Third-division club Rot-Weiss Essen will have to do without at least one key player at FC Ingolstadt. Another could be back in the starting eleven.

Chants of “Simon Engelmann” echoed through the Hafenstraße stadium after Rot-Weiss Essen’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund’s U23. The goal scorer celebrated a successful comeback after his persistent tonsillitis and was immediately convincing – although he only played ten minutes.

Engelmann provided the decisive assist for Björn Rother’s goal to make the final score 2-0 and brought great relief to the Essen fan camp. It comes as no surprise that the 33-year-old is the crowd’s number one favourite at Hafenstraße.

After all, he was the top scorer in the RWE jersey twice in a row, shot the club back into professional football in 2022 and was instrumental in helping Rot-Weiss reach the DFB Cup quarter-finals a year earlier.

The joy in the stadium was all the greater when the centre-forward was able to play again for the first time since the end of January. One thing is clear: with his finishing quality, stamina and experience, a fit Engelmann is one of the key players in the Rot-Weiss Essen squad.

Engel is definitely an option for the starting eleven. He’s been out for a fortnight. That doesn’t pass you by without a trace. But a few days have passed since then and I think he’s further along than he was on Sunday.

Christoph Dabrowski

When asked whether Essen’s top scorer could be considered for the starting eleven in the upcoming away game in Ingolstadt (25 February, 2pm), RWE coach Christoph Dabrowski replied at the press conference: “Engel is definitely an option for the starting eleven. He was out for a fortnight. That doesn’t leave no trace. But a few days have passed since then and I think he’s further along than he was on Sunday. We’ll have to see how long he’ll last. If a player plays from the start and is perhaps not yet at 100 per cent, then he can give everything he’s got for as long as he can and then another player can come in. That’s also an option. “