Without the changed captain Daniel Heber, Rot-Weiss Essen has to play against SV Elversberg on Friday evening. Striker Ron Berlinski can play after a calf injury.
It all kicks off at 7pm: Game one at Rot-Weiss Essen after the departure of captain Daniel Heber. The first game of the second half of the season. And the desired revenge at SV Elversberg.
In the first leg, the promoted team, which is now the undisputed league leader, gave the Essen team a real thrashing. The team from the Saarland beat the Bergeborbeckers 5:1 in their own stadium. It is clear that the Essen team is out for revenge. After all, coach Christoph Dabrowski’s team has been able to gain self-confidence in recent weeks and has shown how difficult they are to beat. RWE have been undefeated for nine games.
“I erased that from my hard drive. It didn’t feel good at all,” said “Dabro” ahead of the game. “We had a lot of top-class chances in Verl and Paderborn respectively and unfortunately missed giving the game a different direction. Then we were punished. That must not happen to us in Elversberg.”
Captain Heber and Erolind Krasniqi (loan to Ottensen) are no longer involved. Dabrowski will have to do without Sandro Plechaty, Felix Götze and Michel Niemeyer. The Essen fans were worried about striker Ron Berlinski. The former Verler player had to stop training and sit out due to a hardened calf. He can play, however, but is on the bench for the time being. Simon Engelmann starts in his place.
At right back, Andreas Wiegel is preferred to Meiko Sponsel after his concussion. He plays alongside José-Enrique Rios Alonso, Felix Herzenbruch and the new captain Felix Bastians. Björn Rother and Niklas Tarnat will again play on the six. The offensive line behind Engelmann is formed by Isaiah Young, Thomas Eisfeld and Lawrence Ennali.
The line-up in overview
RWE: Golz – Wiegel, Rios Alonso, Herzenbruch, Bastians – Rother, Tarnat – Ennali, Eisfeld, Young – Engelmann.
Bench: Wienands – Römling, Fandrich, Berlinski, Holzweiler, Kourouma, Loubongo, Sponsel, Kefkir.
Elversberg: Kristof – Fellhauer, Correia, Antonitsch, Neubauer – Jacobsen, Dürholtz – Feil, Woltemade, Rochelt – Schnellbacher.
Bench: Lehmann – Menke, von Piechowski, Mustafa, Tekerci, Mißner, Suero Fernandez, Sickinger, Koffi.
