Darmstadt fact file
Wednesday, 16. October 2019, 10:00 Uhr
With the second international break of the season coming to an end, the Boys in Brown continue their league campaign with a home game against SV Darmstadt 98 on Saturday (kick-off: 1300 CET). As usual, we’ve run the rule over our forthcoming opponents.
Sticky patch
Almost two months have passed since the 2-1 defeat at VfB Stuttgart, since when Jos Luhukay’s side have gone six games unbeaten. Darmstadt are on a run, too, albeit one of a different kind. The Lilies have gone not six but seven games without a win - the longest barren spell of any team in the league. Their only victory thus far came in early August, a 2-0 defeat of Holstein Kiel in round two. Since then, they have drawn four and lost three.
Tough competitor
Dario Dumić, 27, joined the Lilies on loan from FC Utrecht at the beginning of the season. The centre back, who spent last year on loan at Dynamo Dresden, immediately established himself in the first team. Along with Fabian Holland, he is the only Darmstadt player not to miss a minute this term. Dumić has been in combative mood all season, winning 71 of his 108 tackles for an impressive success rate of 65.74 per cent. He’s also been a threat at the other end, having found the net twice already.
Pinpoint passer
Darmstadt boast one of the league’s best passers of a ball in their ranks. Central defender Immanuel Höhn, who has missed just 11 minutes of the campaign so far, has made a total of 436 passes in his nine appearances so far, of which only 28 went astray. Out of all the second division players who have played in more than half of their team’s matches to date, only six have a better pass completion rate.
Attempts on goal
Darmstadt haven’t set their sights on goal all that often this season. Their total of 110 attempts puts them 15th in this category. Just one in 12 have found the opposition net, which means only three teams have been less effective in front of goal. At the other end, Darmstadt have allowed their opponents a whopping 149 attempts on goal, with only Karlsruhe (150) faring worse in this category.
Goal threat
"The same old story" was how Darmstadt captain Fabian Holland described his side’s attacking problems after the 1-1 draw at Karlsruhe before the international break. Despite another good performance, according to Holland, the Lilies had failed to outscore their opponents yet again. This lack of punch in front of goal also finds its reflection the statistics. Dimitrios Grammozis’s side have scored just nine times thus far, the lowest haul in the league along with Fürth. Darmstadt’s leading scorer is striker Serdar Dursun with three goals.
Photos: Witters
