It’s starting again. VfL Bochum will start the season in the DFB Cup at Arminia Bielefeld. This is the status after the preparation.

Thomas Letsch can finally let his team go again. On Saturday (12 August, 6 p.m.), the first match of the season is on the agenda. In the first round of the DFB Cup, VfL Bochum has to play third-division team Arminia Bielefeld.

The coach can’t say 100 per cent yet who will be in the squad, because: “Two players had minor problems in training, so we’ll have to wait and see. Otherwise, we came out of the preparation period well. It’s time to get going now.” Danilo Soares is also fit again, with new signing Bernardo “we’ll have to see how long it lasts. He is missing the test matches from the preparation,” explains the coach.

Even though there were some defeats, Letsch is satisfied with the preparation. His conclusion: “We have a good preparation behind us. But we will only see how good it really was on Saturday. It was important that we could get another win against Luton.”

With the successful dress rehearsal behind them, they now head to Bielefeld, to a team that has been completely rebuilt after relegation from the 2nd Bundesliga.

Letsch: “Arminia have a completely new team. We’ve seen their games so far and know what’s coming up. They want to play football and have a clear structure. That’s what Michel Kniat stands for with his style of play. “

The feeling we had in advance has been confirmed. For example with Felix Passlack, he’s having a hot battle with Cristian Gamboa.

Thomas Letsch

Despite this, VfL want to put their stamp on the game to make it clear who the Bundesliga side are. Letsch is leaving it open which eleven he will start with. His reasoning: “Our new players have arrived here quickly. The feeling we had beforehand has been confirmed. Felix Passlack, for example, is in a fierce battle with Cristian Gamboa. The team doesn’t set itself up by itself, we have a lot of competition. Of course, that’s a good situation for the coaching team, even if it can still cause us headaches here and there.”

If things don’t go as smoothly as hoped in the opener, there may be a chance to qualify for the 2nd round via a penalty shootout in the end. Letsch: “It is very difficult to simulate a penalty shoot-out. We haven’t practised it so far. But maybe we’ll have a few more guys practise from the spot on Friday.”

The only thing that is clear is that VfL want to keep their feet on the ground after twice staying in the relegation zone, VfL sporting director Patrick Fabian made that clear: “We have to remain humble. But that doesn’t mean we have no ambition. Unfortunately, the example of Arminia shows how quickly things can happen. We want to continue to make a lot out of a few resources. “