Darmstadt 98 vs Holstein Kiel preview

Germany flag 2026/2027 2. Bundesliga, Germany
Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor Sat, 8 Aug - 11:00 AM
2. Bundesliga
Darmstadt 98 SVD
Holstein Kiel HKI
KICKOFF : Sat, 8 Aug - 11:00 AM
Round 1 Regular Season

CONTEXT

Darmstadt 98 welcome Holstein Kiel to the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor for a 2. Bundesliga regular season match in the 2026/2027 campaign. Positioned second in the domestic standings the hosts hold a slight edge over their visitors who sit eighteenth. Power ratings reflect this closeness with Darmstadt 98 at 75.3 and Holstein Kiel at 75.1 yielding a minimal advantage of 0.2 points to the home team. The stronger side on paper is Darmstadt 98. With no prior outing details available for either side the preparation phase remains somewhat opaque. This league fixture offers both teams an opportunity to stake early claims in their respective campaigns. The venue atmosphere should provide a boost to the hosts as they look to leverage home conditions against a side from the lower half of the table.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Darmstadt 98 hold second place domestically while Holstein Kiel are positioned eighteenth.
  • Form: Neither side has recorded recent form data ahead of this fixture.
  • Squad: Darmstadt 98 are identified as the stronger team based on power metrics.
  • Efficiency: Efficiency metrics remain unavailable for both teams in this preview.
  • Transition: Transition play details are not specified in available data.
  • Set pieces: Set piece performance data shows low confidence with proxy usage for both sides.
  • xVariable: Power scores indicate a minimal 0.2 point advantage for the home team.
  • Market: Projection split: Darmstadt 98 0% (Δ+0%) | Draw 0% (Δ+0%) | Holstein Kiel 0% (Δ+0%).
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
Darmstadt 98 F. Kohfeldt
F. Kohfeldt
VS
Holstein Kiel T. Walter
T. Walter
0.85
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
1.21
0.33 i
Last 6 Opponents
Paderborn Rank: 80 L
Preußen Münster Rank: 68 D
Karlsruher SC Rank: 73 L
Elversberg Rank: 79 D
SpVgg Greuther Fürth Rank: 71 L
Hannover 96 Rank: 79 L
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
2 i
Last 6 Opponents
Dynamo Dresden Rank: 75 L
Magdeburg Rank: 75 L
Eintracht Braunschweig Rank: 71 W
Hertha BSC Rank: 76 W
Kaiserslautern Rank: 76 W
Fortuna Düsseldorf Rank: 73 W
1
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
1 - 1 - 0
0
No sidelined player data available.

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power ranking is SportMonks' model-based team strength indicator. Historical input capped to 2 seasons.
75.3
75.1
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
Darmstadt 98
Holstein Kiel
Power Score
75.3
75.1
League Position
2
18
Global Rank
183
188

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

vs
Darmstadt 98 Opponent-weighted form score
Holstein Kiel Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) Darmstadt 98 Holstein Kiel

Team Head to Head Last 6 Seasons

Summary of 2 matches between these sides — filtered by competition and venue context.

Darmstadt 98 SVD Home
2 matches
Holstein Kiel HKI Away
Match Record
1
Wins
0
1
Draws
1
0
Losses
1
Goals
3
Goals Scored
1
1
Goals Conceded
3
+2
Goal Difference
-2
Expected Goals
0
xG
0
0
xGA
0

Data last updated: 2026-08-01T00:24:58+00:00

General Information

Date & Time
Aug 08, 2026, 11:00 AM
Competition
2026/2027 2. Bundesliga, Germany · Round 1 · Regular Season
Stadium
Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor
Capacity
16500
Pitch Surface
Grass
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair

