On Sunday, Wuppertaler SV will play against league leaders MSV Duisburg. WSV sporting director Gaetano Manno is already feeling the tension.

On Friday afternoon, Wuppertal’s sporting director Gaetano Manno watched the U23 match between FC Schalke 04 and SC Paderborn.

Manno needed to take a deep breath before the big game against MSV Duisburg. That’s when the venerable stadium at the zoo in Wuppertal will finally be full again. WSV has already sold a considerable number of tickets.

“As of Friday, we have already sold 7,000 tickets,” Manno told Forecasting. “We hope that sales at the box office will also go well and that we might break the 10,000 spectator mark again after a long time.”

Manno is not bothered by the fact that the fans of the league leaders from Duisburg will probably be in the majority. “I hope there will be 5,000 fans on each side. But I can also imagine that in the end there will be more MSV fans in the stadium than WSV supporters,” said Manno. “But we would accept that too, because it will simply be a great game and great publicity for the Regionalliga West.”

We know that Duisburg has the best squad in the Regionalliga and is a top team. But we will still approach the game with the aim of getting three points. I am very confident.

Gaetano Manno

And a new beginning under coach Sebastian Tyrala, where WSV can only surprise us in a positive way. Because the roles are clear: “I’m glad we were able to get Sebastian. He’s a positive guy, a people person. He also has a clear plan,” praised Manno. “We know that Duisburg has the best squad in the Regionalliga and is a top team. But we’re still going to approach the game with the aim of getting three points. I’m very confident.”

Tyrala himself is also raring to go against the big promotion favorites: “He’s really looking forward to it. He also has a score to settle with Duisburg because he lost 5-0 against them with Türkspor,” said Manno.

For WSV, it’s all about picking up important points in the battle against relegation: “We have to focus on ourselves. We’re assuming there will be four teams relegated and we’ll do everything we can to make sure we finish above the line.”

And maybe the atmosphere will create a sense of optimism in Wuppertal. Right? Manno: “It’s not about having 8,000 or 9,000 spectators in the stadium for every game. It’s about playing decent soccer and giving everything for the club. That’s the path we want to take. And if we only have 3,000 at the end, that’s still great for the regional league. That’s where we want to be.”