert ©; Kapralik, Balzi, Davidsen, Bernhardsson; Harres