10,000 fanatical spectators, constant rain, deep grass – pure derby atmosphere. At arch-rival Essen, Münster’s regional league kicker awaits on Sunday (2 p.m.) a tough, stormy top fight…
Sooo hot on red and white. Prussia plans the fall of the favorites.
“We’re going to Hafenstrasse to get three points. It will be difficult, but my team is dying for this game. Like all football fans in our city. We definitely want to pull that thing,” says Munster’s head coach Sascha Hildmann (49) with absolute self-confidence.
The Black-White-Greens also urgently need that if they want to compete with the front runners. The bare facts underpin the “duel of the regional league giants”. While the hosts have been unbeaten in 21 league games, Prussia conceded their last defeat at Fortuna Cologne (2-3) in early October. Then went 13 games without defeat.
The Prussians must eliminate him! Essen’s top clipper Simon Engelmann (r./13 season booths), here in a duel with Münster’s central defender Marcel Hoffmeier (l.)Photo: firo Sportphoto/ Jürgen Fromme
Hildmann is convincing: “We can play with broad chests. Even if Essen is favored because of the home advantage.” In addition, the guests with Dennis Daube (32 / cruciate ligament rupture), Manfred Kwadwo (26 / lateral ligament rupture) and Henok Teklab (23′), Luke Hemmerich (23), Jules Schwadorf ( 29) and newcomer Darius Ghindovean (20) cope with a total of six failures.
But red and white also have worries! In addition to Kevin Holzweiler (27/torn cruciate ligament), one of the scorers in the first leg 3-2, and Michel Niemeyer (26/muscular problems), coach Christian Neidhart is also in danger of being absent. The corona virus also caught the 53-year-old football teacher. He was in quarantine all week and can only test himself freely – if at all – on Saturday at the earliest.
Got caught by the Corona virus! Essen’s head coach Christian Neidhart was in quarantine at home during the weekPhoto: EPA
In preparation for the top game, the Prussians remembered the bitter 2-3 win in the first half of the season. When they literally overran Essen in the first 45 minutes and led 2-0 at the break, seemingly unchallenged. Before the break-in came in the second round. Hildmann: “We brought Rot-Weiss back into the game with our own mistakes. All three goals conceded by standards.” And then his promise: “It won’t happen again. We learned from that and have become much more stable since then.”
What now needs to be proven!
The fact is: If the Adlerträger return home from the Ruhr area with empty claws, the dream of promotion to the third division with a deficit of eight points to first place has (almost) already burst. The ambitious head coach also knows: “It would at least be very difficult to still achieve our goal.” But if they won themselves, they would be back in the race and could start the following championship final sprint with confidence…