Squad

Squad

30
Alexander Brunst-Zöllner
Alexander Brunst-Zöllner Goalkeeper
1
Marcel Schuhen
Marcel Schuhen Goalkeeper
24
Benedikt Börner
Benedikt Börner Goalkeeper
26
Matthias Bader
Matthias Bader Defender
20
Aleksandar Vukotić
Aleksandar Vukotić Defender
18
Raoul Petretta
Raoul Petretta Defender
14
Meldin Drešković
Meldin Drešković Defender
28
Christopher Lannert
Christopher Lannert Defender
6
Patric Pfeiffer
Patric Pfeiffer Defender
2
Sergio López Galache
Sergio López Galache Defender
3
Florian Kleinhansl
Florian Kleinhansl Defender
49
Yannik Lührs
Yannik Lührs Defender
5
Matej Maglica
Matej Maglica Defender
4
Grayson Dettoni
Grayson Dettoni Defender
45
Max Pfister
Max Pfister Defender
8
Luca Marseiler
Luca Marseiler Midfielder
15
Fabian Nürnberger
Fabian Nürnberger Midfielder
17
Kai Klefisch
Kai Klefisch Midfielder
21
Merveille Papela
Merveille Papela Midfielder
41
Lance Duijvestijn
Lance Duijvestijn Midfielder
22
Lars Kehl
Lars Kehl Midfielder
16
Hiroki Akiyama
Hiroki Akiyama Midfielder
10
Nicolas Verkooijen
Nicolas Verkooijen Midfielder
19
Fynn-Luca Lakenmacher
Fynn-Luca Lakenmacher Attacker
7
Noah Weißhaupt
Noah Weißhaupt Attacker
11
Ibrahim El Kadiri
Ibrahim El Kadiri Attacker
44
Yosuke Furukawa
Yosuke Furukawa Attacker
48
Manolo Merx
Manolo Merx Attacker

Squad

31
Marcel Engelhardt
Marcel Engelhardt Goalkeeper
1
Timon Weiner
Timon Weiner Goalkeeper
41
Lio Mark Rothenhagen
Lio Mark Rothenhagen Goalkeeper
4
Sebastian Schonlau
Sebastian Schonlau Defender
26
David Zec
David Zec Defender
13
Ivan Nekić
Ivan Nekić Defender
47
John Tolkin
John Tolkin Defender
23
Lasse Rosenboom
Lasse Rosenboom Defender
6
Marko Ivezić
Marko Ivezić Defender
40
Leon Parduzi
Leon Parduzi Defender
32
Hiroki Sekine
Hiroki Sekine Defender
2
Frederik Roslyng
Frederik Roslyng Defender
28
Jonas Meffert
Jonas Meffert Midfielder
8
Guillermo Balzi
Guillermo Balzi Midfielder
24
Taisei Abe
Taisei Abe Midfielder
10
Jonas Therkelsen
Jonas Therkelsen Midfielder
27
Ikem Ugoh
Ikem Ugoh Midfielder
48
Hamza Muqaj
Hamza Muqaj Midfielder
15
Kasper Davidsen
Kasper Davidsen Midfielder
7
Steven Skrzybski
Steven Skrzybski Attacker
9
Giorgi Kvilitaia
Giorgi Kvilitaia Attacker
11
Alexander Bernhardsson
Alexander Bernhardsson Attacker
17
Faride Alidou
Faride Alidou Attacker
20
Adrián Kaprálik
Adrián Kaprálik Attacker
19
Phil Harres
Phil Harres Attacker
25
Marcus Müller
Marcus Müller Attacker
16
Andu Yobel Kelati
Andu Yobel Kelati Attacker
22
Moritz Reimers
Moritz Reimers Attacker

CONCLUSION

Darmstadt 98 enter this home fixture with a narrow power edge and a superior league standing that could shape their approach. Holstein Kiel will need to navigate the challenges of an away contest against a side positioned near the top. Limited recent data leaves room for both teams to adapt quickly once the match begins. The close underlying ratings suggest a competitive encounter where small margins may prove decisive. Home conditions at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor offer Darmstadt 98 a platform to assert control early. Holstein Kiel must remain organized to counter the hosts and find openings on the counter. Overall the matchup highlights two sides with distinct objectives in the early stages of the season.