On the upcoming 29th matchday of the Regionalliga West, Wuppertaler SV will play their first “home game” at the Stadion Niederrhein in Oberhausen. WSV coach Hüzeyfe Dogan expects a difficult match.

In April, renovation work will begin at the Wuppertaler Stadion am Zoo. In addition to a new pitch, Wuppertaler SV will also get a pitch heating system and will not be able to play in their own stadium for a good six months. To this end, the remaining home games of head coach Hüzeyfe Dogan’s team this season will be played at the Niederrhein stadium in Oberhausen.

WSV said goodbye to their home stadium at the Zoo on matchday 27 with a 1-0 win over SV Rödinghausen. After winning the match against SV Lippstadt 3:1, WSV failed to win the third match in a row on matchday 28 and lost 0:1 against FC Schalke 04’s U23.

Despite the narrow away defeat against Schalke, the Wuppertal players received a standing ovation from the WSV fans after the final whistle. Head coach Dogan could also not reproach his team after the fighting performance in the Parkstadion.

“It was a nice and intense game. Especially in the first half, it was a very respectable game. It went back and forth and the chances were there on both sides. We could have taken the lead, just like Schalke, but we made a mistake and switched to defence too quickly and conceded the goal. We were too open at the back and the opponent punished us directly,” Dogan said after the game.

Although the Wuppertal side still had a few chances to equalise in the second half, the coach said the team had failed to get back into the game. “I can’t blame my team despite the defeat. They gave everything until the last minute. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the equaliser,” the WSV coach continued.

Despite relegation to Kreisliga C, Dogan warns against Kaan-Marienborn

On the coming matchday, WSV will face 1. FC Kaan-Marienborn at the Stadion Niederrhein. Last month, the team promoted to the Regionalliga surprisingly announced its withdrawal to Kreisliga C, RevierSport reported. Despite the unusual situation at Kaan-Marienborn, WSV coach Dogan sees no advantage for his team.

It may be that they will play even more liberated precisely because of the difficult situation and that the players will push themselves even harder for new contracts.

Hüzeyfe Dogan

“For Kaan-Marienborn there is nothing left to play for this season and for us it will be the first home game in Oberhausen. It’s possible that they’ll play even more liberated because of the difficult situation and that the players will work even harder for new contracts. Therefore, the game can be even more difficult than usual,” Dogan explained with regard to the upcoming match.