Wuppertaler SV play host to SC Wiedenbrück on Saturday. Three players are in danger of being ruled out.

Wuppertaler SV have made a strong start to the rest of the series under new coach Ersan Parlatan. Apart from a defeat against Wegberg-Beeck, WSV have won all of their games and are lurking in the chasing pack, eight points behind leaders Alemannia Aachen with faint remaining hopes.

Their next opponents, SC Wiedenbrück, have collected one more point than the Bergisch side. Although the East Westphalians have already played one more game, it is still worth noting. At the end of the year, SCW were still among the relegation candidates.

However, with four wins from six games, Wiedenbrück have worked their way up the table in no time at all. Thanks to their strong record in the new year – only Fortuna Düsseldorf II and Aachen are better – worries about staying in the league have receded into the distance for the time being.

“Wiedenbrück come into the game with a lot of mentality, intensity and tackling,” warned WSV coach Ersan Parlatan ahead of Saturday’s visit (2 p.m., RS live ticker). “We have to accept that and counter it.” First of all, it’s important to get into the game “with the basic virtues required in soccer” so that Wuppertal can bring their individual quality to the pitch.

After the slip-up against Wegberg-Beeck, Parlatan’s team recently fought their way to a 3:2 win against SC Paderborn U23. A trio of players may not be able to help in the attempt to land the next success in Wiedenbrück.

New winter signing Max Schmeling suffered a blow to his calf in training. Due to the resulting bleeding, he has not been able to train recently. It remains to be seen how the injury develops, explained Parlatan. So far, the left-back, who arrived from Bövinghausen in the winter, has not made any appearances, remaining on the bench for 90 minutes in all matches.

Kevin Pytlik, who has been out since the end of the year, has now returned to team training. And according to Parlatan, “without any problems”. The 46-year-old coach left it open at the press conference on Thursday whether the central defender will be an option again against Wiedenbrück. Meanwhile, Paralan is hoping that Tobias Peitz will return to SCW. The defensive midfielder is training with the team again