Elversberg vs Darmstadt – News and Probable Lineups

Elversberg from the Bundesliga will face off against second-division SV Darmstadt 98 at the Ursapharm-Arena an der Kaiserlinde in the second round of the DFB-Pokal this Tuesday.

The home side secured their spot in this round by defeating MSV Duisburg in the opening round, while Florian Kohfeldt’s team managed to get past Carl Zeiss Jena.

Match overview

Elversberg’s triumph over Duisburg, with a score of 3-1, marked the beginning of a promising three-match winning streak across all competitions.

Under the guidance of Vincent Wagner, the team achieved victories over Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach, giving them a flying start in their inaugural Bundesliga season.

However, they have recently been brought back to reality, suffering four defeats in their last five Bundesliga matches (D1, L1), with two of those losses occurring in their prior three games.

After a 1-0 defeat to Union Berlin in their first match post-international break, Elversberg managed an impressive 4-3 win in their home game against Augsburg, only to be halted abruptly with a 4-0 loss to RB Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena this past Saturday.

Despite the setbacks, Elversberg holds a respectable eighth place in the Bundesliga standings as they now shift their attention to the cup match, aiming to progress to the third round for the first time in their history.

While they remain unbeaten in their last four encounters against Darmstadt (W2, D2), their previous two clashes in the 2025-26 2.Bundesliga ended without a winner, including a scoreless draw at the Ursapharm-Arena and a thrilling 3-3 match at the Merck-Stadion am Bollenfalltor in April.

On the other hand, Darmstadt began their DFB-Pokal journey with a narrow 2-1 win against fourth-tier Carl Zeiss Jena back in August.

However, since that match, Darmstadt has had a disappointing start to the 2.Bundesliga season, claiming two wins, two draws, and five losses from their nine outings.

The team, managed by Florian Kohfeldt, returned from the international break with a 3-1 victory against Energie Cottbus, but they have struggled to find the net in their last two league fixtures, which resulted in a heavy 4-0 defeat to Karlsruher followed by a goalless draw against St. Pauli at home.

Due to their poor form, Darmstadt finds itself at the bottom of the 2.Bundesliga table, although they are at least on the same points as the five teams above them and only three points off the top half, illustrating the tight competition in the league.

With the focus set on Tuesday’s cup encounter, Darmstadt’s chances of advancing may be hindered by the fact that they have lost their last three away games, conceding a total of 12 goals and scoring just once.

They are striving to achieve their first competitive victory over Elversberg since defeating them 3-0 in a third-division match back in December 2013.

Team News

Elversberg defender Jan Gyamerah is likely to be sidelined due to an injury sustained during the match against Leipzig on Saturday.

Tom Zimmerschied continues to be unavailable due to an ankle injury, while Noah Darvich may miss his second consecutive game because of an injury he picked up against Augsburg in Elversberg’s last home match.

Wagner might consider making adjustments to his lineup for the cup match, with Lucas Sirch, Cole Campbell, Francis Onyeka, and Noel Futkeu among those expected to feature.

For the visiting side, they are still without players Merveille Papela, Fabian Nurnberger, and Luca Marseiler due to injuries.

Additionally, winger Yosuke Furukawa and midfielder Carlo Sickinger are also doubts, having missed the last two and three matches, respectively.

Nicolas Verkooijen and Lee Ho-jae could come into Kohfeldt’s plans if he looks to refresh his squad ahead of the cup tie.

Elversberg probable starting XI:

Christopher; Sirch, Pinckert, Rohr, Gunther; Keidel, Poreba; Petkov, Onyeka, Campbell; Futkeu

SV Darmstadt 98 probable starting XI:

shoes; Mikelbrencis, Pfeiffer, Luhrs, Petretta; Verkooijen, Klefisch, Akiyama, Weisshaupt; Lee, Smith

Elversberg has secured victories in two of their three home fixtures this season, and given that Darmstadt has lost their last three away games, it appears likely that the Bundesliga hosts will achieve a relatively straightforward win to progress to the next round.