FC Ingolstadt is Rot-Weiss Essen’s next opponent on Saturday (November 8, 2 p.m.). FCI coach Sabrina Wittmann expects a close game.

FC Ingolstadt welcomes Rot-Weiss Essen to its home ground, Audi Sportpark, on Saturday afternoon (November 8, 2 p.m., RS live ticker). With a win, the Schanzer, currently in 14th place in the 3rd division, could move within three points of Essen, who are in fifth place.

After a weak start to the season, FCI has been on the rise in recent weeks, celebrating three wins in a row before suffering a 1-3 defeat at Viktoria Cologne on the last matchday after taking an early lead.

“We’ve had a lot of games this season where we were better than the result. I was much more annoyed about that than last week. You just have to say that there were two games, against Duisburg (1-2 defeat, editor’s note), where we weren’t on the same level and deserved to lose,” said Ingolstadt head coach Sabrina Wittmann, summing up the recent defeat at the press conference ahead of the game against RWE.

She said of the upcoming opponent: “Essen is a very ambitious team that is ultimately capable of winning close games. It’s a team with a lot of power and many good players. You can definitely see their ambition on the pitch. That’s why we’re expecting a tough opponent.”

Uwe Koschinat’s team has already conceded 21 goals this season and has shown defensive vulnerability in some games. However, this has no effect on Wittmann’s match plan. “Regardless of whether we’re in first or 18th place, we simply want to be the more active team,” said the 34-year-old. “Essen will also be aiming for that, so it will be another close game. We will try to play our game as usual: keep possession of the ball, win it back quickly when we lose it, and impose our intensity on the opponent.”

The FCI’s position in the table also shows how close this third division season is. They are six points behind third place, but also only three points ahead of the first relegation spot. “You don’t have to be particularly knowledgeable to see that things can quickly go one way or the other in this league,” said Wittmann, emphasizing that she does not feel any particular pressure. “We’re not afraid of losing, but we are aware of how close the table is. Even if you’re at the bottom, you can quickly climb back up. That was the case for us when we won three games in a row,” she added.

The Upper Bavarians will have to do without regular goalkeeper Markus Ponath, who is still in rehabilitation training after breaking his metacarpal. It is still unclear whether Mattis Hoppe, who is back in full training with the team, will return to the squad. Otherwise, however, the FCI coach has a full squad to choose from.