SV Darmstadt vs. Schalke 04: DFB-Pokal preview, team news & predicted lineups | OneFootball

SV Darmstadt

After a bright start to the season that saw them pushing the early promotion contenders, Darmstadt’s form has dipped in recent weeks. Kohfeldt’s men are winless in three and have slipped to sixth in the 2. Bundesliga standings. Their most recent outing brought more frustration, falling 1-0 to the same Schalke side they now face again - a game that exposed their lack of cutting edge in attack especially without Isac Lidberg. 

Die Lilien advanced to the second round with a 2-1 win over Regionalliga outfit VfB Lübeck, a scoreline that flattered their opponents after Darmstadt dominated proceedings, enjoying 66% possession and conceding only a late consolation goal in stoppage time.

Kohfeldt is relishing the prospect of a big cup night at the Bölle:

“Generally, a home game at the Bölle stadium generates great 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. Two historic German clubs will be facing off in a 50-50 match. The league game already demonstrated that. So, there are plenty of ingredients for a great cup night.”

Darmstadt have progressed beyond the second round in four of their last ten Pokal campaigns, with their best run coming in 1986/87 when they reached the quarter-finals. Last season, they bowed out in the round of 16 after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Werder Bremen.

Team news: Fabian Nürnberger is Darmstadt’s only absentee. 

Schalke 04

Schalke come into this fixture in sparkling form. Muslic’s side have won five in a row and lost just once in their last eight outings, climbing to the top of the 2. Bundesliga table. Their defensive solidity has been key - Die Königsblauen boast the league’s best defensive record, conceding only five goals in ten matches.

In the first round, Schalke survived a scare at Lokomotive Leipzig, eventually edging through 0-1 after extra time thanks to Bryan Lasme’s decisive 107th-minute strike.

Muslic has made it clear that the Pokal is a priority:

“We’re fully in cup mode. The DFB-Pokal means a lot to us, so our clear goal is to reach the next round and we’ll approach the game with exactly that mindset.”

Schalke have a rich Pokal history, having reached the final four times and lifted the trophy on three occasions - most recently in 2010/11. However, they’ve failed to advance beyond the second round since 2020/21 and will be keen to end that run.

Team news: 

Christian Gomis, Christopher Antwi-Adjei, Emil Højlund, Timo Becker, Tomas Kalas, Bryan Lasme and Zaid Tchibara are all unavailable. 

H-2-H record

The sides met just last Friday, with Schalke edging a narrow 1-0 win in Gelsenkirchen. Darmstadt will be eager to turn the tables in front of their home fans. In the Pokal, Schalke have prevailed in both previous meetings between the clubs.

Predicted lineups

SV Darmstadt (3-3-2-2): Schuhen (GK) - Pfeiffer, Vukotić, Maglica - Klefisch, Akiyama, Richter - Corredor, Marseiler - Hornby, Lidberg 

Schalke 04 (3-4-2-1): Karius (GK) - Ayhan, Katić, Kuruçay - Gantenbein, El-Faouzi, Schallenberg, V. Becker - Bachmann, Karaman - Sylla